ã€ŠGimai Seikatsu - Days With My Step Sisterã€‹


 Chapter 1: Table of contents

    <h4>Chapter 1: Table of contents</h4>

    This is a fan trantion by Cws Trantions,piled together into a file by a fan.

    Please consider buying the official release to support the author and illustrator.

    Table of Contents

    Prologue

    Chapter 1

    Chapter 2

    Chapter 3

    Chapter 4

    Chapter 5

    Chapter 6

    Chapter 7

    Epilogue

    Afterword

 Chapter 2: Prologue

    <h4>Chapter 2: Prologue</h4>

    I can confidently state the following because I have experienced this myself: A younger step-sister is nothing but a stranger.

    For an adolescent boy in his second year in high school, this is undoubtedly the greatest misfortune, and for a single family, the greatest blessing. Look at the non-blood rted siblings in manga, light novels, and games, for example. With that as an excuse, the sister bes the target heroine of the protagonist, and they end up in a rtionship. If you were to take this logic for gold, then you''ll definitely go through a lot of pain and suffering, and at the very end, you only get told to ''Protect your little sister'', receiving a protagonist-like role.

    Reality is always different. If you were to ask what exactly the difference from this imaginary step-sister to a real one is, then let me give you an example. Envision meing home from my part-time job at a certain bookstore, running into my step-sister sitting on the living room sofa sipping on some hot chocte. Our conversation would unfold as such¡­

    "Wee back, Asamura-kun."

    "I''m home, Ayase-san."

    That was it. Do you understand it now? There''s no sweet and adorable ''Onii-chan~'' to hear, nor any cold and salty ''Huh? Can you not talk to me, you shitty big bro?''. It''s an exchange as t as this earth, absolutely barebones with a greeting and nothing more. Both of us just live in reality, not going too far in, not moving away too much.

    There''s no heart-throbbing, flirting, excessive stimulus or respect, none of that sort between me and my step-sister. After living a solid 17 years apart, suddenly being told that you''ll be a family starting tomorrow, there''s really no special emotion or feelings to be held. If anything, the level of familiarity of two people having coincidentally been ssmates for two years is probably higher than ours.

    My name is Asamura Yuuta. I''m your average 17-year old, a second-year in high school. If one asked me why I would get a step-sister at such an age, then it''s simply because my old man is too ''lively'' for his own good. I can only respect him from the bottom of my heart to get married again at his solid age.

    The moment I gained consciousness and thinking as a child, I experienced my parents fighting practically all day, so when I heard my old man saying he wanted to get a divorce, I could only nod to that. That idiot even apologized to me, saying it was his inability, even though I very well knew that my mother was cheating on him. Ever since then, I lived my days harboring no great expectations from the girls I dealt with.

    The news hit me when I just grabbed my keys for my bike, putting on my sneakers at the entrance.

    "Your father decided to get married again."

    "Huh?"

    "The other person is a very tolerable and charming Onee-san, so you''re good with that, right?"

    "Can''t really tell what kind of person she is with those modifiers you''re telling me."

    "From the top it''s 92, 61, 90."

    "I wasn''t telling you to use math instead¡­Think about how I feel, hearing about my supposed new mother''s three sizes before I even get to see her."

    "You must be happy to get such a stylish mother, right?"

    "Not really, no."

    "No way¡­! Not being won over by me ying at your desires¡­are you really an adolescent boy? I thought something was off, actually¡­"

    "Hey now. That sure is some awful impression you have towards your own son."

    It seems like people tend to get the weird idea when I say I don''t have any special expectations towards girls, but I can still get excited at the sight of them, and when I spot a girl in her swimsuit at the pool, I get turned on. Just, even if you tell me like that, I can''t exactly feel any passion towards the person who might soon be my new mother, the new lover of my old man, alright?

    "Still, how did you even meet her, you''re a solid 40 right now. At your workce or something?"

    "She works at a store I got dragged to by my superior. Seeing me broken and copsed, she took great care of me, see."

    "Aren''t you just being deceived then¡­"

    I don''t really want to throw out stereotypes like ''All people of the night are bad'', but when my old man, who already went through some awful stuff because of a woman, tells me about this, then I can''t exactly be hopeful.

    "It''s fine~ Akiko-san isn''t like that. Ahahaha!" He said a phrase only someone being deceived would spit out so confidently, to which I could only return a sigh.

    However, that was as far as I would go.

    "If you''re happy, then so am I. I''ll just keep doing my thing."

    That''s what it means to not have any expectations. Since I don''t have any high hopes for this new life with a new mother, even if I get deceived, end up in misfortune, there''s no real sadness or pain.

    "No, that won''t quite work out this time. You''ll get a little sister after all."

    "Huh? Little sister?"

    "Yup. She''s Akiko-san''s daughter. She showed me a picture, but she really is a cutie."

    It seems like both my old man and that woman are going to remarry with this one. I guess that was one of the reasons they were attracted to each other.

    "Here, look. Cute, right?"

    "Well¡­I guess."

    He energetically took out his smartphone, showing me a picture. There, I could see a girl that was probably in grade school right now. Looked like she had a tranted book from overseas on herp, probably aimed at children her age. Apparently she wasn''t toofortable with taking pictures, as she looked slightly flustered.

    "Congrats. With this, you''re an Onii-chan!"

    "I don''t know what you want from me, giving me a thumbs-up like that¡­Well, she definitely is cute, so it doesn''t feel that bad."

    Having a girl around my age as a little sister would have been a bit bothersome to deal with, but if she''s at that age, then things should be fine. And no, I''m not a lolicon. I''m just relieved that I don''t really have to be too considerate towards her since she''s that far apart from me in age. I do think she''s cute, but again, no lolicon.

    "And, we''ll be having a meeting today at 9pm. Can youe meet us after work?"

    "That sure is abrupt¡­"

    "Well¡­I wanted to tell you, but I never really got a chance, so it''s been a month already, and¡­here we are."

    "There''s gotta be a limit on how much you can postpone it!"

    "I have no excuses, haha¡­"

    That''s the kind of old man he is. Not reliable at all, and yet gullible enough to blindly trust people. How can I not be worried?

    "I get it, I''ll be there. Best be thankful that I''m not some delinquent who stays out all night."

    "I was never worried about that. I have full trust in you after all."

    Seriously, how can you trust others that easily.

    A new mother, a new little sister, a new family. These words filled my head, as I spent my time doing my work at my part-time job, while being instructed by my (beauty of a) senior. ording to Devora Zack1, multitasking is the pinnacle of stupidity, and only by focussing on one thing, you achieve results. This being the case, I focussed solely on my first contact with my supposed new little sister, which is why I messed up a few times at work, getting scolded by my senior in the process. Even though she rmended the book to me in the first ce.

    That being the case, when my shift ended, she still tapped me on the shoulder with an energetic ''Go get ''em, Onii-chan!'', making me realize that she was a kind person deep down.

    Night arrived at Shibuya. It took a few minutes to reach Dougenzaka by bike from my part-time work, and I finally made it to the family restaurant my old man was talking about. During these times, the area would always be awfully crowded, and several groups of women stood in front of the establishment already. Judging from their words, they seemed to beining about the boyfriends they were currently going out with.

    His clothes areme, he doesn''t know how to treat a woman¡ªone woman said, her body tanned while wearing shy clothes, her hair in avant-garde fashion. Um, Lady? You look just asme if you''d ask me, or how about telling your boyfriend face-to-face instead?

    Then again, telling her that would do neither of us any good, so I just slipped past her, and checked my old man''s LINE message to search for the seat. I''d rather not get in too close contact with a shy type of person like that, not to mention their high expectations towards other people. From here on out, I''ll be meeting my grade school little sister. Again, not a lolicon though. I''m just going to make sure that she doesn''t grow up to be like that.

    "Hey, Yuuta! Over here."

    My old man most likely saw me look around the inside of the establishment, as he called out to me with his hand up. Feeling awkward since now half of the other customers were looking over at me, I quickly made my way to the table.

    ¡ªThe root of this difort guing me had already been nted there.

    The more I walked forwards, therger it grew, and by the time I stood at the seat in front of my old man to properly see the faces of my new family, this root had grown exponentially, blooming into a beautiful flower shortly after. Excuse me, but what the hell is going on here?

    "Nice to meet you~ So you''re Yuuta-kun. I''m sorry to call you here right after your part-time work."

    "N-No, it''s fine. I''m Asamura Yuuta. So you are my father''s¡­"

    "Yes, my name is Ayase Akiko. Fufu, I heard a lot about you from Taichi-san, but you really seem dependable."

    The woman¡ªwho named herself Ayase Akiko¡ªcalled out to the bewildered me, and showed a gentle smile as she mentioned my old man. From her expression and gaze, I felt the charm of an adult. She was basically just like my old man had described her. At first I thought she was the type of person to loiter around in the city at night. But, Akiko-san didn''t feel that way.

    However, that''s not important right now. The reason I was stuttering over my own words, the person who stole my gaze and attention, sat next to Akiko-san. I can see a resemnce to the person in the picture, really. She is probably the girl who will be my new little sister. That being the case, she looked astonishingly different from how I envisioned her.

    "Come on, introduce yourself~"

    "Okay."

    Urged by her mother, the girl, who had a high stature, long and almost sparkling blonde hair, with a silver piercing shining in her ear, showed me an odd smile.

    "Nice to meet you. My name is Ayase Saki."

    "Eh, ah, yeah. Asamura Yuuta here."

    She gave a polite greeting, slightly lowering her head towards me.

    ¡ªWhat the hell am I looking at here?

    I can definitely see the resemnce. If someone told me that this is the same grade school girl I saw in that picture, I''d agree. However, only if one added that this is what she looked like ten years after said picture. Utterly bbergasted, I looked at the Ayase Saki in front of me. A grade school girl? My ass, she''s a woman.

    She had her hair styled in a fashionable way, but the color in itself was quite shy, with essories on her wrist and around her neck, piercings on her ears. Her clothes weren''t exactly licentious, but it was enough to openly show one shoulder. Because of the light inside the establishment, it was hard to tell, but I figured her make-up was probably on point as well.

    In short, she looked like a stylish girl, a member of the extroverted world I thought I would never be involved with. Yet, the way she acted and greeted me made her seem like an adult with a proper amount ofmon sense, which only heightened this sense of difort guing me. For now, I decided to sit down next to my old man, and question him about this.

    "Hey, this isn''t what I heard about, you know?"

    "I mean, this is the first time I''m meeting her as well¡­I had no idea. Only had the picture to work with."

    "No matter how you look at it, she''s definitely my age."

    "She very much is. She''s 17 this year, a second-year in high school."

    "And you called her my little sister?"

    "Your birthday is a week before her''s."

    "A week¡­"

    Just one week? What does that matter, we''re the same age. In my head, I could see the image of a cute little sister, which I didn''t have to be considerate around, shatter into a thousand pieces.

    "I''m sorry that it had to be this confusing. Saki just wouldn''t let me take any pictures of her now that she''s grown, so I only had an old picture~" Having guessed or most likely heard my conversation with my old man, Akiko-san put one hand on her cheek, and nced at her daughter.

    Since I''m not the greatest fan about having pictures of me taken, I can totally get behind that. What I don''t understand however is Akiko-san. Why would she show my old man a picture of her daughter when she was in grade school?

    "I''m often told that I have a sharp gaze, so taking pictures is a bit ufortable."

    "H-Huh, is that so."

    Saki¡ªAyase-san showed a troubled smile, but to me, she looked like a beauty appraised by everybody in this world. It''d make sense if it was me, who''s a bastard so normal you could find me anywhere, but I don''t really see a reason why she would avoid having pictures taken. That being said, that was just my own personal opinion, so I kept quiet about that. Wouldn''t want to force myself onto her.

    "But, I''m relieved." Ayase-san put one hand on her chest.

    "About what?" I asked back.

    "I was a bit worried that you might turn out to be a scary person."

    "Hmm, who knows? I feel like the really scary people put on a gentle face."

    "I heard a lot from Taichi-san just now. You''re working part-time to earn money for the university school expenses, right? I figured you''d be a diligent person."

    "Not even ten minutes ago, I got scolded by my senior at work for messing up again though."

    "What about you having excellent grades?"

    "There''s a lot of clever criminals out there."

    "Ahaha." Ayase-san covered her mouth with her fingers, and let out a giggle.

    Our parents watched over this short conversation, and showed relieved smiles themselves. It seems as if the first contact with my future step-sister worked out just fine. The simtion I went through was quite a lot different from reality, but I think I did great considering the circumstances. With this, we should be able to get along just fine.

    We spent until roughly 10pm talking about various things and future ns, and then decided to disband since the next day would have to begin early. My old man and Akiko-san wanted to quickly finish a round to the toilet, so Ayase-san and I left the restaurant early, waiting for them.

    Even thiste into the night, Dougenzaka never sleeps. Looking at the drunk men and women raising loud voices around us, I took a swift nce at the ''little sister'' standing next to me. Because of her shy outer appearance, she greatly resembled the people walking through Shibuya this very moment. She''s a ''woman'' I would normally never get into contact with. But, judging from the conversation we had in the family restaurant, she seems to be much more clever than she previously shows.

    Outer appearances are still only outer appearances. They don''t have anything to do with personality and etiquette. It''d be great if I could put it into simple words like that. However, that''s not the only reason I feel sofortable around her. It''s something hard to exin¡ª

    "Hey, Asamura-kun, there''s something I''d like to talk about before our parents are back."

    "Something you can''t tell them?"

    "Correct. Then again, it''s something I can only tell you."

    "I managed to build up this much trust after that short of a conversation? Am I actually that amazing?"

    "From your humor, way of speaking, expressions, I feel no strong emotions. That''s why, I think you''ll understand what I''m trying to say."

    "Ahhh¡­"

    That makes sense. Basically, she''s the same type as me. That''s why I felt like something was off. Thinking back on it, the words she told me that moment probably led to this decisive definition of our brother-sister rtionship.

    "I won''t have any great expectations from you, so I want you to do the same for me."

    You should be able to understand the meaning of that, right? ¡ª She added. Her eyes were fixated on mine, as she waited for my response. Of course, my answer had already been decided. To any other person, this might have sounded like a cold rejection, but to me, it showed the type of stance in a person I appreciate the most.

    "This is probably a first for me." I said with a smile.

    "Yup, same here."

    "Then, let''s keep going with that stance, Ayase-san."

    "Thank you, Asamura-kun."

    Thus, my rtionship with my new younger step-sister began.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    1 Wrote a book in 2015, called ''Singletasking: Get More Done ¨C One Thing at a Time''

 Chapter 3 - 1

    <h4>Chapter 3: Chapter 1</h4>

    7th of June (Sunday)

    "Wee to our home! ¡­No, that''s not it. ¡ªStarting today, we''ll be living under the same roof, right! ¡­Hmm, that sounds a bit too creepy¡­"

    With the countless cardboard boxes and new furniture in the corner of my eye, I looked at myself in the mirror, and repeated the same phrases to myself.

    It was your average evening, roughly 5pm. I stood in a single room of this t we rented on the third floor, located in the living district with the greatest deviation value in all over Japan (slight exaggeration). It was a 3 LDK1 t. For just me and my old man, it was definitely too big, but now it''ll surely end up too small.

    For the past five minutes, I''ve been practicing my expression and words that I would show to greet the new family. You know, the entire premise of this is just ridiculous. I understand how my old man would take care of cleaning and preparing the room that will be used by him and Akiko-san. However, why would you send me, an adolescent boy, to prepare the room for the stranger that will be my younger sister starting today. That is one decision I cannot exactly follow.

    "Weird¡­where did it go?"

    "What''s wrong?"

    My old man was walking up and down the hallway in a panic, so I called out to him.

    "Ah, perfect timing. Did you see the febreeze anywhere?"

    "Should be in the living room. I used it for the curtains yesterday."

    "Ah, there! Thanks!"

    I heard the sloppy sound of slippers walking down the hallway, heading towards the living room.

    "Why are you panicking like that now?"

    "I was looking through the room again, but when I started cleaning, the scent just bothered me so much¡­I don''t want them to think I stink, you know¡­"

    "What are you, a high school girl?"

    "When you get to my age, that''s a critical hit, alright! You''ll see what I mean twenty years down the line, Yuuta!"

    "I''d appreciate it if you had a bit more confidence in your own son, you shitty old man."

    Watching him walk back to his bedroom, febreeze in hand, his back curled up like a depressed cat, I let out a sigh. If you''re that bothered by it, why don''t you just keep at it each day? Then again, that''d probably be too cruel of a request towards an always-busy sryman like him.

    "My room is fine¡­right?" Thanks to my old man''s words, I started to feel slightly concerned myself.

    I made the promise with Ayase-san that we wouldn''t expect anything from each other, but I still don''t want her to immediately suffer from the strong stench of a high school boy''s room. That being said, I regrly take care of the sheets, cleaning, and smell, so as long as my nose isn''t ying tricks on me, things should be fine.

    As I was feeling satisfied at the results of my daily work, I was pulled out of my thoughts when the doorbell rang.

    ¡ªSo they''re here, huh.

    "Yuuta~ Can you go for me?"

    "Yeah yeah."

    Since my old man was still busy removing any possible stench from the bedroom, I made my way to the entrance instead.

    "Sorry for the wai¡­t?"

    "We''re here~"

    I tried to be as friendly as possible. With a gentle smile, I opened the front door, only to beautifully freeze up. Greeting me was Akiko-san, both her hands carrying several department store bags. I could see food ingredients and other daily necessities almost falling out of the bags, leaving me quite shocked.

    "Um, Akiko-san, what is this¡­"

    "We''ll be in your care today, so I bought all sorts of things~"

    "But, so much¡­? You really didn''t have to¡­"

    "No need to be thankful, that''s not what happened."

    I heard a slightly annoyed voice. Standing behind Akiko-san was Saki¡ªAyase-san (her hands full with stic bags as well).

    "Mom is bad at saying no, so she got roped into buying all the rmended stuff from the employee."

    "Ah, so that''s why¡­"

    "Hey, that makes it sound like I''m a good-for-nothing adult~"

    "Am I wrong?"

    "Ehh! That''s not true at all, right Yuuta-kun~"

    She threw the ball at me. Honestly speaking, I don''t really appreciate how she''s so easy against proactiveness, but when she shows that childish pouting expression towards me, then allints just get drowned out inside my head. That being said, just lying about it would strain my consciousness. Especially so since Ayase-san was giving me a cold stare, almost as if she was telling me to not spoil her mother. It''s tough being on two fronts, really.

    "Don''t just stand around there,e on in. I''ll help you carry some things."

    Hence, I just decided to ignore it. A wise man once said that in order to achieve happiness as a single person, you need the ability to sometimes ignore things. Akiko-san didn''t even seem bothered at that, and just smiled at me, as she handed over the stic bags.

    "Thank you. You really are a reliable man."

    "Ahaha." I gave a vague smile to her grateful words, and turned around.

    I offered her and Ayase-san the new house slippers I bought recently, and invited them in. When we made it to the living room, Akiko-san raised an astonished voice.

    "Mmmm, citrus fruit, what a pleasant scent."

    "Huh, you actually keep it pretty clean." Ayase-san looked at the flooring and the furniture, and let out an appreciative sigh.

    "Well, we just cleaned it in a panic. Normally we don''t¡ª"

    "It''s really just as Taichi-san told me. You really love to clean."

    "¡ªThey say that a clean living area produces a healthy mind after all." I swallowed my previous words I was about to blurt out.

    That was dangerous. From the sounds of it, that idiotic old man of mine acted like a saint in order to woo Akiko-san more easily. Knowing what he previously went through with women, and being aware that this could lead to a downfall really quickly, I instead decided to act for my Dad''s happiness, and kept quiet that he was practically just lying to her.

    Yet, Ayase-san was giving me a real dubious gaze at the same time.

    "Do you always keep it this clean?"

    "Of course. Every particle of dust deserves to be eradicated, that is our family motto."

    "That is some disturbing family motto."

    I wasn''t lying by any means. I was just changing up a few words of the motto my grandmother in the countryside always talked about. I still remember her grinning as she told me.

    "That''s Taichi-san for you, I guess." Akiko-san let out a giggle. "He always looks stylish and attractive, but to think he even kept his home this clean."

    "Stylish¡­My old man?"

    "That''s right. The first time he came to the store with his superior, he looked rather in and unsophisticated, but the second time around he put on some cologne, and the brand of his necktie made him seem like a first-ss business man."

    "Ahhhh."

    That reminds me, there was a time when he was putting a lot of money on clothes and perfume, right. I thought it was just to fit better into the world of adults, but to think it was simply to impress the woman he had interest in.

    "H-Hey there, Akiko-san, Saki-chan!"

    Speaking of the devil, my old man just came out of his bedroom. To my shock, he still held the febreeze container in his hand.

    "Wah, you¡­"

    Put away what you got in your hand right now! I''m doing my best over here to provide some proper follow up, but you''re ruining it yourself!¡ªI tried conveying this with mere eyecontact. However, that did not work at all, as my old man just showed a smile like he practiced it in front of the mirror, and said the following.

    "Wee to our home! W-W-W-We''ll be living under the same roof from here on out, so let''s get awong!"

    Awful. Nothing in my life felt more staged and fake than this. His choice of words was super bad, he even bit his tongue, and his arrogant face just hurt to watch.

    "I''m so happy for the warm wee~ Here, have some presents!"

    "Isn''t that raw ham? Wonderful, let''s have a ham partyter!"

    ¡­Well, I guess they''re a good match after all. Akiko-san doesn''t even bother picking up on the febreeze in his hand, and he just naturally epted the mountain of goodies like it was nothing.

    "Hey, Asamura-kun."

    "Hm?"

    "I''d like to see my room. Could you take me there?"

    "A-Ah, sure."

    Ayase-san and I left the luggage and shopping bags in the living room, heading to her new room.

    "This is it."

    "Huh, so here¡­"

    "I did prepare curtains and bed, but I didn''t know what color you preferred for the sheets, so if you would like to change them, feel free. I kept the table at the window-side but if you want to move it, just let me know."

    "Thanks. You really prepared everything¡­Ohh." She swiftly walked past me, walking into the middle of the room.

    Her tone was rather indifferent, but her eyes were brimming with curiosity, like a cat on a stroll at night. In front of me stood a perfectly normal girl now. Add to that her stylish hair and clothes, I couldn''t help but admire her beauty again. Whether it was shampoo, perfume, pheromones, or even the imagination of a virgin like me, a sweet scent filled the room that hadn''t been there before.

    "It sure is big." The girl turned around.

    "Maybe. I think it''s fairly normal."

    "We previously lived in a run-down apartment. One room massing six tatami mats2, and I didn''t even have my own room."

    "So you had futons out, and slept in the same room¡­is it?"

    Makes sense why their furniture is pretty much new.

    "Not really. When I was sleeping, I could monopolize the room for myself. Back then, Mom was busy with work at night, so our lifestyle rhythm was practically the exact opposite."

    "I guess that must have been much easier than suddenly living with two men¡­I''m sorry."

    "¡­That is fine, but one thing¡­"

    "What is it?"

    "That."

    "Eh?"

    "Why are you speaking so politely? Of course, if it''s some personal or religious belief, then that''s fine."

    I''m not part of some suspicious cult, alright. I just epted society''s rules of using polite speech towards a person I barely met, as this has been engraved into my mind subconsciously at birth.

    "Even if you ask me for a reason¡­"

    "We''re the same age, so why not keep it a bit more rxed? I don''t need you to be considerate or anything."

    "I was doing it exactly because we''re at the same age¡­"

    "Huh? Isn''t it weird to be super polite towards ssmates or friends?"

    "That is just the logic of the strong, that doesn''t work for me."

    You have to remember that, in my 17 years of living, I barely had any contact with a girl. Especially with a shy type like Ayase-san. She made it sound so simple, but for someone with prerequisites like mine, it''s not an easy hurdle to ovee.

    "Really? Well, I''m not going to tell you what to do, Asamura-kun. I just didn''t want you to be overly considerate towards me."

    "I wasn''t nning on doing so, actually¡­Ahh." Mid-way through my sentence, I thought of something.

    We promised each other to not have any expectations of the other person. That happened on the first day Ayase-san and I met. I thought about that meaning, and asked the girl.

    "I feel like it would be better to confirm that right away, but¡­Would you rather have me stop speaking so politely?"

    "Honestly, it''d let me rx a bit more. I''m not someone important that deserves to be respected either."

    "Alright, then I''ll stop it." I shrugged, as I said.

    Ayase-san''s eyes opened wide in surprise.

    "That was fast."

    "Well, treating you like a years-long friend will be impossible, but since you''re asking for it. Not to mention that it''s morefortable for me as well."

    "I see. It''s just as I thought." Ayase-san smiled.

    Normally, her tone and expression was always dry and fairly cold, but for the first time I felt like I could see a soft spot of hers.

    "It really helps that we can ''adjust'' so easily."

    "''Adjust'', huh. That''s one way to phrase it."

    That''s what Ayase-san and I just did. First, Ayase-san considered the idea that I might be part of some religious group that just uses politenguage, and offered me to drop it because she didn''t need it. Then, I realized that it was her wish for me not to speak so politely, and when I gave the YES, she seemed relieved and happy.

    Is this a normal conversation andmunication you could find anywhere? I don''t know. But to me, from my own personal view, this was the first time such ''adjustments'' happened. In most cases, the people you talk with requestprehension and sympathy.

    If you don''t exin it, then I can''t understand your feelings! Why won''t you get it that when you say this, you''re making me angry!¡ªAnd so on. Even though you can''t take a peek inside other people''s brains, they all ask for the impossible. That being the case, why not reveal your cards from the very beginning?

    If you say this and that, you will make me angry. I treasure this and that. I see, then let''s do it like this¡ªDon''t expect the other person to understand you, and search for information that can resolve the problem.

    "If only all of humanity could be this dry and straightforward with other people. Just like you and me, Asamura-kun."

    "You can say that again."

    I don''t understand why you would dislike politenguage. But, as long as I know that she feels that way, I can adjust, and make her feel morefortable. It''s very impersonal, and mechanical. If all of humanity would honestly adjust to each other''s feelings, the world would be a better ce, but society sadly doesn''t work that way.

    "When I approach my friends at school with that stance, they justugh at me with a ''What is that, some contract?'', and ignore it."

    "That sounds rough."

    "Yup. That''s why I cut ties with all but one."

    "Ohh¡­that''s quite the act."

    Can''t judge if she''s brave or just indifferent, really. But, seeing her tell me with a smile gave it an odd sense of credibility.

    "I only cut off people that really deserve it, or aren''t important. It''s such a waste of time to deal with people of which I don''t know when I could step on andmine, and make them mad at me."

    "Indeed¡­Talking about a waste of time, just standing around here isn''t getting us anything done. Should I help you with your belongings?"

    "How kind of you."

    "Creating a debt early will help me in the long run. It''s a win-win for me."

    "How well-versed."

    "Don''t tease me like that, will you¡­"

    "I was trying to praise you. Now then, what should I have you help me with¡­" Ayase-san looked around the room, looking for something. "First, I''d like to put away some stuff. Do you have a cutter?"

    "Sure do." I went back to my own room really quick, getting the cutter, and walked towards the cardboard box she was pointing at.

    "Ah, just give them to me, I''ll do it myself."

    "Don''t worry, I told you I''d help."

    "No, that''s not the problem. In there¡ª"

    I heard Ayase-san''s voice at my back, but my hands already moved to open up the tape. Shortly after, the cardboard opened up slowly, revealing white fabric. That very moment, I regretted not listening to Ayase-san''s words.

    "¡ªare my clothes."

    "I really wish you would have told me sooner!" I turned my back towards the objects I had already seen, and frantically took some distance.

    Of course, Ayase-san immediatelyughed in the face of such a virgin-esque reaction.

    "Ahaha, you don''t have to treat them like some cursed object. That hurt, you know?"

    "Poison for the eyes, is what they say, right? For an adolescent boy my age, this is literal poison, in a lot of ways."

    "Only if I was wearing them a second ago. After going through theundry, this is basically the same as a handkerchief, isn''t it."

    "Stop raising them up like that, I beg you."

    Even if I know that the object she''s waving is just white fabric, they still make me feel weird. I thought the two of us were rtively on the same level when it came to our values in human rtionships, but I guess there''s a decisive rift between us after all.

    "I''ll take care of my underwear, so could you put my uniform over there on the hanger?"

    "I feel like a uniform is plenty stimting."

    "Don''t get so excited, will you. There''d be nothing else for you to help out. Ignore it, and work."

    "Y-Yeah. I''m calm. Calm and collected." I continuously told myself, and grabbed her uniform.

    A shirt, a skirt, a cardigan, and all of these felt soft to a level where I only grew more conscious.

    "Huh?" My hand stopped.

    The leaf-green school uniform necktie entered my field of view, and I was assaulted by a feeling of deja-vu.

    "This is¡­Ayase-san, are you attending Suisei?"

    "Yup, correct. Are you shocked to see such a shy girl like me attend a high-level school like that?"

    "That''s not what I''m shocked about¡­I''m a student at Suisei as well."

    Suisei High. One of the many department schools of the Shibuya district, as well as the school with the highest rate of advancement towards the higher university, filled with honor students. Strict towards studying, as long as you manage to keep your grades high enough, you receive permission to even work part-time, and because of this flexibility, I chose this school.

    To think the little sister I coincidentally happened to get after my father''s remarriage turned out to be the same age as me, and even attended the exact same school as I did. How more convenient can fate get? The only saving grace in all of that is the fact that she''s not in the same ss as me. How awkward would things have been if that was the case.

    I was curious as to what reaction Ayase-san would make, and as it turns out, she seemed to be lost in thought about something.

    "So Asamura-kun is from Suisei as well¡­Hmm¡­"

    "¡­I kinda feel bad. My old man never really looked into anything."

    "It''s fine. Mom''s the same. No need for you to apologize."

    "Must be awkward though, right? I''ll try to act like we don''t know each other at school."

    "Huh? No, I''m totally fine with that. I mean, if you''re morefortable with that, then so be it, though."

    "What do you¡ª"

    My words were interrupted by my phone buzzing in my pocket. I was wondering who would call me at a time like this, but it showed ''Work'' on the screen.

    "Sure, go take it. I don''t wanna restrain you here or anything. I don''t mind if it''s in front of me either."

    "We really get along, huh." I said so, appreciating her words from the bottom of my heart, and stepped out of the room, epting the call.

    Since it was at a time like this, I figured it was because a hole opened in our shift n, and they needed me to jump in to help. As a matter of fact, that''s exactly what it was, so I acted the usual Yes-man, and agreed.

    Upon cutting the call and returning to the room, Ayase-san was focussed on her own work of putting away her belongings, only slowly turning towards me.

    "What''d they say?" She asked, quite indifferently.

    "They need me at work. Sorry, I can''t stay and help."

    "It''s fine, this was my job to begin with."

    Since this was an urgent situation, Ayase-san showed no signs of being bothered. Even though she''s a girl my age, a beauty, and has the looks of a gal, someone I''d definitely have problems with talking, the reason I can keep such a calm conversation right now is probably because of her calm atmosphere, and very sophisticated attitude. She doesn''t feel like a girl my age, but more like an adult.

    "Then, I''m going."

    "Yup, take care."

    With a dry farewell, she returned to her work. The sight of her couldn''t be further away from what people imagined when they heard ''little sister''. However, for me, this was a reason to feel relief, allowing me to leave the room with noplicated feelings.

    The bookstore was located nearby the Shibuya train station. Stepping out of the Hachikou exit, walking across the scramble intersection with the various tourists and youtubers filming themselves and taking pictures at your side, it was straight ahead of you. With all the mobile game ads sting your ears around you, once you get inside the eight-floor building, that''s where I work, as a bookstore employee.

    I''ve always loved books ever since I was little, be it children''s literature or such from overseas, I tried practically every genre there is. I didn''t just read them, I practically consumed books. I bit into them, until I digested them. That''s why, working at such a ce, with all sorts of new releases around me, was like paradise.

    Books are great. Books show you all sorts of lives of other people. It offers an experience Asamura Yuuta would normally never be able to taste. Of course, it''s not just stories. There''s autobiographies, and business books as well. By reading many books, knowledge and experience fills your head, impacting it.

    Narrow-mindedness, excessive pride and arrogance, narcissism. Through reading books, and the meta knowledge you get, you can avoid suffering from these embarrassing personality traits, and that''s probably how I did it as well; Thanks to books.

    An average grown person''s brain weighs roughly 1400g. You would think that this is enough to make some room formon sense, and yet that isn''t the case for many, which honestly leaves me terrified to think about.

    If I hadn''t read any books, I could have ended up like them as well.

    8pm at night. I started working at roughly 6pm, and these two hours went by awfully fast after dealing with the usual weekend storm of customers. By the time the number of customers lessened, and I thought I could finally take a breath, just focussing on fixing book covers at the register, I was interrupted by ''that'' kind of scenery.

    "Woah, Lady you''re, like, totally my type. I fell for you at first nce."

    "Are you searching for a book?"

    "Eh, how can you be this cute? How about we go for a bite after your work is over? When are you done?"

    "I don''t remember a name like that, could you give me some more details?"

    "What are you talking about, lol. You''re so funny, haha."

    A shy delinquent-type of a man was trying really hard to pick up a female employee. He didn''t even pick up on the irony of the girl, not shrinking down at all. This is something of a familiar scenery here in Shibuya, but seeing it happen in an actual store, not to mention this fiercely, was a rare sight.

    The one being picked up was the perfect example of a Yamato Nadeshiko3 with long ck hair. A literature girl, pure and proper¡ªadding the idea of that to her beautiful appearance and sweet scent drifting around her, she was definitely on a different league from your average girl. Even during this (honestly pretty bad) pick-up attempt, she kept smiling gently, not breaking down in the slightest. It was perfect customer service. However, her eyes weren''t smiling at all.

    I really don''t want any trouble, but¡­

    With these thoughts, I headed over to the source of this noise, binder and list in hand.

    "Yomiuri-san, there''s something I''d need your help with."

    "Ah, yeah! What is it?"

    "About the list of new arrivals. I don''t know how to check it with the information from the PC."

    "¡­! Got it, I''ll be right there."

    "Wha, hey!"

    The girl seemingly understood what I was ying at, and walked away from that ce, leaving behind a flustered man. He tried reaching for her slender wrist, but only hit the binder in my hand.

    "Do you have any more business with my Yomiuri-san?"

    "Eh?"

    Of course, we aren''t in that kind of rtionship. This was just an act to make that man give up. After freezing up with an open mouth, said man pped his hands together, and suddenly lowered his head apologetically.

    "I''m not that good when ites to reading the mood, soz about that! Makes sense that a beauty like her has a boyfriend, alright."

    "Eh. Ah, well, yeah."

    Honestly, I was baffled. Judging from all the types of delinquents I''ve read about, I figured that he''d get aggressive, insult us, or anything of that sort, but he actually pulled away fairly easily. Then again, it might just be him.

    "Bud, you better be treasuring her. Be happy!" He left behind a few words of encouragement, and stepped out of the store.

    Now that the noise was gone, silence returned to the store. Realizing that we had drawn the attention from the other customers, I tried to hide my reddened ears, looked down, and returned to the register.

    "Thanks, Junior-kun. You really helped me there. Also, if that guy was going to give up this easily, why was he even this obstinate to begin with¡­Right, my dear Boyfriend-kun?"

    "Please stop that."

    "Let alone a night, our love barelysted a minute? How sad."

    When it was just the two of us again, her customer service smile had vanished elsewhere, and she merely stuck out her tongue with a teasing grin. She had her namete stuck between her teeth, only now putting it on the right side of her uniform. There, I could read the name ''Yomiuri Shiori''.

    "Weren''t we supposed to keep the namete on us during our work hours?"

    "It''s an ad hoc approach." Yomiuri-senpai put one finger on her lip, showing me a wink, like she was telling me to keep it a secret. "Rules are there to keep the organization running smoothly, right? If he were to spread my name to others, we''d soon have a full store of people like him."

    "That does make sense."

    She clearly wasn''t just a person that would let others y with her. Honestly speaking, I think that this creativity and wise thinking are her greatest charm, but I guess that most men in this world apparently don''t agree with me.

    "That makes it the third time this month, huh."

    "It''s only the 7th, so we''re at a pace of every two days once."

    "And the third time while being at work. How can I focus like this?" Yomiuri-senpai hid from the eyes of the customers behind the register, letting out a defeated sigh.

    "If only they''d stop doing it inside the store. Whenever I try to help, you tease me right after¡­Then again, I''m used to it already."

    "As always, thanks a lot. You really are reliable, Junior-kun."

    "¡­I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to make you feel like you owed me something."

    "It''s fine. You''re helping me a lot, so I really am." Sheughed, and tapped me on the shoulder.

    Yomiuri-senpai might seem like a prim and proper Yamato Nadeshiko, but when it''s just us during the shift, she often jokes around like that, or uses a fairly casual tone. At first, I was a bit lost because of her vague sense of distance, and frequent skinship, but as soon as you understand that this is how her character works, it''s easy to get along with her.

    "You''re as popr as always, I see. It''s probably because you''re that much of a beauty."

    "Junior-kun¡­If you keep praising me this nonchntly, you might end up like that person just now."

    "Don''t scare me like that, will you."

    "Well, I don''t think it''s because of my looks, Isn''t it just that I look easy enough with a bit of pushing?"

    "Look easy enough¡­" Because of her direct and straightforward way of phrasing it, I was at a loss for words.

    She looks innocent, sure, but she''s plenty of an adult, I guess. This town of Shibuya holds what you could call a heretical touch, giving men like that guy such a misunderstanding. I can imagine a lot of men here aiming at ady who has no experience with men, able to be won over with a slight push. Not to mention that she never really holds back her words¡­

    "Say, Junior-kun. I''ve been picking up some woman''s scent from you this entire time. Did you get yourself a girlfriend or something?"

    She even has slight sadistic tendencies.

    "Don''t joke around like that, please¡­But, do I really smell that much?"

    "Brimming with stench. How many hours did you flirt around to amass that intense of a scent?"

    "Let me leave early. I''ll go home and take a shower."

    "Ahhh, I was only joking. Don''t leave me aloneeee~"

    I took a whiff from my clothes, and pretended to make my way home, when Yomiuri-senpai clung to me. Right now, it''s only her and me at work. Although we made it past the peak storm, having her do the rest was too cruel. That being said, I only yed around to begin with, and never really intended to go home.

    "It''s just, you told me before, so I was wondering."

    "Ahhh¡­"

    Now that she mentioned it, I did in fact ask her for some advice. After I found out that my supposed little sister was actually a girl my age, I was unsure on how to really treat her, and what type of attitude I should take. Since Yomiuri-senpai is the only girl around me that I can actually talk to easily, I asked her for some tips. Of course, I was teased, made fun of, and didn''t get any helpful information.

    ''I can''t say much knowing only that it''s a girl. People have different personalities, hobbies, and values.''

    That was her opinion, and it made perfect sense to me, so I couldn''tin at all.

    "And, how''s she? Cute?"

    "I mean, I don''t feel toofortable looking at her that way."

    "I know that you''re not the aggressive type who''d be happy about a situation like that. I''m talking from your objective point of view."

    "¡­I think she''s a beauty, yes." I answered honestly.

    I found it hard to say that. After all, she''ll be my family from today, so when I see her in such an objective way, a sense of guilt fills my chest, making me feel ufortable. In terms of human rtionships, she''s someone who shares a lot of thinking with me, but she''s a member from a world I never thought I''d intersect with.

    She''s got a great style, has a cute yet charming face, beautiful blonde hair, and the clothes and essories she wears perfectlypliment her looks. She was clearly different from a background character like me, someone who stood in the sun. Rather than feeling happy about any praise that I could give her, she''d probably just think of it as disgusting.

    "Phew, living together with a beauty like that, you''re a lucky one."

    "Nothing will happen."

    "Nutting will happen?"

    "Can you not pull some abrupt dirty joke like that? It''s a really bad habit of yours."

    "I''ve always been in girls-only schools that entire time, so it can''t be helped."

    "My evaluation of girls-only schools is dropping¡­"

    "It''s the truth."

    "¡­Seriously?"

    "Well, it''s up for you to believe it or not¡­you know?" She spoke like she was talking about some urban legend, giving me a wink.

    Inside my head, I chose thetter. I wanted to keep my image of a yuri romance blooming at girls-only schools.

    "Well, I''m a boy myself, so I get thoughts like that popping up in the back of my head. But, honestly speaking, I don''t even have time to consider all these wicked thoughts."

    "Hmmm?"

    "Think about it. I''m living under the same roof with a member of the same age, and different sex. It''s way tooplicated for me, who never had any contact like this happen before."

    "So I''m not even a girl in your eyes?"

    "You''re a man at heart after all."

    "Ahahah! Heeeey, isn''t that a bit too cruel! I mean, I can see where you''reing from, but!"

    "You''re like a friend, or a reliable senior."

    She always pulls dirty jokes as well¡­

    "Ahahaha¡­haaaah¡­Phew¡­Alright, I get it. From that conversation just now, I figured out that your skill at dealing with girls is abysmally bad."

    "¡­I''ll refrain from anyment."

    Not like I could make any to begin with.

    "Honestly speaking, I''m at a loss. What kind of attitude would be fitting for us as siblings? How considerate should I be of her? These worries fill my head, I don''t even have time to enjoy this situation.

    "Just act like you always would, Junior-kun."

    "Won''t I just be hated because of this?"

    "Do you hate my natural manners?"

    "¡­Not at all."

    "See!"

    "But, you''re a beauty as well, Yomiuri-senpai¡­Your natural manners and mine can''t even hope topare."

    "That is some horrible self-evaluation you got going there. I actually like you quite a lot, Junior-kun."

    "But, you''re a weirdo, Yomiuri-senpai¡­"

    "Hey now, you''re usingpletely opposite words in the same breath there. But, I like that. Feels so artistic."

    "That''s exactly what I mean."

    Mid-conversation, her face turned into a critic''s, as she nodded to herself. ording to her, as a literature girl, she is on constant search for beautiful rhetorics in her everyday conversations. I don''t get how this connects to her pulling some old man''s jokes during the day, but I swallowed that doubt.

    As I was feeling slightly defeated at the idea that some middle-aged man was sleeping inside a literature beauty like her, Yomiuri-senpai walked away with a ''Right'', only toe back with a book in hand.

    "Here, I rmend this."

    "''Science of Man and Woman''?"

    "It''s psychological research put into data and advice on how to get along with other people¡ªespecially when they''re members from the opposite sex. This will turn into some great reference, right?"

    "Sounds interesting at least."

    I swiftly flipped through the pages of the book, and said so. Just by looking at the contents, I realized that this would surely be a helpful book for me.

    ording to it, you need to understand the other person. Following that, you need to understand yourself. In order to achieve that, you need to gain an objective view of yourself. I''ve read something simr in other books before. That''s why I started working to see myself in an objective light, and this isn''t something entirely new to me. However, there was one part of the contents of this book that really caught my attention.

    ''If you want to get better at perceiving yourself objectively, then start writing a diary!''

    It''s a method that I could start using right away. Just from reading that, I felt interested. Yomiuri-senpai apparently picked up on that, and showed the grin of a subus.

    "I''ll tell you, I tested the effects of that book, and boy did it do God''s work."

    "You used it before?"

    "Lots of credibility, right? I mean, you and I are getting along just fine."

    "Yeah, that''s pretty convincing."

    One realization means more than a hundred deductions. Rather than some fatty preaching about a diet, you''d much rather believe a former fatty who went through rigorous training and fitness ns. As a result, I decided to buy the book.

    After the end of my shift, when I had finished changing back from uniform, I bought the book from Yomiuri-senpai, whose shiftsted until midnight. Unlike me, a highschool boy who was only allowed to work until 10pm, she still was locked up in there. I epted the book from her, stuffed it into my bag, and just when I was about to leave, I turned around again.

    "If some guy like before tries to hit on you again, give me a call whenever. My bike is always aching to roar."

    For a second, Yomiuri-senpai seemed confused. That expression however changed quickly, as she showed a happy grin.

    "How reliable~ Then, I''ll call you, and then the police."

    "Make it the other way around, please."

    If you''re going to call the police in the first ce, then don''t even bother contacting your Junior-kun.

    By the time I made it home to my t''s parking lot, it was already 10pm. On my way home, I was bncing the bike with one hand, while looking for apps I could use to keep a diary, which is why the downloading took longer than usual. I stopped my beloved ride at the bike space, went up to the third floor with the elevator, when I was assaulted by a sense of guilt again.

    Normally, I just came home at my own leisure, but I don''t remember telling Akiko-san or Ayase-san about how long I would be out for my part-time work. I hope that my old man gave them a proper exnation, but I can''t exactly expect some follow-up like that.

    Keeping in mind the chances that my family might be asleep already, I carefully opened the door, and headed to the living room as quietly as possible. I could see light burning through the clouded ss door, so someone was still awake. Feeling my body tense up, I headed inside. As it turns out, Ayase-san was sitting alone on the sofa.

    I figured it was hot chocte or something along those lines, as faint steam came from the cup she was holding. She looked at her phone, expressionless, probably going through socialworks. Maybe even messaging some people. Friends? A boyfriend? Being such a good-looking girl, and easy to talk to, both sounds very much possible.

    "I''m home."

    "Eh? Ah, yeah." She looked up from her phone, giving me a slightly flustered reaction.

    Rather than it being just vague, it felt like she was taken by surprise, unsure what to say. Like a foreigner just asked her for directions in an area she wasn''t too familiar with.

    "¡­Ayase-san?"

    "Sorry, I''m just not used to actually hearing that, so I was unsure how to respond."

    "Ahh¡­right. Because you were livingpletely different lifestyles."

    She mentioned that since Akiko-san was always working at night, their times to sleep never matched up, huh. When I first heard that, I just thought ''I guess such families exist as well'', but realizing what exactly that meant now, I felt my chest tighten up.

    "What''s that serious expression for?" Ayase-san showed a wryugh.

    Seems like my inner thoughts actually showed on my face.

    "It''s fine. I wasn''t treated awfully or anything. She came home when I went to school, got some sleep and finished whatever business she had, and when I came home, she went off to work. To us, that was our normal routine."

    "You seem pretty close despite that."

    "We''re mother and daughter after all. Today, we got to go shopping together after a long time, it was pretty fun." Or so she said, but her voice offered no special intonation, no expression on her face.

    I was just listening to her reasoning, as she spoke of the past in an awfully dry tone. The reason I don''t sense any loneliness from her is possibly because she''s already used to it. We''re talking about a single parent, and a highschool student. I know I''m not one to speak, but I personally wouldn''t feel that much about not being able to see my parents for a while.

    More importantly, it seems like I bothered her when she was busy on the phone. Feeling pathetic, and apologetic, I wanted to walk off and hide myself in my own room.

    "I was thinking of taking a bath and then going to bed¡­"

    "Go ahead. I''m fine with being thest on both. I always stay upte."

    "Alright, gotcha."

    As I made my way to my own room, preparing for a bath, I thought about Ayase-san''sst words. She was fine with taking a bathst. She was also fine with sleepingst. I mean, that makes sense if you think about it. She wouldn''t want a boy she barely met, let alone has to live together with now, use the bath water she just used, and by sleeping first, she made herself defenseless in the presence of an adolescent boy. If so, then the longer I take, the longer her night bes.

    ¡ªGuess I should to hurry and get my stuff done.

    Deciding on this, it took me only ten minutes for my usual thirty-minute bath, and I used the other twenty minutes to empty the bathtub, fill it with fresh warm water. I don''t really know how to act around her yet, but at the very least, I wanted to make it as easy as possible for her.

    As a result of this, although you might expect it after reading one too many ros, no heart-throbbing and exciting event happened during this first night of us sleeping under the same roof. Just as I have stated in the prologue of this story, a daily life with a step-sister differs greatly from what is shown in such material.

    That being said, it''s not like I wasn''t aware of the opposite sex sleeping practically within the same few perimeters of mine, which is why I had a rough time sleeping.

    When I woke up the next morning, Ayase-san had already prepared everything herself, sitting in the living room, so there was no heart-throbbing exciting event to find either. However¡ª

    "Morning. Slept well?" She asked me.

    "Thanks to you."

    "Same here. The bath was great, thanks a lot."

    ¡ªI could pick up Ayase-san''s charm as a normal human being through even such dry conversations, and although it might not be the same to all those fictional ones, I found myself thinking that this rtionship wasn''t as bad either.

    ©¤©¤©¤

    1 Combined living room, dining room, and bed room

    2 Roughly 10 square meters

    3 The perfect example of a Japanese wife, with long beautiful hair, a devoted housewife.

 Chapter 4 - 2

    <h4>Chapter 4: Chapter 2</h4>

    8th of June (Monday)

    Of course, some heart-throbbing event of Ayase-san and me going to school together didn''t happen. Finding out that we both are students at Suisei, she advised against this in order for no weird rumours to spread at school. Naturally, that was an absolutely correct choice. My old man and Akiko-san seemed to be aware of that, and decided against any sudden change of life, like changing our family names. Since that would have invited a misunderstanding, and the paperwork simply being a pain in the ass, I was pretty happy about that. This being the case, Ayase-san and I left the house at different times, heading to school separately.

    The world is based upon apetitive society. To survive this harshpetition, one shall notin nor boast, and show a hundred results.

    That is the motto of our school. It states that results are more preferable than efforts, which means that if you can keep up your good grades or show excellent achievements with your club activities, you are allowed to keep a part-time job. Admiring this kind of freedom, I decided to take the entrance exam here at Suisei. It is a fairly high-level school, but I don''t really have some university in mind, or any goal to achieve. I just want to make it to a rtively good university.

    However, that wasn''t exactly because I wanted to achieve something great, or aimed for something higher, but merely because I used my studies to evade anything problematic in my personal life. As a grade school student, I was told to visit a cram school. That happened before my old man got divorced. The person that was my mother tried raising me into a person who had greater social influence than my father, which is why I was told to visit a famous academic cram school.

    ¡ªOnly for me to feel discouraged during the trial attendance.

    Mixed with the other children who were studying like their lives depended on it, I had a lot of trouble dealing with them and my studies, getting to the point where I would break down from the pressure just being forced to deal with them. That''s the first time I realized in my entire life that I suffered frommunication disorder. To counterattack that, I studied desperately, and raised my grades. Now that I am attending this high-level school, my grades are in the upper half, but back in middle school, I was in the top ss for sure.

    It''s not that I was aiming higher, I just didn''t want to attend cram school. Because of these efforts, I could avoid doing so. The only reason I went to work part-time on top of getting good grades is solely to show off to my old man that he didn''t need to worry about me, as that sounded bothersome to deal with. That''s why I don''t even feel like I did anything great, nothing that deserves any respect, as I wasn''t even working hard towards a goal. That''s right, my trusted friend Maru Tomokazu was more of that type.

    "Yo, Asamura. Morning."

    "Maru. Morning practice?"

    This happened early in the morning, inside our usual ssroom. Homeroom would only begin in ten minutes, and yet Maru already arrived at his seat in front of me. He had a knowledgeable look with his sses on, wildly trimmed hair, and a well-endowed stomach. At first nce, you could call him a bit of a fatty, but that expression isn''t exactly correct. When I found out that covering his body wasn''t actual fat, but muscles, I almost fell off my chair. You really can''t judge people based on their appearance.

    "''Course. There''s no day without practice." He said with a sour look.

    Maru''s actually part of the baseball club, and catcher as his figure might suggest. Naturally, he''s passionate about his club, but even the most passionate peoplein about their field sometimes.

    "That club is like a ckpany, right."

    "Guaranteed early start and always overtime. Competition, jealousy. Age doesn''t matter, skill is all that counts. At that point, it''s already a called game."

    "And you lost?"

    "Sharp, aye. If you get into the baseball club without pure love for the sport, you''ll lose. Been used to utter exhaustion even before that, but¡­Well, I don''t expect others to understand what I''m going through."

    "Yikes, that sounds impossible to me."

    Maru took off his sses, and brought out a case from his bag. Inside, he had a different pair, which he put on. One pair is sports-use, the other for his studies. It''s like he''s switching his equipment in an RPG. They apparently were damaged during practice before, so he started using two pairs respectively.

    "That''s how it is. How''s your new lifeing along?" Maru didn''t even hesitate to switch the topic.

    Of course I''d tell my trusted friend about my father''s remarriage, and that I got a new family. Honestly speaking, I barely got any friends at school. After going through that hell of an academic cram school, my first-meetingmunication hit rock bottom after all.

    But, as for Maru Tomokazu, he''s always been sitting close to me in ss, and our interests in manga and anime lined up pretty well, so we just naturally became friends. You might think of it as being weird that he''s in a sports club and yet otaku at the same time. Apparently, he got hooked on a popr baseball manga,and wanted to try it himself, which makes me lean towards him being an otaku. I mean, there''s those otakus who are influenced by anime, and start visiting the gym, right?

    But of course, the topic at hand was the fact that I got a new family.

    "How, huh¡­Saying it in one sentence¡­It''s different from what I imagined."

    "You got a little sister, right? You bastard of an Onii-chan."

    "Don''t use that as an insult¡­And, even if you call it a little sister¡­"

    "Can''t get excited because you ain''t blood rted?"

    "I''m not even seeing her as a little sister or step-sister to begin with." I said and remembered Ayase-san''s face. "Rather than a little sister, she feels more like a ''Woman''."

    "That''s one lewd way to say it."

    "That''s the only way to say it. I honestly don''t have any idea on how to approach her."

    "Hmmm, I see. A ''Woman'', is it. I guess recent grade school gals are on a different level."

    "Grade school gals? What are you on about?"

    "We''re talking about your little sister, right?" Maru blinked in confusion.

    I should be the one confused, hey¡­Oh, wait a second. I only heard that she was a grade schooler or middle-schooler, since that''s what it looked like in the picture my old man showed me. Never corrected Maru since.

    "No, that little sister is¡ª" I spoke that far, only to stop myself.

    She''s not in grade school, but actually in high school like me, not to mention attending this very school, and in the same school year. I don''t know in what ss she''s in, but she''s a beautiful girl¡ªSaying that would only tickle that guy''s curiosity, and the catastrophe would be preprogrammed. It''s not that I don''t believe him to be trustworthy either, I just can''t break my promise towards Ayase-san. I am a man who doesn''t bber unnecessarily.

    "Your little sister is¡­what?"

    "My little sister is¡­different from what I imagined. Not like what I know from any 2D media."

    "Well, duh. You finally unable to separate reality from 2D now?"

    "What do you mean ''finally''? That makes it sound like I was always close to losing myself like that, so can you not?"

    "It''s the truth, right?"

    "Doesn''t mean you can just say whatever you want, alright."

    "Well, that''s my character."

    Oh I know. I''ve known Maru for at least more than a year now, so I''m well aware that his tongue is as sharp as a knife, swinging around relentlessly, and often aimlessly.

    "Anyway, I''m not as excited as you think I''d be. If anything, it''s pretty exhausting, and hard to figure out what sense of distance to keep."

    "Figured as much."

    "Anyway, change of topic¡ªDo you know a student called Ayase Saki?"

    "Mm?? I mean, heard of her, but where did thate from?" Of course, since that came out of nowhere, Maru narrowed his eyes.

    Thework of information in sports clubs is more wide than you could imagine. When talking about girls¡ªespecially someone on the level of beauty that Ayase-san has, she''d surely be a spicy topic. Since I''m not interested in rumours and all that, I never put much thought into it, but before, Maru told me stories and rumours of girls I didn''t even know existed, so I figured it might be worth a try.

    "Ayase, huh? Hmm¡­Why her of all peeps?"

    "Well, you know, I just¡­She''s a beauty, right?"

    "Better not."

    "Eh?"

    "As your friend, I''m telling you that you''re wasting time and energy."

    "Wait a second. What are you on about?"

    "It''s not in my interest to stand in someone else''s path of love, but¡­"

    "I don''t remember asking you for love advice."

    I didn''t know why he would evene up with that, so I quickly interrupted him.

    "I was wrong? I figured you''d gotten the hots for Ayase or something."

    "Are you crazy? There''s no way some beauty like Ayase-san would give a boy like me a nce, less a chance."

    She''s a girl as attractive as a hand-crafted doll, with alluring blonde hair, and I''m the type of boy who gazes at himself in the mirror to realize yet again how boring he looks. Seriously, who''d even think of that? I sighed in disbelief. As I did, Maru gave me a look like he had something toin about.

    "No, it''s the opposite. If you started dating Ayase, your own value would drop."

    "¡­Haha, good joke."

    "Ain''t joking."

    "Then what are you on about? There''s gotta be a limit on how far you can take this overvaluing."

    "I mean, I agree that she''s got the style¡­But, there''s also some rumours going around, see." He said it with a sour face. "I''m not really a fan of talking behind people''s backs, but things are different if my trusted friend might be aiming for her. Ignorance is bliss as they say, but I can''t stay ignorant now."

    "Can you tell me more about that rumour?"

    Of course, I didn''t fall for Ayase-san by any means, but exining anything regarding that would force me to reveal the fact that we''re actually step-siblings now. Since that''d be even more annoying, I just let him keep the misunderstanding, and heard him out. Maru quickly observed his surroundings, and brought his face closer to me as he whispered.

    "Ayase, you know¡­Apparently, she''s¡­doing that¡­''Prostitution''."

    "...Huh?"

    "Blonde hair, piercings, always in an angry mood, not letting any people approach her. She''s probably the gal of this high-level school that stands out the most, especially with her frivolous atmosphere. There''s even eye-witnesses that saw here out of some suspicious buildings in Shibuya, or hotels nearby."

    "Huh, I never knew." Not denying or epting it, I only nodded along.

    I can see why that kind of stereotype would be associated with her, just looking at her outer appearance. For the few times I talked with her, she didn''t give off the impression of a person who would do such a thing, but I clearly don''t know her well enough to firmly deny that rumour.

    "I gotta say, it''s pretty rare for you to believe in eye-witnesses like that, Maru. You''re normally the one who doubts these sorts of rumours first."

    "There''s a fellow in the baseball club who confessed to her."

    "Eh. Even though everyone is avoiding her?"

    "I mean, rumours are rumours, but looks are looks. She''s pretty popr. Though it''s beyond me."

    "I see."

    "And, he was told from the person herself."

    "¡­Excuse me?"

    "''I''m exactly what the rumours are telling you. I don''t intend on going out with anybody'', she said." Maru tried to copy her way of speaking, as he exined to me.

    It was clear that Maru didn''t have the best impression from Ayase-san.

    "What''s the chances of the club member just making that up?"

    "Can''t say for sure, but probably zero. Also, this ain''t the first time this happened. Other clubs say something simr."

    "So the opinion might be subjective, but the numbers scream objectivity."

    "Pretty much."

    There''s no guarantee that what they''re all saying is the absolute truth, but at the very least, it''s safe to say that Ayase-san responded like that to the confessions.

    "Mmm¡­Pandora¡­"

    It felt like I opened up Pandora''s box. First, you should look into the other person¡ªis what it said in ''Science of Man and Woman'', and I figured that would be the best bet to start figuring what level of distance I should have towards Ayase-san, but now I have even more problems to worry about.

    Are these rumours true? If they are, do Akiko-san and my old man know about it? In the event that they don''t, should I be the one to report it?

    ¡­No, I shouldn''t. It''s not in my interest to believe rumours that have no proof whatsoever. At the same time, even if these rumours were true, I''m in no position to tell her off. If there''s actually some paid dating or the like going on, then if the people involved properly pay and supply, it''s their thing to worry about, and not my problem to worry about people I''m not familiar with.

    Of course, there''s some annoying side to it now that Ayase-san became my family, but even if these rumours turned out to be true, I never thought of telling her off. More than anything, I''d just be sad if there was something or someone forcing her.

    "So, Asamura, what about your card?"

    "¡­What are you on about?"

    "I showed you all my cards. Now show me yours. Why''d you suddenly bring up that Ayase?"

    "Ah, well, I''ll leave it up to your imagination."

    "Huh? Hey now, don''t leave me hanging like that."

    "I''m not telling you ''cause I don''t want to. I can''t. Just please, keep it at that."

    "Don''t you dare think you can just use some manga phrase to get me off your ass¡­Christ, this is what I get for giving you information." Maruined, but I just let him vent some steam.

    That''s what''s great about Maru Tomokazu. He knows exactly when to stop. My eyes drifted away from the back of his head, towards the window ss next to me. My own face, resting on my palm, was reflected in the ss, as my thoughts drifted towards Ayase-san.

    I''m really d that we aren''t in the same ss. If I was in the same environment as she now, I''d probably worry to a level where I couldn''t focus on ss. Of course, that''d happen the second I get home anyway, but I''d rather dy that for now. I guess that''s what being human is all about.

    ¡ªWhat I wanted to dy happened shortly after. Namely, two hourster. Fate is always cruel, and indifferent. Every single Monday as the third period, we have P.E. ss. Of course, the reason only made it worse. During this time period, our Suisei High''s ball sports festival is running close, so in order to make up for practice time, around the middle of the school year, two sses are mixed together. Of course, this practice happened to start on this very day.

    "Here, take this! Secret Hit ¨C Great Ether Serve! Oraaaaa!"

    I found myself at the school-intern tennis court. Beneath the ashen sky, someone was screaming a secret technique that coulde right out of a manga with a loud and straightforward voice. The owner of that voice was a girl, wearing P.E. clothes, as she was about to swing the racket.

    She possessed bright red hair, a rather small stature, making her look like a small hamster. Although she''s a girl from another ss, even I knew her name¡ªNarasaka Maaya. Topliment her, you''d say she''s energetic, but on the other hand, she was known as the meddlesome rumoured ss representative. Add together her energy that could supply a million energy drinks, and the ability to take care of other people like a grandma, as well as her fairly cute looks, she has friends all over the school, a normie standing atop other normies.

    Of course, Narasaka-san is even known in our ss, and since she sometimeses to visit, I couldn''t just ignore her existence either, no matter how hard I blocked off rumoured people.

    Everyone, meaning the audience, onlookers, and even her opponent, they all looked up at the cloudy sky to trace the ball she had thrown, waiting for it to soar down again. One second, two seconds, three seconds passed.

    "Hey, what are you doing!? That one flew off elsewhere, you know!?" Narasaka-san''s opponent, another girl, was bbergasted at that homerun, as she screamed in disbelief.

    "Ahaha, sorry sorry!"

    "Really¡­what kind of crazy serve was that?"

    "''Cause I thought that''d be cool, heh!"

    "Don''t you ''heh'' me! You damned wench¡­! There there there there!"

    "Noooo~ Don''t grind my hair like that~"

    Narasaksa-san was put in a headlock, the other girl grinding her elbow on her head. Two cute girls ying around like that sure was a sight. As a matter of fact, all the boys in my ss were utterly focussed on watching this scene. However, I was different. I didn''t even give this heavenly scene with two beauties a nce, and had my gaze directed at a single point.

    There was a single individual standing in the corner of the tennis court, at a ce where she barely stood out, leaning against the metal fence, outside the court. She wasn''t even holding a tennis racket either, as I could see an earphone cord reaching up to her ears from her jersey''s pockets. She was merely listening to something, as she gazed up at the emptiness above her¡ªIt was none other than Ayase-san.

    Never have I seen someone so openly cking off. Since she didn''t act like she was doing something bad, I thought for a second that she really belonged there. Nobody else seemed to be bothered either, as neither the students, nor the teacher gave her any attention, let alone warn her.

    A high school girl that didn''t fit in her ss, doubted to be doing illicit things. If you took a picture of her, and made this the title, it would sum things up perfectly.

    On one side, you had the students gleefully ying tennis, and then there was me, slowly approaching Ayase-san. I sat on the opposite side of the fence, acting like I was taking a break.

    "Skipping ss?" I called out to her.

    Ayase-san removed her earphones with a dubious look, and slightly opened her eyes.

    "That surprised me. Why''re you just talking to me like this?"

    "I mean, a familiar face is skipping ss, of course I''de check."

    "Huh, so you''re here as the lecturing older brother."

    "No, not really. I''m not that good of a person to even have the right to do that. I was just surprised to see you chose tennis as well, Ayase-san."

    "Maaya forced me into it. She wanted to try the same thing. Then again, that''s not the only reason."

    "Maaya is referring to Narasaka-san, right? Are you two close?" I looked over at the court, and spotted a red-haired girl chasing after a ball.

    She sure stands out alright.

    "Sure are. Then again, I don''t think there''s any girl who doesn''t get along with her."

    "A hundred friends, as they say, huh."

    There''s roughly 20 girls in one ss. Adding all 8 sses together, you get 160. What a fearsome number.

    "I don''t think Maaya has that many friends, at least not those which she can rx around. It''s like, she can get along with everyone even when they''re not friends."

    "Ah, I feel that." I was satisfied with that exnation.

    "Asamura-kun, why did you decide on tennis?"

    "Umm, do I really need to tell you? It''s not something you''d praise me for."

    "It''s fine, I have another pathetic reason myself."

    What is ''fine'' about this? This ain''t some card game where we try to win against each other in terms of whose reason is more embarrassing. But, since her gaze felt as sharp as an arrow piercing me, I saw no other chance but to exin it to her.

    "Because the real deal isn''t some group match."

    Maru participated in ser, basketball, and other team games. With tennis, there''s not even doubles, so you only fight on your own.

    "I really didn''t want to y with others, so I chose tennis."

    To those people who think ''What is this guy even talking about?'', I congratte you from the bottom of my heart. Please live on in happiness. For me however, I''m bad at expecting things from others, and living ording to the expectations of others. Just by thinking that I might be pulling the team down, I feel sick. If I could live my life without these agonizing thoughts, how easy everything would be, I sometimes wonder to myself.

    "Huh¡­We really are simr."

    That''s why, since she showed sympathy towards my pathetic words, it became like a confession that she was more of a loner herself.

    "Ayase-san as well?"

    "Yeah, well. The trigger was Maaya, but I didn''t want to y in teams anyway. You probably figured it out already, but I''m keeping my distance from the other girls."

    Even though it was something sad and regretful, Ayase-san spoke with her usual dry voice. I figured as much, since nobody gave her any attention, despite skipping sses while listening to music. Is she half transparent or something? For a second, I doubted myself, but I could perfectly make out her body, as even the faint fragrance of perfume drifted towards my nose. Bing this aware of her, I felt embarrassed, and looked away again.

    "Are you not fitting into your ss by any chance?"

    "Surprised?"

    "Well, with a girl as stylish as you, I figured you''d be the center of ss."

    "Generally thinking, yeah." Ayase-san nodded. "I''m different though."

    I''m sure that a big reason for this must be the rumours, leaving aside what exactly they were saying. Most of the people at this school at least were dubious of her because of them.

    "That being said, this position isn''t as bad¡­I don''t really care about the ball festival either. Feels like a waste of time. If they don''t bother with me, I can use the time for myself."

    "Listening to music?"

    "Eh? ¡­Well, yeah." Ayase-san showed a slightly flustered expression, and looked away.

    She''s hiding something. There''s clearly anotheryer to that reaction of hers, but I didn''t want to be rude and pry too much, so I stayed quiet. The other person will tell you if they feel ready to. Trying to press that moment could just get you hated in the end.

    "This time, I''ll decide it for sure! Certain kill technique! Super Ether Serve!"

    "The name didn''t even change, lol."

    I heard Narasaka-san''s voice again, followed by that other girl''s retort. How loud are their voices, oi. But, since I was thinking about Narasaka-san again, I turned towards Ayase-san.

    "Aren''t you going to practice with Narasaka-san? I feel like she invited you so that you can y together¡­or rather, against each other."

    "Nah."

    "That was fast, alright."

    "I''m not needed after all. Maaya invited me while knowing that I''d just skip. Then again, this kindness is what makes her this popr, I guess."

    Looks, skipping ss like this, and her own words, all of these factors only yed towards the rumours, and yet the atmosphere she gave off, and how she reacted, itpletely dispelled all outside information. Just where or what is Ayase Saki''s true self? In order to arrive at that answer, I still don''t know her well enough.

    When I came home from school, Akiko-san was just about to leave.

    "My, Yuuta-kun."

    "Ah¡­I''m back."

    "Wee home~ I made you some dinner~"

    "Thank you very much¡­But, that wasn''t necessary, you''re about to leave for work, right?"

    "That''s right~ I just moved, but I can''t rx a bit~" My step-mother put one hand on her cheek, showing a troubled smile.

    She wore what looked like expensive clothes, revealing her shoulders, and the scent of perfumeing from her was strong enough to make me feel dizzy. It was like a butterfly spreading its charm for the world to see. If someone told me that she''d be jumping into the night city from now on, I would believe them instantly.

    "Since my old man was always busy with work, I just eat whatever I can find for dinner, so you don''t need to make food right before work."

    "When it was just me and Saki, that was pretty much the norm, but now that we''ve started living together, I figured I might as well~"

    "I wouldn''t want you to overwork yourself, so please don''t feel forced."

    "Well, I might probably have to rely on your kindness starting tomorrow¡­Saki can cook as well, so I guess I can leave it to you~"

    Hearing these words, I could feel my ears twitch. I imagined the sight of Ayase-san cooking, and instinctively thought that it didn''t really match her image. And, now that I already thought about her, the rumours popped up in the back of my head. Maybe that''s why I just happened to blurt out the following words.

    "By the way, where might you be working?"

    "At the shopping district of Shibuya~"

    "¡­What kind of establishment is it?"

    "Ah, did you get some weird ideas just now? Come on~" Akiko-san pouted in a childish way.

    Honestly speaking, she was dead-on. I didn''t n on saying it, but a slight doubt did appear in my head.

    "It''s just a normal bar, no indecent service whatsoever. Not to mention that I interact with customers across the counter."

    "You''re not dealing with customers directly?"

    "In a certain sense, I do. I''m a bartender after all." Akiko-san showed me a gesture of her shaking a drink.

    Even I could tell that she was used to this, so I epted her words.

    "I''m sorry for getting the wrong idea. It''s just¡­"

    "It can''t be helped, it does sound a bit suspicious~ Not to mention all the stereotypes people think of when I mention that I work at night. You''re a student as well, so it would be a bit troublesome if you knew what kind of establishments the city at night had to offer."

    "That is true, yes."

    Now that I think about it, there''s no way my old man would try to win over a woman at some girls bar or host club. He''s in, normal, honest, and gullible. He wouldn''t choose a woman from any shady ce. It''s been ten years since I gained consciousness, and I''ve continued to watch him, so I can say that with confidence.

    "Anyway, I need to get going now, Yuuta-kun. Please do take care of Saki."

    "Ah, yes. Take care."

    Akiko-san gently waved her hand at me, as she walked down the hallway of the t. She looked like a butterfly heading towards the night city? NO. She was more like a chihuahua walking around in the high grass at the public park. Yet again, I was shown just how off the mark stereotypes could be, and honestly speaking, often are. I watched Akiko-san disappear into the elevator, and opened the door to my home.

    Inside my home¡ªmy own room, to be more specific- I should be able to rx and be myself, and yet I can''t help but tense up a bit. Most likely it''s because the area beyond the wall turned into someone else''s territory.

    The hallway, the living room, the bathroom, it wasn''t just a safe space for me and my old man alone anymore. Being conscious of this reality felt like it''d be bad manners, so I focussed on the reference book on the desk in front of me. Studies are more important after all.

    When I looked at the time again, a full hour had passed. What pulled me back to reality was the sound of the entrance opening. Following that, footsteps moved down the hallway, entering the room next to mine.

    "Wee back." I gave a faint greeting, but no response came.

    Makes sense, there''s no way she could have heard me through the wall. Since I didn''t have any urgent business anyway, I just told myself to forget about it, and turned back towards my desk.

    Across the wall, I heard footsteps walking on the floor, as well as the sound of the school bag dropping to the floor. Following that, the closet opened, and I could pick up faint rustling of clothes¡­

    Ah, not good. I shouldn''t focus on her sounds too much, that''d be pretty disgusting, right. Iined to myself, and waited for Ayase-san to disappear from my head.

    "Asamura-kun, can Ie in?" However, right as she did, Ayase-san materialized in front of my room, knocking on my door.

    "Ah, sure¡­"

    For a second, I confirmed the inside of the room, and gave permission after seeing nothing dangerous out in the open.

    "Excuse me."

    "S-So, what is it?"

    "Ah, you''re studying. You''re working hard, I see. We''re not even in exam season."

    "About as much as any other student, I guess."

    I''m not always at home studying or anything. I do have the routine of reading some manga or ying games in between. But, when I do that, it''s either in the middle of the room, or on the bed. Since that wasn''t exactly a sight I wanted others to see, and because I was conscious of Ayase-san on the other side of the wall, I just happened to study.

    "Aiming for a good university?"

    "I don''t think people would aim for a bad one."

    "Yeah, you''re studying and working part-time at the same time after all."

    "Is that so odd of a thing to do?"

    I don''t think it''s that rare to see students do that.

    "I mean, you invest time to earn money, but you invest time in your studies to achieve greater results. That''s why, I just thought that doing both at the same time is probably pretty tough."

    "You think about someplicated stuff. I never really was that conscious of it." I shrugged my shoulders.

    "Hmmm¡­So, by the way."

    It seemed like something hard to say, as she averted her eyes, and yed with her long hair strains. Maybe it was because of the light, or a different reason, but her cheeks looked more red than usual. Just because of that conversation just now, I could tell that the rumours about her at school seemed like nonsense. Sector clear, I''d say.

    Ayase-san seemed like she needed a few seconds to mentally prepare, when she spoke up, determination in her eyes.

    "You don''t happen to know of a well-paid short work hours part-time job, do you?"

    "Sector not clear!"

    "Eh?"

    "Ah, no, it''s nothing¡­" I regretted retorting mindlessly.

    At least it was something vague. If I had screamed ''Prostitution!'', then I would have been done for.

    "I want money, but I don''t feel like wasting too much time. Maybe an hour or two, and get like 10.000 yen for it."

    "With a normal job, you probably won''t get that." I answered calmly.

    For now, I decided to keep an iron face, and acted like I didn''t know about the rumours.

    "I see. Guess selling is the only option."

    Can you not prate my armor right off the bat? We might not be rted, but you''re still my little sister, and I really don''t want to hear what exactly you''re selling two days after we''ve be family.

    "If you want to earn money, then sell yourself¡ªthat''s what it said in the book as well."

    What kind of book, oi. Why was that book in reach for a high school student anyway? Then again, I saw some books like that at my part-time work as well, so I can''t exactlyin.

    "Um, Ayase-san, me saying this might be bad manners, but¡­"

    "Sure, go ahead. I brought up the question after all."

    "I think that you should treasure your own body some more."

    "Why''re you making such a big deal out of it? There''s other people my age who do it as well."

    "Other people don''t have anything to do with this. What you do yourself is more important."

    "I am properly taking care of myself. That''s why I want to earn lots of money." Facing me, who was trying to convince Ayase-san with an old man''s logic, she was surprisingly serious.

    Paid dating,pensated dating, hidden ount girl. I thought that all girls that were involved in something along those lines did it out of boredom or because they could. However, it felt like Ayase-san was clearly intent on doing this, as her words held strength and confidence I hadn''t seen before.

    That being said, no matter how determined she may be, I still can''t ignore this. Even more so now that she had be my little sister. When I thought of Akiko-san''s request to take care of Ayase-san, I felt guilty that I wasn''t pushing harder.

    "Can you say the same thing in front of Akiko-san?"

    "¡­I can? If anything, she''ll probably praise me for bing an adult."

    "That is some cursed direction of education."

    "Was it different for your family? I figured your father was happy when you started doing it yourself, Asamura-kun."

    "It''d be one hell of a problem if he was. It''s true that my old man is a helpless guy most of the time, but if a child of his would be doing that, he''d definitely be sad. Also¡­when did it be a premise that I was doing it as well?"

    "Eh, didn''t you go there yesterday? Your part-time job."

    "¡­Part-time job?"

    "Yup, part-time job."

    An odd silence was born between the two of us. We both apparently tried to figure out when we started talking past each other, tracing that red thread of our conversation, which led this silence toe into existence.

    "What did you think I was talking about?" Ayase-san said, as she narrowed her eyes.

    "Sex service with a great sum of money involved, or something like that."

    "...¡­Huh?"

    Ayase-san''s voice turned cold like I had never heard before.

    "Ahh, I see. So you thought I was into ''Prostitution''."

    "I''m so sorry! I really am!"

    After confirming that we had talked past each other, we realized that we both had gotten hungry, and moved to the dinner table. We found the orthodox food Akiko-san had prepared before she left, namely stir-fried vegetables with miso soup, and warmed this up on our tes. After we both took the first sip of our miso soup, Ayase-san spoke up with these words. Since I didn''t have any excuses, I could only p my hands together, and lowered my head. Ayase-san seemed ufortable with that, sighing at me.

    "Raise your head, will you. I know that this rumour has been going around. When you look like this, people just tend to get the wrong idea. Then again, I''m partially to me because I use these rumours to avoid annoying peeps."

    "Ayase-san¡­"

    It didn''t feel like she was acting tough. This indifference probably led to all the misconceptions between her and her peers, and the bad direction the rumours took. But, something doesn''t add up. She clearly stated that she was aware of how her appearance invites misunderstandings like these. So, why is she still choosing to dress like that?

    She must have guessed that I was having doubts like these, as she stopped her hand from carrying some more stirred-up vegetables to her mouth.

    "I get what you''re thinking. Why would I wear these clothes despite being aware of what it did to my image."

    "Well, yeah¡­I was a bit curious about that."

    "It''s my armament mode."

    "Eh?"

    "Nobody would go on to a battlefield with no weapons and armor, right? This is my armament to survive society." She put one finger on her ear lobe, showing off the radiating ear piercing.

    Even for girls with the desire to look stylish, piercing a hole into their ears is a territory not many dare to enter. In middle school, you''d be seen as a hero by your ssmates, and treated like a delinquent by the adults and teachers, it is a mysterious contradiction, really. It''s metal with the size of a mere millimeter, and yet it holds so much power. In the face of that, the words I muttered were¡ª

    "Does it raise your defence? Or is it like a two-hit attack?"

    "Pffft¡­you say some interesting things." Sheughed at me.

    I mean, my thinking speed couldn''t keep up, and I just muttered convenient game terms that popped up in the back of my head.

    "Well, something like that. The goal is to raise both attack and defence."

    "Sounds dangerous. This world we live in is at peace right now, you know."

    "Battles are fought nheless, just in ces where you don''t see them." Ayase-san sounded like she was a heroine involved in a war going on in the dark side of the world.

    From here on out, I was thrown into a superpower battle world, blood being washed with blood¡ªOf course, that didn''t happen, as I knew that she was just using a rhetorical answer.

    ''To Saki and Yuuta-kun. Warm this up, and eat it together.''

    I had previously removed that memo from the stic film on the stir-fried vegetables, and Ayase-san''s gaze now drifted towards that paper.

    "Did you run into Mom today?"

    "Yeah, just when I got home from school."

    "She was really alluring, wasn''t she?"

    "Well, yeah, I guess." I returned an awkward answer.

    Even if she has be my mother now, I''m not exactly sure how to praise her in front of my non-blood-rted step-sister, which was her daughter. Because of this, Ayase-san gave me a long stare, only to let out a snicker. Then, she spoke up like she was going to tell me a ghost story.

    "But, she''s a high school graduate."

    "Oh really?"

    The ordinary contents took me by surprise a bit, which led me to give back a dry response. Ayase-san gave me a suspicious nce.

    "You don''t think of anything about that?"

    "¡­I don''t?"

    "High school graduate, beauty, nightlife business, what if you had all these three conditions aligned?"

    "Then I''d think of her as a high school graduate, a beauty, and someone who works in nightlife business?"

    I don''t really get what she''s asking from me. Of course, I have my own ideas when hearing these singr words, but nothing speciales to mind when you take them together.

    "Hmmm, Asamura-kun, your thinking is pretty t." Ayase-san said, and carried some more vegetables to her mouth.

    I wonder why I can see a glimmer of happiness mixed in with her indifferent expression. Maybe she''s making fun of this sad virgin in front of her. I''m not too familiar with a girl''s heart to fully deny that.

    "I think that kind of stance is pretty amazing."

    "I really appreciate your kindness towards virgins."

    Since she speaks her thoughts in honesty, I don''t need to be a mentalist to figure out her own stance, and it allows for easiermunication.

    For a moment, Ayase-san''s expression in her eyes turned gloomy. Maybe the word virgin was taking it one step too far. However, the next wordsing from her mouth were more serious than I anticipated.

    "I know ofments that aren''t as t as that. As a high school graduate, a beauty, and worker in the nightlife business, she''s basically dumb in the head, and uses her looks as a weapon, earning money the illicit way¡ªSomething along those lines. I''ve seen Mom being treated and resented like that many times."

    "Nonsense, alright."

    Of course, there''s a trend ofparing academic history and looks. However, there''s no guarantee that this tells of a single person''s true self and value. Even if the macro point of view might be correct, you should be able to find many differences once you dive deeper into the micro territory. Just because people looking like that are often like this, it''s not a valuable way to approach a single individual. Those folks who can''t even understand that are often best ignored, since they are the ones who offer no value whatsoever.

    ¡ªThat''s what it said in a book I borrowed from Yomiuri-senpai. The influence of books is quite terrific. Even some high school brat like me can speak as if I had another person''s life experience on my shoulders and in my head.

    Hearing these words from me, Ayase-san''s face flushed slightly red, and she showed a deeply appreciative gaze.

    "Right, it''s nonsense."

    "Y-Yeah."

    "Not to mention thatments and views like them are unfair. It''s a logical development not letting you escape from."

    "For example?"

    "When you''re clever, but you''re not attractive, you getbeled as a creepy but educated woman. If you''re not clever, but very attractive, you''ll be treated as a pillow business woman who used her body to reach her current position. They all just assume you used your body to get where you are, and when you work all on your own, you get ridiculed and receive pity for not having a man you can rely on."

    "Ahh, I see¡­I understand what you mean."

    "Happens to boys as well, I''m sure."

    "Sure does. If you try to approach the girl you have feelings for, you get called disgusting, and med for sexual harassment, framed as a criminal, but if you decide to pass up on love, you''ll get ridiculed for being a virgin."

    "That sure sounds specific. Your own experience?"

    "Read about it on socialworks. Since I saw that first, I''d rather not have any experience with that myself, you know? Sounds like a pain. I''d rather not get made fun of because of that."

    "I see, I kind of get it."

    Listening to my thought process that could very well ridicule one of the most famous Aesop''s Fables, The Fox and the Grapes, Ayase-san showed immediate sympathy. She probably realized that we both shared simr opinions, as her voice and expression softened a bit.

    "That''s why I''m using this armament."

    We went back to the original topic.

    "Be stylish to a level nobody canin. Treated like a beauty from outsiders, creating an alluring self. Same with academic knowledge, school, work, I''ll be a strong person. This is the first step. All these people who keep living ording to their stereotypes, I''ll make them shut up at once, see." She spoke with her usual indifferent tone, but a strong emotion was residing in her voice.

    ¡ªThe exact opposite from me.

    I thought of it as bothersome to have a role pressed onto me, and ran away from it. Contrary to me, Ayase-san was ready to spit in the face of the entire world. However, I felt a sense of dangering from that stance.

    "Are you fine with that? That sounds exhausting."

    "If I can prove myself superior in exchange for stamina, then that''s perfect."

    Towards who? That doubt popped up inside my mind, but I didn''t want to be seen as some curious bastard, so I swallowed it. However, I thought that the reason she held such a sense of values unbefitting of her age might have been through the influence of real father, Akiko-san''s former husband. If that was the case, then I wanted to avoid stepping on thatndmine.

    Even I wouldn''t exactly be appreciative of someone who tried to find out about my real mother, so it''d be the logical conclusion to not do the same thing for the other person.

    "Aren''t we the same, Asamura-kun?"

    "I''m not as strong as you are, Ayase-san. I don''t feel like fighting the views of society."

    "But, at the root of it all is that you don''t want others to have any expectations of you, as you don''t have any of them, right?"

    That is true. That''s why, when we first met at the family restaurant, we immediately got along with our own individual stances.

    "The views of others, the expectations of others, in order to be freed from them, you need the strength to live on your own."

    "I see. I feel like I understand the reason why you''re searching for well-paid work."

    "Huh, you got good intuition."

    "I mean, with all these hints, even someone as dense as me could figure it out." I shrugged my shoulders, and continued. "It''s so that you can live independently, right."

    "Correct¡­And, sorry." Ayase-san said, and closed her eyes with a bitter tone.

    I won''t ask as to why she would apologize there. For Ayase-san, who hadn''t been working part-time until now, the reason as to why she was now suddenly searching for a well-paid and easy job right around the timing she started moving in together with us, there was no digging and questioning necessary for it to be apparent.

    Not relying on others, not expecting anything from others, it was all so that she could stand on her own two feet. The reason she became this desperate was because ''strangers'' that she almost ended up relying on suddenly walked into her life, right after she decided to live on her own two feet.

    "Honestly, there''s no part-time work that would allow you to easily earn money. Can''t say that my work at the bookstore pays well."

    "I see¡­" Ayase-san nodded, with a regrettable expression. "Then, I guess I can only give up."

    "You didn''t look into it some more?"

    "If I put my time into searching for something, I have less time to study. I came here with no intention of working part-time anyway, so I''m here with zero clues. Of course, with the right time investment, I might find something, but the cost-performance rtionship here is looking too negative to me. I''m not that clever either, so I''d probably have to sacrifice either grades or part-time work."

    "Huh. So that''s why you came to me, who had experience with that business, in order to bnce yourck of information."

    It''s not like I can brag about my amount of friends, but I might be better off than Ayase-san, judging from what I have heard. There''s Narasaka-san, but besides that, it seems pretty hopeless.

    "I might be able to help you with that."

    "Really?"

    "Yeah, I got a friend at school who hears all sorts of information."

    Then again, he''s my only friend.

    "My Senior at work might know something as well. I have work tomorrow, so I''ll ask them."

    "Thanks. But, it''d be pretty unfair to have you work for me like that." Ayase-san took a sip from her miso soup, as she thought about it.

    "Miso soup."

    "Eh?"

    "I want you to make miso soup every day."

    As we sat around the dinner table, I gazed at the girl in front of me, who had been a stranger to me not long ago. Gazing at this irregr scenery, these words came out without me really thinking anything. Ayase-san kept her mouth to the bowl, and blinked at me in confusion.

    "A confession of love?"

    "Not at all."

    I can''t me her, my words just now sounded like a proposal no matter how you looked at it. I mean, Akiko-san said that it''d be hard making dinner every single day. That would mean that I had to make it myself, and since I only lived with my old man until now, I was content with food from the convenience store. That''s why I''m thinking¡­ if I even have the time to prepare food when I have my studies, my part-time work, and want some time for myself as well. Also, how many years has it been since I had homemade miso soup, it''s much more delicious than ready-bought.

    All of these various thoughts mixed up inside my head, creating that one phrase I muttered in a daze.

    "Well, I don''t mind. I don''t hate making food, and I''d say I''m pretty good at it. If anything, the costspared to gathering information is practically zero."

    Seems like she''s okay with it.

    "So, I''ll search for information on how you can quickly earn money¡ª"

    "And I''ll make food for you¡ª"

    Despite knowing that was bad manners, we both pointed at each other''s faces, and confirmed this contract.

 Chapter 5 - 3

    <h4>Chapter 5: Chapter 3</h4>

    9th of June (Tuesday)

    Morning. Naturally, some dramatic event like being woken up by my little sister did not happen. Evenst night, Ayase-san went to take a bath after me, and only went to bed after I was already asleep. I bet she woke up before me as well.

    "Big trouble, Yuuta!!"

    When I stepped out onto the hallway, I ran into a clown wearing shaving cream as make-up. No, correction, it was my old man currently reading himself for work. His eyes were wide open, blood-shot even, as he frantically pointed towards the living room.

    "What are you panicking for?"

    "I was shaving just now!"

    "Yeah, I can see that."

    "And then, I heard some suspicious soundsing from the kitchen, so when I went to check it out¡­"

    "Yeah?"

    What is he, some murder witness? I barely suppressed retorting like that, when my old man continued with a quivering voice.

    "S-Saki-chan¡­She''s making breakfast!"

    "You say it like that''s some shocking development."

    "Because it is! I would have never imagined eating breakfast made by my own daughter!" I could see tears started to build up in the depths of his eyes.

    I can tell that he''s happy, but can you not stter foam everywhere?

    "Alright¡­Just go wash your face, will you."

    "How cold of you. If only you could be as lovable as Saki-chan."

    "Lovable¡­as Ayase-san?" I imagined her dry and cool face, and tilted my head in confusion.

    Of course, her face is cute. She''s definitely in the upper spectrum. But, this and being lovable are two different things if you ask me.

    ¡­As I was thinking something rude like that, I pushed my old man back into the washing room, and headed over to the living room, when a delicious scent tickled my nose.

    "Fried eggs?" I asked.

    "It''s pretty orthodox, right. I figured you wouldn''t have anything toin about something simple." Ayase-san answered indifferently.

    "I really don''t, but can I say one thing?"

    "That beginning sure sounds like I''ll get to hear aint right after, but sure, go ahead."

    "Why are you making breakfast?"

    She didn''t make it yesterday. I always thought that you could just live off of toast in some tea in the morning, never seeing the need for anyone to prepare anything.

    "I mean, it''s for our contract."

    "Talking about yesterday? I thought we only decided on dinner."

    "I mean, we did, but I thought I might as well make breakfast. When talking about give & take, it''s my policy to have more on the give side."

    "I see¡­"

    How upright¡ªor, you could call it dry even. Ayase-san wore an apron above her uniform, with a frying pan in her hand. Being able to see your little sister cooking for you is a scenery every boy in this world could grave for. However, as always, the reality was much different than you would read or hear about.

    I felt a bit guilty to only have Ayase-san work like this, so I thought about what I could do to help out, ending with me wiping the dining table. Ayase-san took a peek at me from the kitchen, and opened her mouth.

    "¡­Thanks." Giving her gratitude a bit more awkwardly than usual, she brought three tes with fried eggs on them.

    I figured that this would be the least to do now that we''re family, but I guess that Ayase-san''s policies require her to thank me nheless. Following the fried eggs, she brought white rice and miso soup, which led the dining room to be filled with a pleasant andfortable scent.

    "When did you prepare that?"

    "Last night before going to bed...Well, it''s not that big of a thing."

    She said it like it was nothing special, but to me, it sounded like a pain beyond belief, so I had trouble even finding any words. Ayase-san and I sat down at the dining table, facing each other, pped our hands together, and gave our thanks for the food, when my old man walked into the room, fully dressed. He sat down at the dining table with us, and ran his eyes over the food.

    "I''m going to cry¡­"

    "Ahaha, you''re exaggerating." Ayase-san showed a wry smile.

    I could see a different expressionpared to the usual dry and cool one she shows me. Probably because it''s towards an adult that she''ll be relying on in the future. Looking at the distance, or the type of conversation, it feels less dealing with a little sister, and more like a wife that had just started living with us.

    In the end, my old man kept bbering on and on about how delicious the food was, and quickly left the house after he finished his own breakfast. Really, he''s so much of a fast-eater. Then again, I''m honestly on the faster end as well, but this time, it just took me a bit longer.

    "Is it bad?"

    Of course, I didn''t n on saying the reason as to why that was, but Ayase-san gave me an anxious gaze, already reaching a conclusion of her own.

    "That''s not it."

    "You don''t need to be considerate. I''ll try to fix it if it tastes bad."

    "No, seriously."

    If I had to guess, she probably did this ording to a recipe, not trying any weird arrangements at all, making sure that everything was perfectly put in its ce, and the taste was great as well. Of course, if the taste really wasn''t that great, it''d fit perfectly for all the stereotypical little sisters in anime and manga, but that wasn''t the case here.

    If so, then why are my chopsticks moving slower than usual? The reason was simple, and I exined it to her while stuffing some rice in my mouth.

    "It''s just, I''m used to eating fried eggs with soy sauce¡­that''s why."

    That''s really all it was. The fried egg Ayase-san made was seasoned salt and pepper, not using any other ingredients. Of course, salt and pepper aren''t anything unorthodox, so I can perfectly eat these fried eggs, but when you let them suck up some soy sauce, they go down much easier, and that''s what I''m used to.

    "Soy sauce with fried eggs¡­I never thought about that¡­" Ayase-san muttered.

    If anything, I''m the one surprised that she ate her fried eggs with only salt and pepper. Ayase-san''s expression didn''t change much, but her voice made it sound like she was slightly dejected.

    "Sorry, I didn''t even think about your tastes, and just made it like I would eat it."

    "No no no, this isn''t something you need to apologize for. If anything, I feel bad for not telling you beforehand, yetining as I do now."

    "I''ll ask next time."

    "Yeah, I''ll provide you with proper information as well."

    That''s why, neither of us said any more than that. We''re just two people trying to arrange things for the benefit and convenience of the other. Honestly speaking, it didn''t feel half bad. From an outsider''s perspective, our conversation might seem impersonal and robot-like. But, there I was, feeling a sense of relief and rxation from this.

    After spending this time together in the morning, Ayase-san and I left our home again at different times. It was a safety measure to make sure no odd rumours woulde into existence at school, as well as that we wouldn''t get too close to each other. Although we''re practically family, she still is a member of the opposite sex, exactly my age. Being considerate of each other in the home was one thing, but being aware of this on the outside could be quite exhausting.

    You have to treasure the time you have of your own. Since we both respected this idea, I felt like we''d be able to get along just fine in the future as well.

    "Between cryptocurrency and youtuber, what do you think is better?"

    "I think it''d be better to drop it."

    The time was a bit before the beginning of homeroom. In the face of the question I threw at my trusted friend Maru, he gave a cold and harsh statement.

    "That''s the catcher of the baseball club for you, quick judgement."

    "Everybody would have reacted that way. Where did that evene from, Asamura."

    "I''m looking for methods to effectively earn money with the shortest time of work needed."

    I carefully chose my words, only conveying the bare minimum of information needed. I can''t break my promise with Ayase-san, and I can''t tell him about the conversation I had with her either, so I had to be extremely cautious. Of course, that wasn''t enough to convince Maru at all, as he gave me a suspicious nce.

    "Asamura¡­are you being chased by loan sharks or something?"

    Why''d youe up with the worst-case scenario?

    "I''m not wrapped up in some crime or anything. I mean, no matter what great corporation or business you might work at, it''s never really safe nowadays, and being a government official seems rough to boot. I''m thinking of saving as much money as I can right now."

    "That''s some early life n you got there."

    "If possible, I''d like to go without paid dating."

    "That was in your range of options?¡­Hm?" From the depths of his sses, Maru gave me a dubious look. "Yesterday you ask me about Ayase, today you''re searching for some shady part-time work¡­Don''t tell me?"

    "No, it''s not what you think." I immediately denied his thoughts.

    Since I did that before he could even finish his assumption, it probably sounded more fishy than anything, but I couldn''t sit still without immediately shutting him down. Maru stared at me, as I swallowed my spit, only to slowly open his mouth.

    "Give up on that. There''s nobody who''d buy a male prostitute, alright. Look at the mirror, dude."

    "¡­Phew." I let out a sigh of relief.

    I felt all tension in my body vanish, to a level where I didn''t even feel like biting back at that diss. Thanks for being so dense at times, Maru.

    "You were just making fun of me inside of your head, right?"

    "Not at all." I lied t out.

    No, I wasn''t lying. I wasn''t making fun of him, I was thanking him. Stereotypes are something scary, I dare say. With sses, and as a catcher of a baseball club, my dear friend seems skilled in observation, and possessing great guessing abilities. Yet, he can''t even imagine Ayase-san in the same context as ''Little sister''. This episode told me that this gal who was under doubts of doing paid dating could in no way be a ''Little sister'' in the eyes of others.

    "Anyway," Maru started his words, raising one finger to begin his lecture. "First of all, don''t even think that you can make big money in a short amount of time by being a youtuber or doing cryptocurrency. That''s naive."

    "R-Really?"

    "Of course. To make it big with that, you need to invest insane amounts of time. Just like with any sport, it''s also a gamble as to how and where you hit the ball."

    "Ahh, I guess that makes sense."

    Since Maru, who practiced baseball for a long time now, was saying it, it sounded oddly convincing. However, at the same time as I found reason with his words, there''s also a contradiction that caught my attention.

    "But, if there''s people who bet tens of years to finally earn lots of money, there''s also those who can achieve that in barely a year, right? Just what separates the two? I don''t think it''s the time they invest."

    "Since I''m not someone who earns ridiculous amounts of money, I can''t tell ya, but there might be some trick behind it."

    "A trick, huh¡­"

    "Maybe just your mental attitude. Both my parents are history fanatics, so I''ve been told all sorts of stories from the Warring States period to the Three Kingdoms, so I got myself a lot of knowledge about that, but¡ª"

    "Sometimes you sound like Zhuge Liang, yeah1."

    Through this one year I''ve been talking with Maru, I could see that he''s quite the tactician. Duringst year''s ball sports festival, he gathered information on the other sses, and instructed people. Thanks to that, our ss managed to easily get first ce. That might also be the reason as to why he''s on the seat of the catcher in his club.

    "It''s really not that great of a deal, but¡­Well, I got the basics of war hammered into me."

    "For example?"

    "That information and knowledge are your greatest weapon."

    "Know your enemy, know thyself, and you shall not fear a hundred battles??"

    "Something like that. The enemy''s soldiers, the geographical location, weapons they like to use, and how many they have, actual experience in practical battle¡ªthey all sound like small details, but added together, they be strong weapons. But, even so, clever soldiers with axes can''t win against guns."

    "I see, so you''reparing that to earning money¡­You''re saying that Ick knowledge about money?"

    "Probably. I feel like the more you know about how society works, and the situation of the market, the higher your chance of sess is?¡­No idea." He spoke all knowledgeable, only to break down in the final moment.

    It''s very much like him to give advice with his own examples, only to not make it sound like the perfect method in the very end. I carefully listened to everything he said, and made a mental note of it forter.

    Once school ended, I drove off on my bike, and headed straight to the bookstore I was working part-time at. Located right at the front of Shibuya train station, a lot of youngsters as well as sry men and business people visited it, so the peak storm was at roughly 6 to 7pm. However, once you ovee that, things tend to calm down a bit, and the number of people on shift goes down to four.

    Roughly at 8pm, two of those entered a break of an hour, so me and Yomiuri-senpai were alone. Said Yomiuri-senpai stood behind the cash register as she let out a yawn, as I acted like I was working on the shelves, and instead searched for the book I was looking for.

    First, I need knowledge about money. About the economy, running a business, and the construction of capitalism. Honestly speaking, the titles all sound fairly simr, so I can''t really tell them apart, so I picked something that sounded somewhat trustworthy. I might as well take some magazines that could give me information about workces with lots and easy money. Looking it up on the phone is one thing, but I didn''t want to run into some shady employer. Of course, the ones in magazines aren''t exactly the safest either, but it''s better to be on guard than on no-guard.

    ¡­Alright. I took the books with me to the register. There¡ª

    "Hey now, you''re on your shift, no storing books for yourself. ." Together with a warning voice, someone poked their finger at my shoulder.

    Of course, it was Yomiuri-senpai.

    "Ah, I''m sorry."

    "Just kidding~ Nobody cares about that rule, so don''t mind me. Even the store manager even does that. As long as you''re not storing some super popr novel, or a release, things should be fine~ Just think about it rationally, right?" Yomiuri-senpaiughed.

    She might look like a Yamato Nadeshiko, but she''s quite rxed most of the time. I still remember how she would alwaysin that the second she stopped acting prim and proper, the number of confessions towards her went down drastically.

    If you''re that easy of a woman, then go color your hair and give other people that impression¡ªwas a frequentint, and I could understand that. In a certain way, she''s the exact opposite of Ayase-san, which is quite ridiculous. Stereotypes are going down the path of destruction, huh.

    "So, Junior-kun, what were you trying to buy?"

    "Can you not invade my privacy like that?"

    "That reaction¡­A lewd book?"

    "I wouldn''t dare buy porn magazines when I''m still struggling to even get along with my little sister¡­Also, I''m not even 18 yet, so I can''t buy them anyway."

    "Then, just show me¡­what!"

    "Ah."

    She stole the books from me when I let down my guard.

    "Hmm¡­Hmmm hmm¡­Mmm??" She nced at the various book covers, and showed a curious expression. "I had never known you were that keen on getting the riches. Were you always this self-conscious?"

    "No, not really." I immediately denied any such assumption.

    That being said, revealing Ayase-san''s personal wish felt bad manners, so I decided to only reveal the most important details.

    "Once I graduate from high school, I want to move out, and live alone. That''s why I need to earn as much money as possible."

    "But, should you really be working part-time here then?"

    Damn it, I can''t say anything against that¡­

    "Um, well. The amount of money I have isn''t enough yet, and I enjoy working here because I love books, even if the pay isn''t that big."

    "Ah, I see."

    "Getting a new little sister at this age, I don''t feel like staying at my family''s ce. Don''t wanna put too much pressure on them now."

    "I see?" She gave ament with a rather nk tone and expression.

    "Do you doubt me?"

    "I understand wanting to stand on your own two feet, but your little sister being the reason is wrong, right?" She spoke with a fairly serious tone.

    I was only with Ayase-san''s values, and even I was left surprised.

    "It''s about my own feelings right?"

    "I meant it like you''re inconsistent with your logic."

    "Can I not be?"

    "I mean, it''s a waste."

    "Eh?"

    The wording from Yomiuri-senpai''s mouth took me by surprise, and my eyes opened wide.

    "So that you don''t bother other people, such reasoning like that¡­I don''t think you can''t be a person who earns a lot of money just by reading all these books."

    "I''m sorry, but we''ve jumped so many steps of logic, I can''t follow at all. Could you say it with words that I could understand."

    "A sister your age is more of an asset. And, a lifestyle that doesn''t rely on that is like you''re just tying down your arms and legs." She said it quite nkly, but it had a sharp tone to it.

    In reality, Ayase-san is the one who wants to live without relying on me or my old man, but since I agreed with her ideas, the words hit straight in my heart as well.

    "Why do you think money is necessary?"

    "I mean, you can''t live without it?"

    "Is that really the case?"

    "Is that a rhetorical question? I mean, you need it. Clothing ¨C Food ¨C Shelter, these three are basic needs of us humans, and each requires money."

    That is capitalism.

    "Hmm, I see. Then, let''s take it to the extreme. A baby that can''t earn money, will it just be left to die?"

    "That really is a bit too extreme."

    "In reality, a baby can live on even without earning money, right?"

    "Because the parents are paying for its expenses, yes."

    "That''s right, because it''s being helped¡­So, why can''t adults live like that? Isn''t that fine?"

    "I don''t think it is."

    If everybody started asking for help, society would copse, I''m sure. Adults are to protect the children, and once you earn your own money to stand on your own two feet, you will be protected by this society.

    "I mean, there''s more adults who want to be babies again, right."

    "I don''t think you should generalize that."

    On socialworks and wherever, I can see people treating 2D characters as their Mamas, or contents that show adults returning to children just as they wished for. But, even if you keep that in mind, you shouldn''t just generalize that this is the case for every single adult out there¡­Or, I at least hope that to be the case.

    "I never said all of them~ But, the fact that such contents keep appearing more and more is because there''s people who actually wish for that, right."

    "That¡­is true, yes."

    "At first, every single one of us was a baby, and yet once we''re adults, it''s a no-go. Isn''t that even more cruel?"

    "¡­I guess so."

    "This is another extreme, but if someone provided clothes, food, and a ce to sleep at¡­if someone helped you like that, then you could live without money, right?"

    "So a basic ie different from money?"

    "So well-versed~"

    "Stop it already."

    I didn''t expect to be treated like some cool kid who used words they just learned recently. Not to mention that I heard about that term from a book Yomiuri-senpai lent me, so I don''t think she has the right to lecture me. But, she just showed a smile, not bothering with my thoughts.

    "If you can''t live on your own, then you just have to ask someone else for help. Or, so I think at least."

    "Even if they end up as a burden?"

    "There''s people in this world who like girls like that, you know?"

    "As a personal interest, yes, but generally speaking¡­"

    "Maybe that''s just not your type, Junior-kun."

    "¡­I don''t really get it."

    At the very least, I don''t think Ayase-san likes men who are like a burden¡­Or so I''d like to say, but I don''t know her nearly enough, so in both cases, it''s a question I don''t have the answer for.

    "Anyway, that''s how money works. If you have it, great, and if you don''t, then you have to search for someone to help you. So that someonees to your help when you need it, always be on the lookout for someone who might need help. I think it''s better to keep that thought in mind, than reading some extreme books like that."

    "I wonder."

    "You do that. In all the variouspanies of this world, there''s morepetent employees than excellentpany presidents."

    "That is one hell of a statement."

    "It''s the truth. The richpany presidents just happen to be good at being saved, that''s all, young man."

    "It''s prettyme how you act like you know all of that."

    "A flower of a university student always has a sugar daddy or two."

    "Eh?" I subconsciously froze up.

    Of course, it''s not that I had any feelings for her, but since she was always working in the same shift as me, I knew quite a few things about her. However, a shock is still a shock. Just like what happened when I heard about the rumours that Ayase-san might be selling her body. Maybe that''s just because I''m a virgin, I don''t know.

    However, after a few moments of agonizing, Yomiuri-senpai showed me a grin.

    "Just kidding~"

    "You wench."

    My respectfulnguagepletely broke.

    "A friend at uni does that. It really seems like people with a lot of money are good at asking others for help. Also, whenever I meet her, she has some new brand object with her. From clothes to a handbag to whatever, it''s honestly astonishing."

    "Wow."

    It felt like I took a nce at the darkness of a university student.

    "Anyway, before relying on books like that, why not rely on your family first?" She gave me a wink, and started helping a customer who just came in.

    In the end, I went home that day without buying a single book,pletely influenced by that teaser of a senior.

    "I''m back, Ayase-san."

    "Wee home, Asamura-kun."

    As always, my step-sister greeted me upon my return home, as a stimting scent of food ingredients tickled my nose. When I came to the living room, I spotted Ayase-san doing her work in the kitchen. I don''t know if she just came home, or if she just didn''t bother to change her clothes, but she wore an apron above her uniform, stirring around the contents of a hot pot.

    "Good work at your job. Would you like to eat right away?"

    "Thanks. I''ll get the tes ready."

    "Ah, you don''t need to, you must be tired from your work." Ayase-san said, right as I took out a few tes.

    Rather than being brother and sister, this feels more like we''re newlyweds¡­God, I sound so creepy. I ignored my cursed thoughts, and finished preparing for the dinner with Ayase-san, sitting at the dining table, facing each other. Today''s main dish was curry. A lot of vegetables were used, making it look like quite the healthy curry. On top of that, she even prepared some sd. When I carried some vegetables with spice in my mouth, my eyes opened wide.

    "Delicious¡­!"

    "I see, d to hear that."

    An honest praise escaped my lips. Honestly, the curry was delicious enough that this was the only word to describe it as. It wasn''t something like an amateur made, only going along with the recipe, using market ingredients.

    If you didn''t use a variety of spice, and put detailed calctions into boiling the vegetables, you wouldn''t make them thisfortable to bite on. Same goes for the rice, as it went down really smoothly.

    Ayase-san showed a calm reaction as always, but I figured that she didn''t dislike my praise, as the corners of her mouth went up a bit, while she carried some curry to her mouth. The second the spice touched her tongue, her eyebrows twitched ever so slightly, and I realized that even she had human expressions.

    "I didn''t think you''d make this great of a curry."

    "I see. Then again, I''d give it 70 points."

    "You can still go higher?"

    "I didn''t have much time to season the meat, so I can still make it better. Sorry about that."

    "Season the meat." I just nkly muttered the words I just heard.

    "Eh, what? You need me to exin that?"

    "I have no knowledge about cooking¡­The best I know is that you cook both sides of the meat."

    From my point of view, her knowledge of cooking makes her seem like she came from a different world.

    "Well, sure." She said, and started her exnation. "When you buy meat from the market, the taste is still a bit meh, or the stench can be strong for the nose. Using salt, pepper, or garlic, the taste gets much better."

    "Ohh¡­precious knowledge."

    "Just stuff I picked up on the inte. Most things I just studied up on a recipe site." She said it, stating that she learned most of this herself, without the help of anybody else.

    It really made it apparent that her desire to live independently wasn''t just for show. Thinking that far, I had a few words of my own.

    "About the method to earning money fast and easy."

    "I see, so you already looked into that."

    "Yeah. But, I couldn''t find anything. Sorry, even though you already had to make food twice for me."

    "¡­I see. Well, I figured it wouldn''t be that easy." Ayase-san gently dropped her shoulders in defeat, but her disappointment wasn''t as deep as I assumed it would be.

    I''m pretty sure that she went to gather information on her own before asking me, and realized that finding such a work would be too convenient to be true.

    "I just heard about the special attribute of people who end up rich."

    "Huh, that sounds mighty interesting."

    "Even I was curious when I heard about it."

    There, I exined what Yomiuri-senpai told me, and that it''s important to rely on others. Having listened to me, Ayase-san''s eyes were radiating with curiosity.

    "So you had a girl you''re close with, Asamura-kun."

    "Eh, that''s what you picked up from that?"

    "Ah, sorry. It was just, you know, unexpected."

    "And now you''re making fun of me."

    "I said I''m sorry, okay."

    When I showed my difort of being treated like a virgin, Ayase-san showed a wry smile. Of course, my physical contact with girls so far is at a whopping zero, so Ayase-san wasn''t wrong either.

    "I totally thought you hated girls or something."

    "No, not really. Why would you even think that way?"

    "Since our situation was so simr, I figured that to be the case"

    I see, so Ayase-san hates girls¡ªOf course, I''m not going to joke around like that. Judging from her choice of words, she probably saw her parents not getting along. She never had any strong attachment to her real father, and is thinking something simr to me with my own real mother. Half of that is correct, as I was really bad at dealing with my real mother.

    "But, this is this, and that is that. Just because you''re bad with one person doesn''t mean you start hating all women."

    "I see. That''s great, honestly." Ayase-san said, admiring my words, and then continued with a light tone. "I ship it."

    "¡­What exactly?"

    "You two. She''s got great style, isfortable to be around with, and an olderdy, right?"

    "That is true, yeah?"

    "I think you two are a good fit."

    "Ehhh?"

    Since she told me with a teasing smile, I couldn''t help but tense up. It''s true that Yomiuri-senpai is an alluring beauty, with big breasts, and older than me, but I can never tell what she''s thinking, and I cannot let down my guard around her. I feel like I can be myself around her, but when I''m exhausted already, talking with her can be a bit tough.

    "Why do you look so disgusted? From what I''ve heard, she''s clever, and a great person."

    "Well, I won''t deny that¡­" I closed my mouth.

    I can''t tell her that I''d be exhausted just by dating her, as that would make me so much of an asshole.

    "Ahh, what to do." Ayase-san put down her spoon. "What she''s saying is true, but I still want to be independent."

    "You seem to be rushing a lot. You won''t even rely on me or my old man?"

    "No, you two are good people, and I''m sure you''d help me if I asked for help. But¡­" She waited for a moment. "Everything would have been easier if you two were bad people."

    "What¡­do you¡­"

    "Sorry. I shouldn''t be saying that¡­Thanks for the food." her eyes opened wide, and although she still had some food left, she took the te with her.

    I felt like calling out to her when she practically ran away to the kitchen, but stopped myself. Not much time passed since we became siblings, but I could tell that she didn''t want to talk about that topic any longer, even with my zero experience concerning women.

    I feel like I''ll be forced to go to bed with gloomy feelings again tonight. Coming to terms with that, I gulped down the rest of the curry. Yup, it really was delicious, although it wascking a bit of spice for my tongue.

    "I wonder if I''ll be able to sleep tonight¡­"

    ¡ªStarting from the conclusion, I could sleep just fine. The reason for that was Ayase-san, who came to my room when I was already in my bed.

    "This is?"

    "My aromatic candle and sleeping mask. I was worried that you couldn''t sleep because of what I said earlier."

    How considerate, really. Although she showed a dry way of speaking, and never shed any expression, I could see her sympathy and kindness beneath that mask, and it felt like I learned anotheryer that Ayase Saki had to offer.

    ©¤©¤©¤

    1 Zhuge Liang

 Chapter 6: 4

    <h4>Chapter 6: chapter 4</h4>

    10th of June (Wednesday)

    The reason I never fully mention my morning way to school in my diary is simply because it is a never-changing scenery, offering nothing out of interest that any reader, basically me, could benefit from. In other words, if I mention my way to school like I do now, then it means that something stimted my memories to the level of where I consider the incident important enough to write it down.

    ¡ªAs you might be guessing, today such an event had urred during my way to school.

    Generally, my methods on going to school consists of two basic variants. Walking, or going by bike. Walking distance from home to Suisei High isn''t exactly long, so I can still take my time on the way, but when I have work right after school, I tend to use the bike. There exist exceptions however, for example when the weather is bad, and I decide to walk.

    When there''s a typhoon warning, snowy days, rainy days, or just the weather forecast saying that it''ll rain, I don''t force myself, and go by foot. There was a time when I chose to go by bike despite it having been raining for hours, which led me to be sick the next day. I won''t make the same mistake twice. With this determination in mind, I don''t rely on my bike, and always keep an umbre with me on rainy days.

    Today''s weather forecast stated that the chance of rain was at a confident 60%, and beneath the cloudy sky, I was walking on fast feet, when my view stopped at a single point. In the midst of people waiting at the intersection''s red light, glittering blonde hair shot right to my eye¡ªAyase-san. I could tell from her back even.

    She had earphones in, as the cord reached down into her clothes. She might have been listening to music through the smartphone in her pocket. She had a simr look during P.E. ss, so maybe she just likes music? I guess all living beings called gals like listening to music. They''re like a different race from me, I had no way of knowing. All I was certain of is that she surely wouldn''t be listening to anime or western songs.

    For a second, I thought of calling out to her, but I immediately buried that thought. The reason we leave the house at different times is to ensure that no weird rumours about our rtionship would spread at school. It was to ensure our normal lives still before the official remarriage of our parents. That''s why I decided to abide by our rules, and not call out to her on our way to school, where other students might be able to spot us.

    However, the traffic light turned green. The people didn''t move, and I stood still as well. Only Ayase-san started to walk forward.

    "Ayase-san!"

    "Eh?"

    The sound of the engines reffing uppletely vanished from my head, as Ipletely forgot about the deal we had. I couldn''t allow myself to be slow. If I was one second toote, and something might happen¡ªEven that very thought urred to me only after I started acting.

    "¡­!"

    I fiercely pulled on her arm, which led her to stagger backwards. As I wasn''t specifically trained in terms of raw strength, I couldn''t stand my ground against the weight of a grown woman. As a result, both Ayase-san and I fell to the ground behind-first, right in front of the pedestrian crossing. Before our eyes passed therge cars after having been given the permission to drive thanks to the traffic light. I saw her death happen in front of my eyes. Taking away any joking out of the equation, if I was one second toote, she would have died.

    "..."

    "...¡­"

    Ayase-san and I looked at each other, not uttering a word. It felt like time progressed slower than usual, as sweat came from every pore of my body. As the other people around us showed worried gazes, I stood up, and pulled on Ayase-san''s arm, forcefully making her stand.

    "Can youe with me for a second?"

    "Eh¡­ah¡­yeah."

    We slipped past the other people around us, and entered a back alley with no people. What I was about to do would be something embarrassing for Ayase-san. That''s why I decided to not progress in front of others, but rather in a secluded space. I looked left, I looked right, checking for no other people to be around, and faced Ayase-san when I was done.

    "Just now." I spoke with a calm, but clear tone.

    I''m not her real older brother, not in the position to lecture her like I was someone better than her. That''s why, when I heard about the rumours of her paid dating, or saw her skipping ss, I didn''t warn her. I doubt she would have cared either. I thought that Ayase-san didn''t wish for that kind of rtionship. However, this incident is different.

    "I can''t ignore the fact that you were about to die. Please, be more careful."

    "¡­Sorry."

    In the face of my calm and logical statement, Ayase-san showed a troubled expression, her voice quieter than usual. Watching that reaction, I gasped.

    "Ah¡­Same here, sorry. I don''t want to sound arrogant or anything."

    "N-No, that was clearly my fault, so it''s fine."

    "Why did you just walk onto the street like that? The cars were driving towards us with such loud noises, and nobody around you moved either."

    "I was too focussed on listening¡­Sorry."

    "Listening? Ah, music? You were doing that before as well, right. I''m not going to tell you to stop, but I feel like it''d be better to hold off of that at least when you walk to school." After everything I said, I still spoke in a lecturing tone.

    Well, she was about to die there, so this much should be allowed.

    "Music¡­Well¡­Ah."

    There, Ayase-san seemed like she realized something, as she put one hand on her ears. Realizing that something was missing, she panicked and looked down at her body. Through that, I caught on to it as well. One earphone head was still in her ear, but the other dangled down into her pocket. From that earphone head, I heard the music¡ªNot quite. Rather, a foreign woman, speaking English phrases.

    "English conversations?"

    "¡­W-What about it?" She covered up her pocket, and red at me.

    For some reason, her face turned beet red.

    "I don''t think it''s that big of a deal, but¡­Are you embarrassed?"

    "...¡­"

    I saw her shoulders shaking, only for all expression to vanish from her face. She walked out of the back alley, carefully confirmed her surroundings by looking left and right, and then walked over the pedestrian crossing. She seemed to have calmed down, but her ears were still a bit red.

    "So you wanna practice English?"

    "¡­Why are you following me."

    "Because I''m heading to school as well?"

    Even without any ulterior motive, I needed to walk with her in order to get to school. That being said, I actually had an ulterior motive. Maybe it''s because she barely avoided death, and my heart was still racing from the fact, my ability to judge calmly utterly gone, but I couldn''t stop myself from wanting to see Ayase-san''s expression. This might just be the so-called suspension bridge effect, but I couldn''t calm down the curiosity burning up inside of me.

    Ayase-san on her end didn''t seem like she was blocking me off, as she gave me a brief ''Sure, do what you want'', and continued walking at a set speed.

    "It''s just one part of my studies."

    "Eh, what are you talking about?"

    "Weren''t you asking me about what I was listening to? The English conversation teaching materials." She red at me again.

    I thought she just ignored me before, but apparently she grew interested in talking about it.

    "Studying for exams?"

    "That as well, but also thinking about the future, I guess?"

    "Considering future workin ces, huh."

    "Not like you''ll always stay in your home country."

    If I had said that, then Yomiuri-senpai would definitely tease me about it again, but when Ayase-san said it, it sounded oddly believable.

    "But, why is there a need to be so embarrassed about it?"

    "It''s like I''m a swan trying to look dignified, but doing flutter kicks below the water surface. Of course I''d be embarrassed."

    "Ahh¡­so that''s also an armament?"

    "Yup."

    In order to be a strong girl who could live independently, she armed herself with the outer appearance of a delinquent-looking blonde-haired gal. That''s what she told me before. I guess she was listening to the same material during that P.E. ss before. I mean, I don''t like the idea of skipping ss, but in terms of grades and preparation for exams, P.E. is practically useless, and since she''s not excited for the ball sports festival either, participating is probably just a waste of time for her.

    Judging that, she used that time to study more by using auditory studying materials, all in order to be a perfect and strong human being that excelled in both job and academic knowledge. The more I start to learn about her, the more it feels like a puzzle is being put together, and I gain a more clear overview.

    We walked away from the main street, with the rows of buildings at our backs, as our familiar school came into sight. The number of older people or people in business suits around us started to lessen, as the greater percentage wore school uniforms like us, announcing the beginning of the school rush. Although I''m sure that they didn''t know each other, with Ayase-san''s shy appearance, a lot of students from this high-level school directed their attention towards us.

    "Don''t tell anybody, okay...See you." Ayase-san said, and started walking faster.

    Maybe the eyes of the onlookers grew too many for her taste, or taking into consideration how kind she always was, she probably didn''t want to trouble me in any way. Whichever it was, we''ll be going along just as we promised. At school, we''re like strangers.

    "Yup, got it." I answered towards Ayase-san''s back.

    I didn''t expect any response. Naturally, in a good way.

    With all this action happening early in the morning, I was assaulted by a feeling of exhaustion like I had survived another day. Sadly, this wasn''t a convenient story, but a cruel reality. An author would now see that this event was enough for one day, and swiftly jump over to the next day, but s, I wasn''t freed just yet. Following this intense first incident, both Ayase-san''s and my feelings werepletely disregarded, as we were forced to approach each other once again.

    It was time for P.E. ss. Today, during the first period, practicing for the ball sports tournament again, at the same tennis court. However, there is one difference from before.

    "Raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

    "Maaya, you''re hitting it way too high."

    From a nearby coart, I heard Narasaka-san''s high-pitched scream, together with a cold retort from a female student, only that this female student had now turned into my step-sister that I knew somewhat well. Compared to before, when she was just leaning against the metal fence, listening to music¡ªor rather, those studying materials, Ayase-san was now doing a rally with Narasaka-san.

    I don''t know what kind of trigger led to her actually ying with her friend, but she was now properly wearing P.E. clothes, showing some skilled ys with the racket.

    "¡ª¡ª-yyyy...¡­mura."

    She had her long blonde hair tied up with a hair tie, and the ponytail that resulted from this swayed left and right following all of her movement. Her bare arms were in in view, as well as her thighs. Her muscles tightened up with every lively motion, revealing no needless movement, as she returned the ball with a sharp pass.

    "¡ªHeeeeyyy¡­What''re¡­at¡­samura."

    For an amateur like me, I couldn''t even tell apart if she was on a beginner''s level, or entered the realm of a professional, but she did gather a lot of attention from the audience around her. Of course, since I was staring at her myself, I wasn''t one to talk, but I think you should do something about boys and girls having P.E. together, it''s so distracting. I tried to tear my gaze away, but her ys were just so charming that I could only stare¡ª

    "Hey, Asamura!"

    "Eh? ¡­Wah!"

    Together with my friend''s enraged voice, I saw a round shadow approach me in the corner of my eyes, and when I readied my racket in front of my face, the ball flew against it, repelled off of it, and hit me right on the forehead.

    "What are you looking at? It''s not a baseball, but getting hit with that is still pretty dangerous."

    The student who came running towards me¡ªmy friend Maru Tomokazu, picked up the ball at my feet, and gently tapped himself on the shoulder with his racket. He''s acting cool again, that bastard.

    On a side note, if you were wondering as to why Maru would be here even though he was doing the other sports before, then it''s simply because the ser participants and practicing ce have a promise to use the court, so once out of two times, Marues over to y here instead. Of course, he''s limited with what he can y here, but it''s rather than not getting any practice at all, which is why he''s d to be here.

    "Sorry, I was just lost in my thoughts."

    "Entranced by her, right."

    "You''ll be hated if you just blurt out the truth like that."

    "Probably, but that''s what life is all about. I don''t care about those who are bothered by it."

    That''s a catcher for you, he gives off vibes of the strong. Maru nced over at the girls ying tennis, at a single individual specifically.

    "Ayase? I told you to give up, didn''t I¡­"

    "That''s not it."

    It''s true that I was looking at Ayase-san, but she''s still my little sister. I was saying these words in the way that she wasn''t someone I was interested in, or even had feelings for, but apparently Maru got the wrong idea about that.

    "So Narasaka, huh. Not bad, gotta say."

    "Again, that''s not what this is."

    "Don''t worry about it, Young Asamura. I rmend Narasaka. She''s energetic, epted in the eyes of society, has good grades, and can easily make it into Waseda1. As a human person, she''s great value."

    "Aren''t you a bit too well-informed?"

    "I get a lot of information about her, although in a different waypared to Ayase. If there was one problematic part about her, then it''d be that there''s way too many that are gunning for her that you probably won''t even get a chance at all."

    Was it just my imagination, or did Maru bber on quite fast when talking about Narasaska-san? I really can''t read his honest feelings, hidden behind those sses. For a second, I thought he had the hots for her, but I really can''t see that guy of all people trying to woo a girl, so I stopped considering it.

    "I really wasn''t looking at her in that way, but even if I did, I really don''t think I could win that war."

    "Haha, probably."

    "Not even with the follow-up of a friend?"

    "Narasaka''s good at looking after others. I mean, she''s even ying tennis with that Ayase."

    "Feel like she''d be interested in the diligent and reliable type."

    "Nah, the opposite. She''d be attracted to those good-for-nothing men out there."

    "So you''re saying I have a chance?"

    "¡­Are you being serious right now?" Maru gave me a real dubious gaze.

    I thought I was being honest with myself, so I don''t know why he would react that way.

    "Asamura. You''re not that no-good of a man you think you are."

    "So I''m even worse than I think?"

    "You damned pessimistic bastard¡­"

    Maru let out a loud sigh in the face of my wry smile. What followed that was the phrase you''d hear from a considerate housewife.

    "Considering your age, you''re definitely standing out in terms of your cleverness. Got the smarts as well."

    "H-Huh, it sure feels disgusting being praised face-to-face like that."

    "No worries. I was telling you the reason why Narasaka wouldn''t even bother to look in your direction. If anything, I was insulting you."

    "Could you maybe try an approach that is neither praising nor insulting?"

    I always appreciate Maru''s straightforward way of saying things, but there are times when a bit of restraint wouldn''t hurt. Not to mention that the chances I have with Narasaka-san don''t even matter to me, since I''m not interested at all.

    "...¡­Mm."

    My eyes wandered over towards the two girls we''ve been talking about. Ayase-san apparently caught on to my gaze, and stared at me from a distance. That only happened for a moment however, as she quickly averted her face again. How clever, any long-term eye contact would evoke doubts with the other students, so she''s keeping it to a minimum. However, there was one person who picked up even this faint moment. Indeed, Narasaka Maaya.

    I understood how she''d be good at taking care of others. At the root of that was her ability to read the mood. Even in the corner of her eye, she picked up on Ayase-san''s action, traced it, and saw me looking at them. Following that, she gently tilted her head, like she was questioning something. Yeah, I can see how cute she is. Makes sense why Maru spoke so highly of her.

    But, I shouldn''t keep looking forever. I''m ruining Ayase-san''s considerate act here. In a panic, I looked the opposite direction.

    "What was that about you not looking at her like that?"

    "Seriously, drop it already."

    "Hmm, well, you''re a man as well, aren''t you, Asamura."

    "I feel like that way of phrasing things would invite a lot of misunderstandings."

    "Theplicated carnal desire of a high school boy."

    "That choice of words makes it even worse!"

    "Never expected you to be filled with so much lust, but don''t worry. As long as you keep it inside your head, I won''t judge you."

    He totally gets it and is just teasing me about it, right.

    "Alright, alright. Thanks for solving the misunderstanding, really." I let out a sigh, and shrugged my shoulders.

    Either way, both of the girls caught on to my gaze, so I can''t even argue back.

    "You done now?"

    "Ah, yeah, let''s practice."

    I somehow managed to get back on track, and used the rest of the time to focus on my practice. Taking the time for them to change into consideration, the girls'' ss ended a bit earlier, and the next time I nced over at the tennis court, all that was left was a single yellow tennis ball.

    Together with the chime ringing, as if the sky couldn''t hold it back any longer, small drops of water came soaring down on the court, quickly drenching the ground with a different, brownish color.

    "Seriously? Hey, let''s run, Asamura." Maru called out to me.

    "What do you mean ''seriously''? It said 60% this morning, so it''s not that big of a shock."

    That being said, I didn''t want to end up drenched either, so I only returned that while running for the school building.

    "40% is more than enough to bet on! How many 40% batters do you think exist in this world!?"

    "I feel like that logic is not applicable here."

    Or, is he talking about the baseball club making bets during the game? I see, it might be the same math, but the sense of values can differpletely depending on your point of view.

    "Asamura, hurry up! It''s getting stronger!"

    Right before it started pouring for good, we made it inside the school building by a hair''s breadth. Maru turned around, ring up at the sky.

    "For crying out loud. Guess it''ll be muscle training for today¡­" He let out a sigh, only to sneeze right after.

    The ground around the school building already turned dark brown, as the rain poured down mercilessly. The sound of the rain hitting the windows grew louder and louder.

    "It''s June alright, huh."

    "Even if it''s the rainy season, 40% is still 40%. I wanna hit some."

    "Now now, just skip out on it today."

    I watched Maruin even though this was something out of his reach. Honestly, I''m so d I have an umbre with me, I should be able to make it home without ending up drenched.

    ¡ªThat''s what I thought at that time.

    sses came to an end, but of course, the rain didn''t stop. It''s about what I expected. Of course, I''m not happy about it in the slightest, but whenever you wish for a premonition to be wrong, it almost always happens. The world is riddled with Murphy''s Law.

    Luckily, I had off work today, so there was no need for me to make my way to Shibuya. If anything, going home straight without a detour was probably the best idea. I was deciding on that during my walk towards the shoe lockers, when I spotted a simr figure. There was a single girl who gazed up at the rainy sky. Since she stood beneath the grey sky, her bright hair color stood out even more.

    That''s Ayase-san, right¡­Did she forget her umbre? No way, it said there was a 60% chance of rain today. Was she also part of the 40% hit-chance faction? Wait, she left the house before me, so when I was watching the weather forecast, she had just stepped out. I gazed at her from afar, and contemted on what to do. I looked left, looked right, and confirmed that nobody was present. Seems like everybody decided to leave as quickly as possible. How clever.

    I opened my student bag, and took out the folding umbre. Since it was only that type of umbre, it easily fit into my student bag, and I couldfortably choose if I wanted to bring it with me or not, as it barely turned into any baggage. Life is a continuous chain of choices¡ªsomeone said before.

    So that I wouldn''t surprise her, I approached her with louder footsteps. Around three steps away from her, I stopped. This should be good enough for our distance, right? I don''t have the courage to tap her on the shoulder. We''re not both girls either, so am I even allowed to touch her body? If she were to scream, my high school life would be over. I cleared my throat, and opened my mouth.

    "If you forgot your umbre, we can share one?"

    Her shoulders twitched ever so slightly. When she turned around, her golden hair swayed through the wind. Through a rare ray of sunlight through the cloudy sky, her piercing shone brightly for a moment. Her eyes slowly moved towards my face. It felt like a PC slowly booting up, when an expression appeared on Ayase-san''s face.

    "Eh?" Her eyes opened wide.

    Why''re you so shocked?

    "Did you forget about me or something?"

    "What are you talking about¡­"

    "That''s my phrase." I was really worried for a second.

    "So, what is it? Didn''t expect you to call out to me at school again."

    "Ahh, well, you know."

    I could tell she wasn''t angry. If anything, she seemed a bit doubtful. Thanks to the past few days of me dealing with Ayase-san, I started to be more skilled in picking up what her expression, orck thereof, meant. Of course, I was intent of keeping my promise to act like strangers at school, but that didn''t mean I could just ignore her practically sitting in the rain like that. We''re still brother and sister in the end.

    But, well, she''s clever as well, so she must be aware of that.

    "So, what is it?"

    The reason she still asked me like that is probably because of what happened in the morning, and indicated that she still felt a bit awkward. That''s what I want to think at least.

    "Forgot your umbre?" I asked her once again.

    "Ah, yeah¡­Sure did."

    "40% batter, huh."

    "Eh? What?" Ayase-san tilted her head, but forgot about it and dropped her gaze down onto the umbre in my hands.

    "We gotta go back to the same ce, so I figured."

    Ayase-san listened to me, and showed aplicated expression.

    "Ahh¡­No, it''s fine. I''m waiting for a friend anyway. She got some business at the clubroom, so she''ll be right back. I don''t need any¡ª"

    "Then¡­" I cut her off. "Use this. If I run home, I''ll make it back without being drenched."

    ¡ªI don''t need any umbre, is probably what she wanted to say, but I just pushed mine onto her, put on my shoes, and jumped out into the rain.

    I guess I was meddling too much. Maybe she thinks of me as annoying now. I mean, she did say she was waiting for a friend. Maybe they''re going to share an umbre. But, they might still get wet in the process. A girl''s umbre is pretty small after all.

    The face of Ayase-san when I pushed the umbre on her popped up in the back of my head. She looked shocked, as if she didn''t expect that. There I was, thinking that me meddling was worth just for seeing that expression. It was another face of Ayase-san I hadn''t seen before.

    Maybe this is how we slowly start to be siblings, ovepping our own personal views, matching up with each other. That''s what I thought as I ran through the rain.

    The strong June downpour quickly drenched my school uniform. A cold liquid different from sweat ran down my back, entering my shoes, making my legs feel heavy, and whenever I took a step on the ground, a damp sensation responded. Beyond the silver-grey curtain, I could finally see my home, letting me sigh in relief.

    I opened the lock, walked past the janitor''s office, and took the elevator up to the third floor. Walking down the hallway as water dropped from my entire body, I finally saw the familiar door of our apartment. I opened it up, walked inside, and turned on the lights. My surroundings were filled with an orange color, when I finally muttered.

    "I''m home¡­Yeah, right."

    Of course, no response came. Instead, painful silence scratched my ears. I mean, I had known this, but neither my old man nor Akiko-san would normally be home at this time. I thought I was used to that already, and yet here I was, feeling conflicted. I realized that I felt lonely at the fact that no response came.

    I put down my bag on the dining table, and immediately moved to take a bath. Turning the faucet, the hot water came out right away. Now, I left it alone for roughly 15 minutes. In the meantime, I put my uniform on a clothes hanger, and stuffed my wet clothes into the washing machine. I added detergent and fabric conditioner, and let the machine do its thing. I heard the sound of water flowing inside, and the machine started to rumble.

    "Oh, almost forgot."

    I gotta get some underwear ready, otherwise I''d have to walk back to my room with just a towel around my waist. Normally that small detail wouldn''t be important, but now I need to be mindful of that. I wonder how real siblings feel about that. Do they even care about that? No they probably do. They surely do¡­Right?

    I waited until the bathtub was roughly half full with hot water, and moved inside. I stayed like that for another few minutes, just spacing out, and turned off the faucet once the water reached my shoulders. My skin hurt a bit because the water was still beyond hot, probably because I was running in the cold June rain. An exhausted sigh.

    In a daze, I started thinking about Ayase-san''s request. A high-pay part-time job, huh. Since she''s willing to make both breakfast and dinner, going with the give & take principle, I need to find some work for her as well.

    ¡ªWhen talking about give & take, it''s my policy to have more on the give side.

    Ayase-san''s words shed up in the back of my head. Now that I have heard this, I can''t just rely on it. I can sympathize with Ayase-san there. That''s exactly why I need to find something quickly.

    "Hmmmm¡­" I put one hand on my forehead, and thought about it some more.

    In today''s day and age, starting a new business might be a good starting point. Rather than being used, using others is the most profitable¡ªis what I read on a book''s binding before. So basically, something like a youtuber or uber eats¡­! No, that sounds like nonsense. Calm down, me. Not to mention that, being a student, nothing reallyes to mind when I think of ''starting a new business'' either. I don''t know anything about society.

    "Know about society, know about the market, huh¡­"

    It''s exactly as Maru said. There''s way too many things I don''t know. I feel like finding a job for her in this state is highly impossible. But that being the case, I can''t just ask Ayase-san to continue making food for me, as that would stop things from being fair.

    Of course, I can''t cook like her. That''s why I remembered her wearing the apron. The emotion I embraced when seeing her¡ªShe''s cute. No, not that. Not exciting either. If anything, it was¡­Perfect. That''s it.

    Herng back hair she had tied up with a thread up to her neck, her view focussed on the work in front of her, as her knife went up and down rhythmically. Periodically, she would fix her hair, pulling it back behind her ear. Her fluent gestures repeated over and over, telling a story. In reality, she must have been cooking at home, where I would just go to the convenience store to get a lunch box. And, I figure it wasn''t for her sake alone.

    Neither my old man or I can cook. That''s why I never felt the need to learn. But, the same couldn''t be said about Akiko-san. Looking at the food she made on the very first day she lived with us, I got a clear idea that she always made food for her family. I didn''t split that into good or bad, I just saw it as her personality. Even if Akiko-san had the personality to not make any food, I wouldn''t have cared either way.

    However, if, as a result of that personality, Ayase-san had to get store-bought food, I feel like Akiko-san would make food for her no matter what. Since she didn''t want to bother her busy mother, Ayase-san learned how to cook herself. That was probably it.

    Observation and thought process. Ovepping these, you can understand any person fairly well. Of course, only if you think of it as necessary.

    "Armament, huh¡­"

    When I was running away, she had continued to fight.

    "I really want to find a well-paid part-time job for her¡­"

    My thoughts eventually returned to that topic, but I was still without any n of future action. If anything, my head started to feel hot because of all the thinking. I felt dizzy.

    That''s why I got out of the bath. I washed my wet hair with shampoo, washed my entire body, and left the washing room. The washing machine was currently in drying mode. I just let it rumble for now.

    I put one some light room wear, and decided to leave my worries behind for now. I stepped out on the hallway, and a fresh breeze of air from the A/C hit my steaming body. My mood had greatly improved, and I was even humming as I walked into the living room, when I finally realized that I didn''t even put on the A/C when I got home.

    Two girls were present in the living room, turning towards me. One of them was Ayase-san, and the other¡­Narasaka-san? Why?

    For a second, my mind turned nk. Wati, didn''t I just¡­Oh no, I was just humming, right in front of them! A severe feeling of shame assaulted me, but my defensive operation didn''t make it in time, as my entire head burned up. I was probably blushing furiously. Not to mention that it''s not just Ayase-san. A super stranger, Narasaka-san, saw me like that. Oh lord, I want to die. Please kill me. My legs froze to the ground, and I couldn''t move.

    At the same time, Ayase-san''s mouth was wide open, letting out a baffled ''Ah''.

    "Sorry. Maaya just suddenly said ''I wannae over to Saki''s ce to y''. I wanted to consult you beforehand, but I don''t have your LINE ID, Asamura-kun."

    That''s why she couldn''t warn me, huh. Ayase-san walked towards me, pping her hands together as she apologized. What a rare sight. Maybe it''s because she was in front of a good friend of hers. Narasaka-san seemed quite surprised as well, but she immediately switched to a smile.

    "Ohh, it''s the rumoured Onii-san! You really were Asamura-kun from our neighbouring ss!" What an energetic voice. "Hey, hey, do you know about me? Did you hear about me from Saki?"

    "Eh¡­Well." What should I even respond with here? "I heard you are on good terms."

    For now, I gave a somewhat honest response. For a second after hearing my words, the color of Narasaka-san''s eyes changed. I feel as if she said something like ''Ah, good terms, huh'' with a very silent voice. I only saw her mouth move though. It looked like a bit before a serious face, like she was troubled? I don''t think Ayase-san could have been able to see that. However, this expression vanished immediately, as her usual smile returned.

    "That''s right~! We''re super close! That''s why, let''s get along as well, Asamura-kun!"

    "Okay¡­Let''s get along. So, did you get home dry?"

    Looking outside, it was still raining buckets. It wasn''t on the level of a storm, but the raindrops were racing along the window ss.

    "We''re totally fine! We both had an umbre!"

    "Is that so."

    "Even though Saki said she forgot hers."

    "I actually had it in my bag, just didn''t see it."

    Seems like she decided on that. I''m d that it was just a folding umbre, unable to tell if it belonged to a boy or girl.

    "You clumsy girl!"

    "Hearing that from you makes me feel dizzy because of a psychogenic reaction."

    "Why are you using so manyplicated words! Also do you even use that expression nowadays?"

    "Is it weird?"

    "It is! But, whatever." Narasaka-san jumped down on the sofa.

    Because of that sudden movement, her skirt was lifted up, to which Ayase-san let out a sigh.

    "Maaya. Underwear."

    "Ah!" Narasaka-san frantically fixed her underwear.

    Following that, she gave me a stare. I didn''t see anything, alright.

    "Saki. This house. It''s dangerous."

    "Why are you talking like a robot now?"

    "There''s a man!"

    "Asamura-kun sure doesn''t look like a woman, yeah."

    "It''s a man! A man I tell you!"

    "What about it?"

    "It''s dangerous! You can''t even walk around with just a pair of panties!"

    "I wouldn''t walk around like that anyway. You do that at home or something?"

    "Of course not! I am ady after all." She said it with a real confident tone. "Still, so you''re saying it as well."

    "W-What exactly?"

    "Referring to me with ''You2''." Narasaka-san said with a smile.

    "!" Ayase-san covered her mouth, but it was already toote.

    Shepletely let down her guard, and started blushing.

    "Huh, hmm, I mean, your father is very happy."

    "You''re not my Dad, okay!" Ayase-san retorted full force.

    I see, so she normally referred to her with the normal ''You'', is it?

    "It took some time for you to call me like that~"

    "Did it?"

    "It did~"

    "Don''t remember."

    "I properly remember!"

    "You can forget about it."

    "Don''t wanna!" She said happily.

    I don''t think she was happy because of the way she was addressed, but rather because she saw a glimpse of what''s inside Ayase-san, I''m sure. In this world, there are folks who mistake the phenomena as bing closer as the same as beingfortable with someone, and start calling others with rude names to appeal how friendly they are. However, that rude way of addressing others is still rude no matter how much you turn it.

    Since we call each other Ayase-san and Asamura-kun, we both agreed with that subconsciously. This way, we wouldn''t insult each other, and it allowed for easier casual talk. At the same time, Narasaka-san didn''t seem like the type of person to make that mistake. Or was she? I haven''t talked with her enough to really confirm or deny that.

    Just, if Narasaka-san was that type of person, I really doubt Ayase-san would invite her into her home. That''s how I can judge she''s a trustworthy person. Observation and thought process, together they are the strongest.

    "More importantly! Saki''s Onii-chan, say!"

    "O-Onii-chan?"

    Didn''t she just call me ''Onii-san'' and ''Asamura-kun''? I feel like taking back my previous statement.

    "What are you getting embarrassed for, Onii-chan!"

    "First of all, I''m not your older brother, Narasaka-san¡­"

    "Come on, we''re good friends, so just call me Maaya."

    "I won''t! Also, you and me are still strangers, right?"

    "Don''t bother with the small details, Onii-chan! You must be happy to have me call you like this, Onii-chan!"

    "Not in the slightest."

    I figure that people who really enjoy that do exist, but I didn''t feel anything special. Though, Narasaka-san looks like some small animal, begging for attention. Also, I didn''t expect Narasaka-san to be this pushy. She didn''t seem to have the personality to be this annoying towards a friend''s older brother.

    "¡­Stop¡­"

    I heard a faint voice. Ayase-san had her face cast down, as she muttered.

    "Hm? What happened, Saki?"

    "¡­ssing."

    "I can''t hear you~"

    "This is embarrassing, so quit it already! Whenever I hear your ''Onii-chan'', I can feel shivers running down my back! I beg you, just stop it already!"

    "Oh my, so you broke down first."

    Ah, I see how it is.

    "So basically, you wanted to tease me, and have Ayase-san be embarrassed as well, right?"

    "A-Ahahaha¡­Correct!"

    "Don''t ''Correct!'' me."

    Don''t point at me like that. Or rather, don''t point at people in general.

    "Well, I guess I can stop ying with you for now, Onii-chan."

    "Forever, please."

    "That''d be such a waste. Hey, Saki, let''s call him ''Onii-chan'' together, okay. Come on, one, two¡ª!"

    "Never!"

    "Even though this would be the best possible event to really get along with him? You''re not using your changes ordingly!"

    "Can you not categorize someone''s life into events? ¡­What are you even doing there?"

    Narasaka-san opened up her sports bag beneath the desk, and took out something.

    "Let''s y with this!"

    "A game console?"

    "Narasaka-san, bringing games to school is¡­"

    "Not prohibited. You''re just not allowed to y."

    Isn''t that practically the same? But, when I asked her, she stated that as long as you didn''t y during ss, you could carry it on you. Even ying between sses was something that happened often, as long as you had someone stand on guard. As for the game console itself, it was a popr one that just came out.

    "Saki, you said you didn''t have this one, right?"

    "I don''t, yep."

    "I wanted to y together. So, can I connect this to the TV?" She said as she pointed at the 50 inch TV screen facing the sofa.

    "¡­Sure."

    "I have some games we can y together. Do you have inte here?" Narasaka-san looked at me.

    I figured she was asking me for the wifi password. Since handing over the wifi password was pretty much standard when visiting someone else''s house, I didn''t hesitate much, and gave my consent. Ayase-san handed her the memo with the password on it, and after setting up everything Narasaka-san came back to the sofa, as she looked at me.

    "Wanna y with us, Asamura-kun?" She said, and took out the controller.

    Let alone two, she had actually prepared three controllers. Is one for me? I guess this is how her personality shines. Just like Maru said, she was really considerate, and caretaking. She probably nned to have me join in from the very start. I nced over at Ayase-san again, asking her what to do via eye contact.

    "Haa¡­Well, the rain isn''t stopping, soe join us, Asamura-kun." Ayase-san moved to the corner of the sofa, making some space.

    "Ohh, so you want your Onii-chan next to you, I see."

    "Nevermind. Can you make some room over there then?" She moved her waist back to her previous position.

    "Just sit between us! Asamura-kun,e on, a flower in each hands, as they say!"

    "I''d prefer the corner¡­"

    "No can do. I''m not letting you off the hook!"

    "Why are you acting like our sofa is suddenly yours, Maaya?" Ayase-san let out a sigh towards Narasaka-san, who was clinging to the sofa.

    "I get it already, I''ll sit there."

    Seeing no other option, I sat in the middle of the sofa. You need to keep in mind that it was just me and my old man living here before. This sofa isn''t that big. Both of the girls, to my left and right, were practically inches away from rubbing against me. How can I stay calm like this? There''s a limit, alright.

    "You smell really nice, Asamura-kun. So this is the scent of the Asamura Household''s shampoo, I see. That must mean, Saki as well¡­"

    "As if we''d use the same shampoo. Common sense, ever heard of it?"

    So that was supposed to bemon sense, huh. I never thought of using a different shampoo and body soap from my old man''s. Guess I should keep that in mind next time I go shopping.

    "I buy my own things. I''m a high school girl after all." Ayase-san said, as if she saw through my thoughts.

    "Then, let''s get this started~!" Narasaka-san said, and operated the controller.

    A joyful music yed, as I focussed on the screen. Even though this should be a familiar sofa to me, this must be the most ufortable experience I had so far. At the same time as I thought that, I remembered Ayase-san''s words. ''Our sofa'' she said. These words made me a bit happy.

    There, the console booted up. It was looking for the newest patch of the game. But, nothing could be found, and the game started.

    "Is it¡­a scary one?" Ayase-san asked, slight tension mixed in her voice.

    "It''s not scary at all~ It''s a cute one! Like a puzzle! You control these ppy people, and while holding hands, you make it through the goal."

    Narisaka-san pointed at the screen, specifically at the character that looked like they had no bones. By operating the controller, Narasaka-san''s character was thrown into the air, turned around, andnded on spikes put on the ground. Blood gushed from the body, as the character fell to the depths of the map with a scream.

    "See, this is how they die."

    "So it is a horror game."

    "Again, it''s not! You can actually clear this stage. It''s only scary if you fail. Come on, Asamura-kun, hold this."

    "O-Okay." I was given the controller.

    "Listen. We have to work together here. This will be our first shared operation!"

    "I don''t get it at all."

    "Forget about that! Let''s go!"

    We died a thousand times. This is the first time I yed that game, so there''s no way I''d be any good at it. And yet, Narasaka-san was celebrating it whenever my character fell to its death. She even shook my shoulders in some fake attempt to cheer me on, trying to make me fail even more. It''s honestly scary how close she is. She feels more like a little sister than my real step-sister.

    "Haaaa, that was fun!"

    By the time we were done, the rain had stopped, and Narasaka-san went home, seemingly satisfied.

    "Sorry that she''s so annoying." Ayase-san came back from seeing her off at the entrance of the t, and said so.

    "No, it''s fine."

    "Um¡­" She seemed hesitant with her words, leaving me a bit nervous. "Could we¡­add each other on LINE? To make sure something like that unfortunate happening from before doesn''t happen again?"

    "A-Ah, yeah, sure."

    I had no objections to that. Indeed, it was all to avoid any possible misfortune. We''re family after all, it''s not weird in the slightest. When I opened up my friend''s list, I saw Ayase-san''s icon. She was using a stylish tea cup as a picture. Just from that alone, you couldn''t tell if it was a boy or a girl, which is very much like her.

    "I guess this is an armament as well¡­"

    "Did you say something~?" After we finished exchanging contacts, Ayase-san went to the kitchen, from where she now called out to me.

    The sound of the kitchen knife hitting the cutting board stopped momentarily.

    "No, it''s nothing."

    "Okay~ Dinner is gonna be ready soon."

    "Got it."

    The cutting sound resumed, as the gentle scent of miso soup tickled my nose. I reminisced about everything that happened today. For the fact that the day started with me running into Ayase-san during our way to school, the day continued to be full of events.

    I saw Ayase-san during practice, when she made fun of Narasaka-san. Even though I had an umbre, I ended up drenched from the rain. The moment where these two girls heard my humming was definitely the worst of today, and even after that, when we yed the game together, I would have trouble finding something worthwhile there.

    And yet, I felt oddly satisfied when I turned off my phone''s screen, like I had gathered a lot today.

    ©¤©¤©¤

    1 High-ranking university in Tokyo

    2 ''Anta'', a short-form of ''Anata'', which is the informal and not very polite version of ''You''. The ''You''ter is the normal ''Anata'' version.

 Chapter 7 - 5

    <h4>Chapter 7: Chapter 5</h4>

    11th of June (Thursday)

    Morning. Counting in Akiko-san, all four of our family were sitting around the kitchen table. Since Akiko-san came homete yesterday, or rather this morning, she should still be sleeping at this point in time.

    "Summer solstice is around the corner, isn''t it~" She said, with a yawn.

    She apparently woke up because of the sunlight being too bright. This being the case, I think it might be a good idea to install shading curtains in their bedroom. Since my old man probably never thought about it, I''ll tell himter.

    "I''ll go get some more sleepter," Akiko-san said, and yet kept standing in the kitchen.

    At the same time, since my father didn''t have to leave for work early, he could leisurely read the newspaper on his tablet. Hence, we''d be eating breakfast as the four of us.

    "Here, Dad, take care of that."

    "Gotcha."

    I gave him a tablecloth to wipe the table. With a grin, he wiped his own part of the table, as well as Akiko-san''s. After everything was sparkling clean, Akiko-san and Ayase-san started lining up today''s breakfast. Possibly because it was both of them cooking, we had a greater variety today. Lastly, they seemed to be preparing rolled omelette, atop a frying pan made for rolled eggs (brought by Akiko-san, as we didn''t have this before in our house), as they rolled around the long eggs using long chopsticks. It looked like a master''s work, as I didn''t even see eggs inside the finished omelette. Even while sampling the miso soup, Ayase-san stared at Akiko-san''s handicraft.

    After we all pped our hands together, thanking each other for the food, we dug in. Of course, we all reached for Akiko-san''s rolled omelette first. The second I bit into the piece from my chopsticks, the juicy taste of sauce filled my mouth. This is different from the taste I expected¡­What is it?

    "Delicious. But¡­wait, it''s not¡­rolled omelette?"

    "It''s special Japanese-style."

    Even though Akiko-san was the one who made them, Ayase-san gave me a response.

    "Japanese-style rolled omelette?"

    "Rolled omelette normally tastes like egg, right? If you want salt, then you just add that, and those who like it sweet can put some sugar in the mix."

    "Sugar?"

    "Do you not like sweet food? If so, then I''ll leave it out next time."

    "Ah, no¡­I''m fine with whatever. It''s just, you can even make sweet rolled omelette, huh."

    "Eh¡­"

    "Hm?"

    Even if you look at me like I was some alien, I can''t give you a different answer¡­

    "¡­You are attending cooking ss, right?"

    "Y-Yeah. But, we never made rolled omelette. It was always only fried eggs."

    "Hmmm. But yeah, Japanese-style rolled omelette you make by adding soup stock1 inside."

    "Soup stock¡­So like a noodle soup base?"

    "We''re doing it with white soy sauce, mirin2, and sugar most of the time."

    She looked over towards the kitchen, at a specific white bowl. I see, since we only use salt, soy sauce, and sugar here, she, or rather, Akiko-san probably brought this with her.

    "That''s why it tastes more like the soup stock rather than egg. Of course, sometimes it''s a bit more salty. If you want it more sweet, you use mirin. You can also use soy sauce, but then the rolled omelettes don''t keep their yellow color.

    "You sure know a lot."

    "Saki-chan can make it as well. Maybe you can make some for Yuuta-kun since he liked the taste?"

    "I can''t make it that well¡­"

    "I personally like fried eggs."

    "¡­I see. I''ll make some if I feel like it."

    Basically, this is what was going on behind Ayase-san''s and my conversation. ''You don''t need to do more work outside the contract. I don''t mind at all'', is what I said, to which Ayase-san responded with ''Thanks, I''ll make some if I have the time''. As a result of that, both our own desires and opinions got through perfectly. Much better than using some secret codednguage, as that offered easier misconceptions.

    Not realizing this at all however, my old man just kept praising Akiko-san''s food until the end of time. Calling it ''most delicious in the entire world'' is taking it a bit too far if you ask me. Are you just trying to flirt? With everybody else around? Can you not? You''re totally ruining my motivation for the day.

    I was searching for another topic in order to change the conversation, when I remembered something.

    "Oh right, it''s my turn this week forundry, but can I just take Akiko-san''s and Ayase-san''s clothes for it?"

    "Ah, that''s¡­" Ayase-san started her words, but eventually gulped them down again.

    I tilted my head, confused. It''s rare for Ayase-san to fumble over her own words like that. Did I say something bad by any chance?

    "Well, if you''re okay with it, then I''d like to take care of theundry all-together, Yuuta-kun." Akiko-san threw in.

    "Eh? I can''t do that."

    After we''ve decided to live together as four, we split up the housework. A lot of things changed there already, but I can''t just give her more responsibility¡­

    "But, doing it for four people must be tough, right?" Akiko-san pressed even further.

    With how desperate she seemed, even I started to pick up on something. Now that I think about it, having a man take care of a woman''s clothes to the point of washing them, isn''t that pretty insensitive? But, because I was so busy with trying not to burden her anymore, Ipletely disregarded that. That was bad. Before I could take back my idea, Ayase-san was forced to exin it to me.

    "Leaving even my underwear to Asamura-kun is a bit¡­well¡­A-And also, they need some special treatmentpared to normal clothes. Do you know which to put in whatundry?"

    "Which in¡­what?" I added, but gave her an eye contact to apologize for making her say that.

    "If you wash the bras just like that, they''ll change in shape, and the hook can get caught in the other clothes, right? That''s why there''s a special washing for bras. When you have cute pa¡ªinner underwear, the smaller decorations on it can get caught up with other clothes as well¡­"

    Even in the midst of this awkward atmosphere, Ayase-san carefully exined the problem. Thanks to that, I understood howplicated washing a woman''s clothes really was.

    "Also, don''t you split clothes which are more strong and weak in color? You do put clothes with three-dimensional objects on them into a different, right? Otherwise they''d get peeled off."

    "Three-dimensional objects, you mean like drawings or logos stuck to the fabric?"

    "Yup, that."

    "Ahh, that''s why they peeled off after every washing round."

    Hearing my words, Ayase-san held her head. She however quickly raised it again, and announced.

    "With this level of knowledge, I cannot leave my clothes to you, Asamura-kun, so I will wash them myself."

    "Ah, yeah¡­Understood."

    Sensing the awkward atmosphere, Akiko-san spoke up with a gentle smile.

    "I take care of Taichi-san''s clothes anyway, so why don''t I wash yours together, Yuuta-kun?"

    Listening to these words, I imagined the scenery of her going through myundry basket. Akiko-san will¡­wash my underwear? ¡­No way in hell.

    "¡­I really understand how awkward you must have felt, Ayase-san."

    "Right?" She let out a sigh.

    Yeah, I see how it is. Sorry about that.

    When I opened the front door, I was immediately greeted with the roaring hammering of the rain hitting the windows and railing. We''ll be going together, is what Ayase-san said, and left the house with me, leaving me confused as to what happened. So far, she always insisted on leaving first. I mean, since she''s my step-sister, my little sister in this context, walking together to school isn''t anything weird¡­Or is it? I feel like it''d be weird for siblings to be on their way to and from high school. Or am I just thinking too deeply into it?

    "There''s something I wanted to talk about." Inside the elevator, on our way down, Ayase-san suddenly said that.

    I see. That made sense. Of course, I had no idea as to what, but it was very much like Ayase-san to be direct.

    "I wanted to apologize."

    "¡­Apologize?"

    For what? I thought about our exchanges this morning. Did she do something worth apologizing for? I should be the one, after how insensitive I was¡­

    But, Ayase-san stayed quiet even after we stepped out of the mansion. We walked along the almost empty street, our umbres lining up to protect us from the rain. It was the perfect time for us to talk about something more private, at least until we made it near the school.

    The line of buildings was emphasized through the rain falling on it, as the both of us had to be careful of the passing cars, so that they didn''t drench us because of the rain puddles at the side of the street. After stopping once because of that, Ayase-san slowly started walking again, as her face tightened up a bit.

    "Anything discriminative, even subconsciously, is something I can''t stand. That''s why, I''m sorry." She said with a serious expression.

    My face shot sideways, and I could tell that she was seeing this as an important conversation. She took a deep breath, and let it out.

    "It''s not impossible that you might be wearing lingerie from an expensive brand on you after all."

    It is pretty much impossible though.

    "Even though I always try to not fall into typical gender roles¡­"

    "Wait, Ayase-san."

    "Asamura-kun, I can see how you''re taking care of your body. Even yesterday, you put your drenched clothes into the washing machine right away. I haven''t seen you put in lip gloss or foundation, but you seem like the type who''d be very conscious about that."

    "Calm down, Ayase-san." I walked in front of her.

    In order to stop her rampaging thoughts, I needed to halt her movement, so that she could focus only on me. Through that, Ayase-san stopped, and looked up at me from beneath the umbre.

    "¡­Okay, I''ve calmed down."

    "Ah, sure."

    "Even if you prefer female clothing doesn''t mean you''re wearing it in reality after all."

    No good, she''s not calm at all.

    "Just take a deep breath, and think about it. You saw the washing room of my home, right?"

    "Hmmm¡­" Ayase-san dove into her thoughts. "Um¡­right, well, I saw shaving cream and razor. I didn''t find any cosmetics for women¡­I think."

    "Right?"

    "But, your eyebrows have such a great shape."

    "Huh?"

    "You must be taking care of them in some way. I didn''t see ab, but you might be visiting a beauty salon instead¡ª"

    "A barber, yes."

    Do you really think a boy like me could just waltz into a beauty salon? Even if we''re living in the town of the young ¨C Shibuya ¨C that doesn''t mean that everybody is obsessed with cosmetics and brands. I save my money for books instead.

    "Eh? Then, are your eyebrows natural?"

    "That''s it, yep."

    Ayase-san stared at me.

    "I can''t believe it¡­I''m so jealous¡­"

    "I-Is it really that big of a detail?"

    "¡­How vexing¡­" With these words, Ayase-san started walking again.

    I stayed silent, and walked after her.

    "Listen." I spoke up.

    "What?"

    "About what you just talked about. You know, gender roles and that stuff."

    "Yeah."

    "Gender roles are that, right? Acting out a role depending on the gender."

    Putting it simply, it''s that men act like men, and women act like women. That''s what gender roles refer to. What action is ''like'' this or that gender is sadly decided by shared hallucinations and imaginations called the public, and we as small individuals cannot influence that logic.

    "Correct. But, there''s no set limit that there can be only two genders, don''t you agree?"

    "Well, yeah."

    Of course I would know about that. As long as you read books, you learn about all sorts of things, even if you want to or not. And, it often ends up in the newstely. I think with facebook, you can show up to 58 custom genders now. Became a recent topic after all.

    On top of that, you can''t just simplybel as man or woman just going with DNA. Apparently, Ayase-san was thinking the same thing as me.

    "The differentiation of humanity happens with the use of chromosomes, right¡­"

    "The X chromosome and the Y chromosome."

    "Yup. There''s X and Y chromosomes, and by mixing them together, you get a sex. XX means it''s a girl, and XY means it''s a boy. It''s a single chromosome out of the 46 we humans possess, with it''s X and Y variation. How many percent of the genome over all is that?" Ayase-san said, regrettably.

    "Well, it''s clear that it''s not that big of a difference."

    "Because of that small difference, we''re being pressed into a role."

    In the midst of the pouring rain, only her voice reached my ears.

    "It''s the same with self-identification. There are people whose gender given to them through genes is different from their real one, and this has slowly been more in the public''s eye."

    I knew of the logic Ayase-san was speaking of. But, I was born as a boy, and in my mind, I''m a boy as well, so it''s a bit hard for me to fully understand.

    "Same goes for love. Men love, women love, both love, and both don''t. Romantic feelings aren''t normal, not foreseen by nature¡­You can both agree and disagree with that. It alles back to the clothes we''re decorating ourselves with. ording to genes, you''re a girl, you see yourself as a girl, and you like men, but when ites to the clothes of the opposite sex¡­basically male clothes, it''s not rare for women to like them. At the same time, it''s not weird if a man were interested in wearing women''s lingerie."

    "Well, yeah."

    "And yet, in that one moment, Ipletely disregarded that possibility." Ayase-san said with a regrettable tone.

    Is this what I think it is? The macro point of view might be correct, but you can see differences when diving deeper into micro territory? Just because half of humanity is like this means that this person must be like that as well¡ªis greatly wed thinking after all.

    Even in the event that I was a man wearing female underwear on a daily basis, nothing would have been different, like we''d be sisters washing our underwear. If I had to guess, Ayase-san probably isn''t bothered by the idea of having her underwear washed by her mother. However, that one moment today, when she thought of me washing her underwear, her biologically-induced sense of shame got the better of her.

    Normally I''d forget about it with an ''No problem'', but Ayase-san seems to be bothered about it. She''s always fighting after all. Facing these gender roles the public is constantly pushing onto others, she wants to carefully think everything through one by one. To me, who just let everything happen normally, acting indifferent, that looked awfully dazzling.

    "Well, if you''re going to say that, then I should apologize myself. I felt embarrassed when I thought of Akiko-san washing my underwear."

    "It''s not a problem of how other people feel. I can''t forgive myself. That''s why I wanted to apologize."

    "Hmmm¡­" I thought about it for a second.

    I can agree with her thoughts, but this diligent thinking is probably only making her suffer in the process. Is there a morefortable way of thinking that doesn''t deny her ideas, I wonder.

    I could see the school gate in the distance. That would mean that the number of students around us would rise in number, and we couldn''t continue talking like this.

    "¡­It''s like a reflex, right."

    "Reflex?"

    Sometimes I can''t follow what Ayase-san is thinking at all. Then again, that''s pretty fun in itself.

    "Like, when you act before you think. That one"

    "Ahh, that. When you hit your knee, your leg moves, something like that?"

    "Exactly."

    There are times when people act before their brains can keep up. When something flies towards you, you reflexively close your eyes. When you touch something hot, your hand pulls back before you tell it to.

    "Humans have evolved to let their brain handle the thinking. So, why do we have this mechanism inside of us, is what I often ask myself." I looked at Ayase-san.

    "That''s¡­If they used the time to think during that emergency, they have less time to actually act, right?"

    "Yep. When your life is in danger, your body reacts faster than your brain can keep up. I do agree that we as living beings need this mechanism."

    "What was it¡­Ah, right." The wise Ayase-san reached a conclusion before I could even fully exin it.

    However, I still decided to follow through.

    "Basically, it''s like a macro or a short-cut key in an app." I said, and Ayase-san giggled.

    "What an interesting example."

    "It''s easy to understand, so I like to use it. But, sometimes there are cases where even the macro can''t do anything. If you''re not aware of that fundamental logic, you can''t add a new one."

    "Right."

    "''I just identally did that''¡ªhas an aspect to it that can''t be helped, I think. I''m sure that there''s something to gain even from a reflexive action."

    "But, prejudice gives birth to discrimination, right?"

    "Then just fix your view? You reflected on your own actions. This being the case, I don''t think you need to worry about it any more than that. I feel like you''ll be able to be a person who can learn from these reflexive actions, and improve." I said with a light tone, and a smile.

    Only now did I realize that Ayase-san wasn''t walking next to me anymore. I turned around, to see her feet frozen to the ground three steps behind me.

    "Ayase-san?"

    Since she had her face cast downwards, I grew a bit worried, and called out to her.

    "Asamura-kun, you¡­" Her voice was about to vanish in the pouring rain. "¡ªYou understand me too well."

    So¡­she said? She raised her head, and practically ran past me, not even giving me a nce as she did. She walked through the gate, inside the school, and quickly vanished out of my sight.

    "What''s wrong, Asamura?" Until Maru tapped me on the shoulder, I stood still, just gazing at the direction she walked into.

    The shoulder he tapped me on was oddly cold, drenched even. Even so, my mind was only filled with Ayase-san''s back that I had seen right before she disappeared.

    Even as the final chime rang, the rain hadn''t stopped. Today is Wednesday, a day where I have to work. Hence, I would have to return home once, and then make my way to the bookstore in front of the train station. Doing that in the rain makes it multiple times more annoying. Maybe I should have brought the uniform to school, and head there directly.

    I gazed outside the window, admiring the pouring rain. Of course, I don''t necessarily dislike the June rain like this. All the scents during the rain make it feel like summer after all. It''s just, on rainy days, I''d rather not have too much baggage with me. That being the case, the uniform from work I always take home with me, as it''s our policy that you wash it yourself when it''s dirty, I left it at home.

    I could see the shoe lockers ahead of me. As I made my way there, my gaze subconsciously moved left and right. When I realized my own actions, I shook my head. No no no, there''s no way she''d be standing here again. She had an umbre with her today.

    "She probably went home already." I said, and opened up therge umbre in my hands.

    Therge ck circle filled the area in front of me, blocking off everything. I put it on my shoulder, and stepped outside. Of course, there''s the part of it raining ever since early morning, but I also wanted to bring another umbre with me than yesterday, so that people who happened to see her with that umbre wouldn''t get the wrong idea. Maybe I don''t need to be that worried after all, we''re siblings in the end.

    That being said, not even a week has passed since. Although, I do feel like I''m starting to understand Ayase-san a lot more. But, her words from this morning are still stuck in my head. With the rain pouring on the umbre, I couldn''t focus on my thoughts at all.

    Shortly after, I made it back to the t, and entered my home. Once inside, the obnoxious sounds of the rain swiftly vanished. I put down the umbre to dry, and sighed. Although my body cooled down quite a bit, I didn''t have time to take a bath. I had to make my way to work after all. Hence I headed to my room, passing Ayase-san''s room in the process.

    I didn''t mean to peek inside, but since the door was opened ever so slightly, I could check out the situation inside. Room-drying colored underwear and clothes were defenselessly scattered on the bed. I guess that makes sense during the rain. I''d normally throw everything together and let it dry, but depending on the clothes, they can be damaged through that, so there''s people who dry them like this.

    That being said, to think I''d actuallye to see such scenery in my own home. I can''t keep looking at this, right. Since theundry is drying, it''s apparent that Ayase-san hase home, and it''d be hell if she saw me like this.

    "Asamura-kun? You''re home, huh."

    "Eeek!"

    A voice spoke up behind me, making me straighten my back in shock. I turned around.

    "What''s wrong?"

    "N-Nothing at all."

    "Really, alright then." Ayase-san gave me a dubious stare.

    "I-I got my part-time work so I''ll be going now." I lightly waved my hand, and headed to my own room.

    I still felt Ayase-san''s sharp gaze glued to my back, but I didn''t have the guts to turn around. I felt like an underwear thief for some reason, even though I just happened to spot it in the corner of my eye, and she herself said that underwear after theundry trip is like a handkerchief, so I don''t need to feel any guilt with that¡­right?

    I stuffed the uniform of my part-time work into my bag, stormed out of the house, and during the entire time I headed to my part-time work, not even the sounds of the rain drowned out my heart''s pumping.

    I nned to immerse myself in my work. I wanted to remove all my memories from the previous incident. Especially that blue fabric I saw. I put on my uniform, added the name te, and started working. Today, I was busy with organizing the inventory. We received some new novels that were released the other day, and they need to be put on the shelves, exchanged with those that didn''t sell.

    Tomorrow''s Friday, and we get a great delivery of books, so we need to have everything prepared for the new deliveries as well. Basically, I need to keep the shelves open more than usual. Although we get rough predictions of how much a book will sell from the publisher, there''s no way to urately pin-point the behaviour of the customers themselves. As a result of that, you almost never fully sell out the books thate in. Next time either. There''s always books who stay as left-overs.

    Ah, just like this one¡­When I was checking the light novel corner, I picked up a single volume. I was interested in that ever since it came into stock. I don''t think it aimed to be a harem-type ro, but there''s a solid 48 girls on the cover, so I guess it turned out as one in the end. I think you got lost in your search for originality, dear author.

    Even if the publisher and author assume that it will be a hit, there''s still a chance that it won''t sell at all. Many customers tend to be very conservative. I put that novel into a different pile, and continued with the sorting.

    "You''re storing them for yourself again~" When I turned around, Yomiuri-senpai stood there. "They''ll just buy them back then, so as long as we can make some earnings, it should be fine¡ªis probably what they thought as they stored them."

    As a chain bookstore, it''s been a trend like that, and yet I still don''t think they''d buy such niche books. I mean, I like them so it''s fine.

    "Maybe it''s just that there''s people who buy these new releases every single month~"

    "I wonder if someone like that exists."

    Yomiuri-senpai looked at me with a grin. Eh, are you talking about me?

    "Hehe. More importantly, Junior-kun, aren''t you quite passionate about your work?"

    "Can you not make it sound like I normally ck off the entire time? I''m working like always."

    "Really?"

    "Am I acting weird or something?"

    "I just happened to see a young man focus his everything on the work, so I wondered if something might have happened, I guess?"

    "You sound like some far-away onlooker."

    "That sounds nice. I want to be like a stranger. That would mean I could forget about all the troubles in this world, sigh."

    When you sigh like that, I can''t help but feel more curious, you know that.

    "What about you, Senpai? Did something happen?"

    "Interested?"

    "If there''s something that could get me interested, maybe."

    "Great response~ That''s what I like about you~"

    "Again, can you not say things that invite misunderstandings?"

    It''s really not fair to smile at me while you say that.

    "I''m fine right now. Just knowing that you care is enough salvation~"

    "Is that how it works?"

    "That''s how it works. That''s also why."

    "Yes?"

    "Take care of your cute little sister."

    "Ueh!?"

    "If you made her angry, buy her something sweet on the way home."

    "I-I didn''t make her angry though."

    Not yet at least.

    "Then, what did you do?"

    "Nothing at all."

    "Nutting at all? That''s pretty extreme."

    "Listen here, we had the same dirty joke before, let''s not waste more pages on that¡­"

    "Ahaha. Well, you can''t ignore her feelings, so if you don''t take care of it now, it might explodeter."

    "Ugh¡­"

    Since I couldn''t say anything else, I just quickly walked away to focus on my work again, seen off by Yomiuri-senpai''s grin.

    "That person is just¡­Phew¡­" I faced the shelves again, as I muttered.

    Even during such simple work like I''m doing now, you need to properly deal with any customer requests should there be any. As long as you wear the uniform of the bookstore here, customers will alwayse ask you for assistance. Most of them ask for the location of a book, which sounds simple enough, but they tend to do so without even looking into it themselves first. They don''t give you publisher, nor author, keep the genre vague, and yet ask you to pull it out of your sleeve.

    Even if you tell me something like ¡ª It''s a series where a lot of murders happen, I can''t tell with that little information, I can''t find the right thing no matter how earnest I might be willing to help. Rather than not being able to find it specifically, I find too many. Don''t you have any more¡­hints?

    A cat resolves the case.

    A cat does?

    I went to ask Yomiuri-senpai for help, and she immediately guided the customer to the right book.

    "This one''s pretty popr. It''s weird for you to not know about it."

    "Is that so?"

    Mystery is actually outside my type of genre.

    "I would have been lost if they said it was a dog though."

    "Is there something like that?"

    "Of course, something like this."

    Wow, hats off to you, mystery author.

    You get the gist. Taking care of pre-orders for new releases, extras of the magazine missing, or just children being lost inside the store, there''s a lot to do as an employee. Doing my work like that, my shift already ended. I changed my clothes, gave my farewell to Senpai, and left the store behind me.

    The rain had finally stopped, and thanks to the clear sky, I could see the moon between the valley of the buildings. Depending on the season, the way you see the moon is different. During the summer, when the sun stands tall, the full moon is staying low, and in the winter it''s the opposite. Since we''re in the summer solstice, the full moon doesn''t stand that tall, making it look like it got squished between the buildings.

    There was still some heat left in the air, but the cool breeze felt great. As I was walking along the street, the phone in my back pocket vibrated. When I took it out, I saw that I received a new LINE message. I didn''t even have to swipe to tell that it was from Ayase-san. It was her first message towards me.

    ''You saw it, right.''

    I thought my heart stopped for a second. That was the worst possible one sentence to receive. I could tell what she was talking about even without any more context. I booted up the app, and confirmed the rest of the message. To sum it up, it would be as follows.

    She was wondering what I could have done in front of her room, and eventually came to the assumption that I might have been looking at the underwear inside her room. She does think of the underwear as a handkerchief after it went throughundry, but since I was the target of that embarrassment this time, she wants to confirm the meaning of me seeing it¡ªIt seems.

    Before the approaching interrogation and possible torture, I sent her a short message exining myself, and hurried home. Seeing only her shoes at the entrance, I sighed in relief at the fact that our parents haven''te home yet. When I raised my head again, I saw Ayase-san looking down at me.

    "I''m back, Ayase-san."

    "Wee back, Asamura-kun."

    Even though we were saying the same thing, the intonation was absolutely different from before.

    "Don''t just freeze up at the entrance."

    "Ah, yeah¡­"

    I did tell her an excuse, but I wonder if she''ll even believe me¡­

    "Go back to the room first."

    "Eh? Which room?"

    "Are you still interested in my room?"

    "I will be on stand-by in my own room, thank you very much."

    At a time like this, it''d be best to not argue back, surely. I went to my room, put down my back, and sat down on the floor, waiting for Ayase-san.

    "Why are you sitting on the floor like that?"

    "Well, I just felt like doing it."

    I couldn''t tell her that I was in preparation to prostrate myself. I don''t know if she''d forgive me then.

    "Here."

    I raised my head, only to see a steaming cup in front of me.

    "Eh?"

    "Hot chocte. I''ll take it if you don''t want it though."

    "N-No, I''ll¡­take it¡­" I said, and epted the cup.

    I do prefer coffee, but I''m happy about something warm now¡ªWait, is this what I think it is? I looked up at Ayase-san''s face, and as expected, her eyes were fuming with anger.

    "So¡­about what you texted me."

    "Ah, yeah."

    "The door happened to be half open, and your eyes got pulled towards what''s inside. Then, when I called out to you, you ran away, huh."

    "That''s about it."

    "Because it could look like you were about to go inside to steal something?"

    "Well¡­I¡­guess¡­"

    "Even though they''re your little sister''s?"

    "That is true, but¡­" My words got stuck in my throat.

    If this was about my real little sister or mother, then it''d be embarrassing, but that would be about it. However in this case¡­it couldn''t be helped. This is only the 5th day since we''ve be siblings¡ªThe second that excuse came up inside my head, her expression rxed a bit.

    "Sorry, that just now was a bit unfair."

    "Eh."

    "Byw, we are siblings, but that doesn''t mean you can''t suddenly act like a real older brother the second thewes into y¡ªAt least not in your head."

    "¡­Yeah, I get where you''reing from."

    The two of us are living under the same roof, and at the very least act like siblings, as a family. It is expected from us that we do that, and we cannot betray these expectations, nor do we have any ns of doing so. Because that would trouble my old man and Akiko-san. That being said, we can''t act like siblings who''ve lived together for all of their 16 years. A human''s thought process isn''t some code that can be edited, or a program that can be rewritten.

    It''s a fact that we''ve been total strangers a week ago. Now, Ayase-san is saying that it''s necessary for me to be aware of that. She always tries to be fair after all.

    "But, now we''re even. Let''s just forget about this, alright?"

    "Even?"

    "I think that being entranced by my underwear was another type of reflexive action. This morning, I reflexively said those words. That''s why, I''d say we''re even. I think you''re the type of person who can learn from these reflexive actions as well, just as you can believe that I can."

    "I''m happy to hear that."

    "By the way."

    Hm?

    "You''re basically saying that my underwear was alluring enough topletely charm you, right."

    "I never said that, no."

    "Then, it''s not alluring at all¡­is it. Huh."

    "¡­Are you teasing me by any chance?"

    "Now, who knows. But, I can''t exactly leave this restless atmosphere going, right?"

    "I¡­guess."

    "You¡­definitely hold a certain desire towards possessing some of my underwear, right?"

    "Urk¡­Well, honestly speaking, it''d be a lie if I said I didn''t have any carnal desires like that¡­But, I''m not going to do anything just because of that, okay?

    "Hmm¡­So you actually have desires."

    "It''d be pretty troublesome if I didn''t. But, having them, and acting ording to them is different." I said with as serious of an expression as I could.

    "Pfft. That''s right, I''m sorry for teasing you. Let''s just leave it at that for now."

    "Thank you very much¡­"

    I gave her my honest thanks, and figured out just what she was trying to say. You can''t undo an emotion you once had. Even if that was just a misunderstanding. Her anger at me having seen her underwear doesn''t vanish. Instead of throwing this emotion at me, she instead exined as to why she was angry, and remained calm. What amazing anger control that is. Adjusting, huh¡­I''m still far from reaching her level.

    "But, I''m d."

    "Hm?"

    "I didn''t want you to think that the design was weird. I might have needed to throw it away then."

    "¡­I feel like I''m starting to understand what kind of personality you have, Ayase-san."

    "Really?"

    "Yeah, a bit."

    Listening to my words, Ayase-san showed a faint smile.

    ©¤©¤©¤

    1 Made from fish and kelp, very traditionally Japanese

    2 Type of sweet rice wine

 Chapter 8 - 6

    <h4>Chapter 8: Chapter 6</h4>

    12th of June (Friday)

    Starting early in the morning, Ayase-san was avoiding me. I think she was at least, although I didn''t understand as to why. Before I even got to the dining table, Ayase-san had already left, without saying a single thing to me. I don''t get it. Last night, thest thing I saw from her was that smile. That moment, I felt like we had been close like never before. The more I thought about it, the less it made any sense.

    If it was still raining, we could go to school together, which would allow me to ask her for the reason for this, but naturally, the weather betrayed me, as it was clear outside. Pedaling on my bike, I looked up at the sky, on this 12th day of June. It was almost worryingly blue. Indeed, fine weather during the rainy season, can you believe it.

    While pedaling I tried to distract myself with the origin of this very ''fine weather during the rainy season'' expression1. If I didn''t do so, my head would be full of Ayase-san instead. I didn''t even try to slow down on my way to school. I could still see traces of rain on the rows of trees I rode past. The drops of water on the tree branches fell down in a well-timed manner, and hit me in the face. Thanks to that cold sensation, my tired face was slowly waking up as well.

    Maybe she''s still angry because of the underwear incident yesterday. Thinking about the possibilities of that, I figured that her personality would lead her to directly tell me if she was angry still. Sadly, that made things even more confusing. Pondering about this, I made it to school already. I looked up at the sky again, but couldn''t find a single cloud.

    If I remember correctly, we had P.E. during the second period¡­Of course, it''s practice for the ball sports festival again. As before, we''d meet at the same location as before, the tennis court. Meaning, I would be running into Ayase-san again.

    During the first period, I had modern Japanese, but as you might expect, I couldn''t focus in the slightest, and I don''t even remember what we even talked about. Eventually, the second period came around, and once everyone was gathered, I directed my attention over at the girls.

    "Seryaaaaaaaaaaa!"

    As always, Narasaka-san was in top form. So was the ball, as it flew right over onto the neighbouring court.

    "Maayaaaaaa!"

    "Ohhh, homerun!"

    "Idiot!"

    I don''t remember there being a homerun technique in tennis. But disregarding that, I couldn''t find Ayase-san in the group of practicing girls. Instead, she was once again leaning against the metal fence in the corner of the tennis court, earphones equipped. The only difference from before is that she wasn''t looking into the void, but rather dwelling in her thoughts about something. With her face down, she had her eyes closed.

    Come on, now I''m even more curious. I thought of calling out to her at the end of the ss, but Narasaka-san wanted something from me first.

    "Hey, Onii-chan."

    Are you calling me that at school as well? I felt the urge to throw in that retort, so random was that phrase of hers.

    "Did something happen with Saki?"

    For a second, I lost any possible words to return. Basically, from her point of view, it was obvious that Ayase-san acted differently from usual.

    "No, I don''t know anything."

    "I see." While crossing her arms, she walked towards the main building.

    The girls waiting for her gave me a few nces, but nothing like you might be imagining is going on, okay?

    "Hey, Asamura."

    "Hm? Ah, Maru."

    Turning around, there stood my friend Maru Tomokazu.

    "What''s with that lifeless response?"

    "I''m just exhausted from practice."

    "You''re not even out of breath, and there''s not a single dot of dirt on your clothes either."

    "You sure look closely, huh."

    Oh yeah, it seemed like Maru was properly doing his softball practice today. I could see dirt and sweat all over his body.

    "What''re you staring at me for? You suddenly longing for my body or something?"

    "I just thought that getting that through theundry must be a pain."

    "Hm, really now. You know, if you paid me 10k, I wouldn''t be that hesitant to think about it."

    Pay¡­Eh, wait.

    "W-Where did thate from!?"

    "I''d do your exhausting day duty for you. From a leak in the ceiling to making a small pupp''s hut, I think that''s an affordable price, right?"

    "Ah, that''s what you meant."

    "Asamura, what were you thinking?"

    Can you really say that now?

    "I hate to tell you, but since we live on the third floor of a t, there''s no leak to be fixed, nor do I have any ns of adopting a puppy."

    "I see, what a shame. I thought it''d be some early cash."

    "Isn''t thispletely different from what you said before?"

    Weren''t you the one who told me the importance of knowing society, and knowing the market in order to earn money?

    "Calm down aye, Asamura. I said ''Early'' cash, you know. Birthday''s close after all."

    "Whose?"

    Ah, he suddenly grew quiet.

    "So basically, you''re trying to get together some money for someone''s birthday present?"

    "If we don''t hurry, we won''t make it in time for the next ss." He turned his back towards me, and walked on ahead.

    I see, so Maru has someone he wants to spend money on. Maru of all people, imagine that.

    In the end, no chance came for me to talk to Ayase-san at school. Of course, I attempted to contact her through LINE, but¡­

    ''You seem down, did something happen?''

    ''Nothing at all''

    She didn''t even add a sticker (although Ayase-san didn''t seem like the person to add some in the first ce), and just gave me that nk response. After the final period of the day ended, I headed to my part-time work again. I was teased as always by Yomiuri-senpai, but nothing of importance happened, and I made my way back home again.

    I opened the door of the front entrance. The gentle scent of miso soup drifted towards me from the kitchen, tickling my nose. So Ayase-san was home.

    "I''m back." I let out a voice, and walked down the hallway.

    "Wee back¡­Dinner is ready."

    I feel like the warmth in her voice is different¡­Maybe not? Maybe I''m thinking too deeply into it.

    "Sashimi today?"

    I looked at the table, spotting a blue te with white garnish on it, as well as the red inner body of a fish, presumably victorfish.

    "Yup. Finely chopped."

    "Fresh is the best after all."

    Seems like we''ll be having ssical Japanese dinner tonight. The miso soup had half-moon cut potatoes with seaweed in them. I''m sure that''ll warm up my body. It was perfect for this rainy season. The small bowl had lots of cucumber as well. While Ayase-san lined up the food on the dining table, I wiped the rest of the table, and prepared some warm tea.

    "Thanks for the food!"

    I started with the miso soup. I gently stirred up the surface with my chopsticks, and put the corner of the bowl to my mouth. As my nose picked up the scent of it, my lips tasted it.

    "Yeah, your miso soup really is delicious, Ayase-san."

    "¡­I see."

    "How do I say it, I can taste the soup stock. That really makes it."

    "Of course, it''s miso soup after all." She said with a slightly bothered tone.

    "Not exactly."

    It''s not like I was never cooking myself. But, I could never create such delicious miso soup before. I couldn''t even hope to rival this one. I only found out the reason a bit after I stopped trying to cook, when I happened to read a book. After mixing the miso, you boil it. That''s how you create the scent. This scent mainlyes from fermented alcohol. Of course that''d jump when boiling. It''s just simple physics. If I had known about this beforehand, I might have kept my interest in cooking as well¡­

    "Now then, let''s move on to the main dish tonight."

    "What an exaggeration."

    "It''s not, it looks really delicious."

    I put a bit of ginger on the victorfish, and carried a piece between my chopsticks, adding some soy sauce to it. This one piece I then stuffed in my mouth, and carefully chewed on it. The meat had a bit of sticity, and the more I chewed, the more the taste widened up on my tongue.

    "Delicious."

    Next, I added some rice to the mix.

    "This is great. Ayase-san, you''re such a great cook."

    "Listen, all I did was cut it¡­But, thanks. I bought it during a sale, so¡­"

    "Ohh. So you went out of your way to buy it from a sale."

    "I want to save as much as possible."

    Oh yeah, if I remember correctly, since Ayase-san was made responsible for the cooking, she receives a certain amount of money from my old man. If she aims for sales, she can keep the money to herself, I guess.

    There, I remembered something I wanted to ask before. However, thinking back on it, that apparently only acted as a trigger for what was toeter.

    "Why are you this keen on saving money?"

    Hearing my question, Ayase-san''s chopsticks stopped entirely. They wavered above the fish, going back and forth. Of course, I wasn''t going to tell her that this was bad manners, as she clearly wasn''t confused about what to get, but rather pondering what to say.

    "I think I told you about this before, but in order to break free from random strangers'' eyes and expectations, I need the strength to live on my own."

    "So money is that strength?"

    "Am I wrong?"

    "No¡­I don''t think you are."

    It''s a fact that, without money, you can''t live your life freely. That being said, money isn''t everything. Even I could tell that this was just myopic.

    "And yet, I just can''t earn enough money." She let out a sigh.

    She leaned forward with her head, which led her long hair to fall to the front of her uniform, on top of the apron. She put down her chopsticks, and fixed her hair.

    "I''m looking for a high-paying part-time job, but¡­" I grumbled.

    "It''s okay, I didn''t expect you to find one right away," is what she said, but in the end, I''m the only one benefitting from this, and I can''t stand it.

    "If there''s something you want me to help out more, just let me know. Or, you can cut corners with the cooking."

    "I am."

    "30 minutes in the morning, and one entire hour at night, you mean?" In the face of my remark, Ayase-san let out a hollowugh.

    "So you realized."

    "Everybody would eventually."

    Whenever Ayase-san is making food, she''s constantly ncing over at the clock. I doubt that''s only rted to the cooking. There''s also the fact that she wanted information on a highly-paid but short part-time job solely for the purpose of having more time to study.

    "Anyway, even if I know the recipe, I don''t n on using any more time than necessary. That''s plenty of cutting corners." She forcefully created an expression that probably meant to say ''I''m a bad person''.

    "Not really."

    However, when I said those words, Ayase-san''s facial expression changed to something simr to surprise.

    "Why?"

    "I mean, by constantly repeating something, you get better at it, right? That means that you can do more work at the same time as before, and the quality of what you''re doing can go up as well."

    "¡­What about it?"

    "Even if you only offer that same one hour, you can create something even better¡ªIn this case, you have the chance to make the food even more delicious. In other words, the added value grows. And, since I have an exchange with you, I need to raise my added value. Otherwise, it''d be imbnced."

    "That''s¡­"

    "The case, yes. Right now, I don''t have anything to give you, Ayase-san. Sooner orter, I won''t be able to keep up."

    "If you''re going to say that, then aren''t all families in this world the same? Day after day, the values grow like that."

    "Because they are the same, yes."

    It''s not just cooking. There''sundry, cleaning, sewing. All these ''duties'' can make you even more skilled the more you do them. That''s why your sry goes up the longer you work at apany. That continues until your work bes more sloppy and slower as resulted by you aging. Thebours in a family are exactly the same.

    "My Mom always made food for me all these years, and yet she didn''t even get 1 yen back."

    "These values don''t show until you get to the exchange. Until you outsource the values of the family''s hard work, you don''t realize. Only when you go for the payout do you understand just how much value it actually has. That''s the troublesome idea behind it."

    Because I was only reading books rted to ''Labour'' or ''Earning money'', theseplicated thoughts and equations kept gushing out of my mouth. If I''m not careful, I might just start assuming that I''ve be more smart, even though this is just borrowed knowledge.

    "You and me, Ayase-san, we made an exchange on cooking and searching for high-pay part-time jobs, right? Now I realized how much the value of your cooking has gone up, which means that I need to find a way to raise my value as well."

    Ayase-san stayed quiet, seemingly thinking about something. I couldn''t hold back anymore, so I just blurted it out. In my mind, I had a solution, but it wasn''t exactly a likable one.

    "¡­The food will get cold, so let''s eat. I already let in some hot water for the bath."

    "O-Okay."

    Before I could remark on that however, I was urged to move my chopsticks instead. The entire time we were eating, Ayase-san seemed like she was lost in thought, not even looking at me. I figure she came up with that unfavorable solution.

    I was allowed to take a bath first, and after finishing mine, I let in some fresh hot water. I changed my clothes, and headed back to my room. Out of a whim, I decided toy down on my bed, and read a book. Of course, I have some homework left to do for school, but there''s no reason to panic, as I still have Saturday and Sunday left. Right now, I rather wanted to focus on the light novel with the countless beautiful girls on the cover.

    ¡­I thought it was just some ephemeral work, but this is pretty interesting¡­Although, is there really a need for the protagonist to go out with all of his ssmates¡­And¡­

    "Ouch!"

    Lost in my thoughts, I happened to drop the book, which fell directly on my face. In response, I let out a shocked voice. That surprised me.

    "Well¡­Maybe I should just head to bed then¡­"

    Apparently, my body was exhausted. I looked over at the clock, and it wasn''t thatte yet. Normally my old man woulde back at this time, but there were no signs of anybody returning. Since it''s Friday today, he might be off drinking something with colleagues. I just hope he''s back with thest train.

    Click, the lights in my room suddenly turned off. With another simr sound, the lights turned into night mode. I could see the light entering my room through the small gap of the door, as it opened momentarily. And then, silence reigned. Someone came into my room. Well, it has to be Ayase-san. I doubt a thief would randomly choose this apartment.

    But, what does she want in my room? Turning the lights off even. Maybe she mistook the room? I was about to push up my body to say ''This is my room, you know?'', but I swallowed these words right away.

    "Asamura-kun, you''re awake, right?"

    Ayase-san approached me with these words, as the sweet scent from body soap tickled my nose. However, that wasn''t the reason for my shock. I''ve experienced this several times after all. She would take the bathst, and sleepst. That is what she decided on, but that doesn''t mean she wouldn''te talk to me. There were also times when I went for some cup of water at midnight, and ran into her, wearing her nightwear.

    Of course, that was pretty stimting already for a high school boy like me, but the Ayase-san approaching me wasn''t like that. I could hear the rustling of clothes, followed by them dropping to the ground. She was taking off her clothes. Since the lights were turned off, I could barely see anything. Only the lines of Ayase-san''s body were emphasized.

    The more she approached me, the better I could see her well-endowed chest, her slender waist, her long and slim arms reaching down from her bare shoulders. There was no more nightwear to hide her beautiful body. For those who haven''t caught on yet, Ayase-san was only wearing her underwear. My eyes were drawn to her waist, which moved left and right at every step she took.

    "Hey, Asamura-kun, there''s something I''d like to talk about."

    One step away from the bed, Ayase-san stopped.

    "Something to talk about¡­" I let out a dumbfounded voice in the face of this situation.

    Ayase-san took the final step, and put her hands down next to my waist. She looked at my face, and met her gaze with mine.

    "Won''t you¡­buy my body?" She told me at a distance close enough for me to feel her breath.

    Thanks to the faint ceiling lights, I could see Ayase-san''s face.

    "¡­Huh?"

    For a second, my head turned nk. What the hell?

    "Hey, what do you say?"

    "¡­W-What do you mean?"

    "Exactly what I said. I''m asking if you won''t buy my body. Basically, in exchange for money."

    "..."

    "Because of what happened before, I understood that my body is good enough to get you excited, and¡­well¡­We don''t need to go all the way. You can just use it however you want."

    "Hey hey hey hey¡­"

    "Thinking about it rationally, this is what I arrived at."

    You call this rational?

    "Hear me out."

    "Ah, okay¡­"

    My reason and rationality almost went down the slope to hell, but I barely managed to keep them with me.

    "We''re in high school, right."

    "¡­Yeah."

    "That''s why, you know. There''s awkward deeds that you can''t do on your own, don''t you agree?"

    Awkward deeds that you can''t do on your own? Is she talking about the kind of action that¡­you know, requires the genitalia of both man and woman? Well, I guess so¡­No, I can''t deny it. I''m not a saint or anything, I''m a healthy high school boy, so hiding it was practically meaningless, but I still didn''t expect to talk about that with a girl my age.

    "Now that we live under the same roof, there''s chances that we might run into each other, getting caught in the act."

    "I don''t want to think about it, but it is possible."

    "That''s where I thought. If it was troublesome to be caught in the act, wouldn''t there be more merit for us to take care of each other''s needs at set intervals, with permission from both sides?"

    "How did you even arrive at that thought¡­"

    "When you evaluated my cooking so highly, Asamura-kun¡­"

    Met with this sudden change of topic, I was bewildered. Why were we suddenly talking about dinner?

    "¡­I thought about it. If I were to ask for money in return for my cooking, I could earn money with not much work."

    "That¡­makes sense."

    I thought about that as well. I guess we both arrived at this rather unfavorable way to settle with things.

    "Although it wouldn''t pay that much, it could reduce my costs to the bare minimum."

    "Sounds like a good idea."

    And yet, Ayase-san shook her head.

    "I didn''t want to earn money through that. I would get too much from that, greatly imbncing the give & take. But, I do want money. That''s why I came up with something worthwhile that I could supply, and get money back."

    "So basically, while searching for high-pay work, you decided to step into night work with a member of your family?"

    She nodded. Her thoughts were racing in a dangerous situation.

    "If we really did it, then I''m sure it''d be a bit awkward afterwards, but rather than doing it with someone I don''t know, I judged that it''d be much morefortable to go all the way with someone as kind as you, Asamura-kun."

    So she even thought of doing it with strangers.

    "Doing it like this, I wouldn''t feel bad for asking for too much money."

    I heard the sound of something popping inside my head. I raised my upper body, stretching out my hand. As a result, her shoulders twitched in shock. Just seeing that reaction, a strong sense of guilt filled my chest, as my mouth opened slowly.

    "That''s the type of woman I hate the most, Ayase-san."

    "Eh¡­"

    I hate nder and bad-mouthing. No matter the reason, I don''t want to hurt others through my words, and it hurts me just thinking about me saying this. However, I have to do it right now. I have to stop Ayase-san''s rampage this very moment.

    The face of my old man and Akiko-san shed up inside of my head. After everything he went through, being betrayed by his former wife, and being depressed about it, can I really just turn away from that? No. I felt relieved when I saw his blissful face, and I want to support him right now.

    As for Akiko-san, I don''t know just what she went through, but there was probably some problem with her former husband, which is why they got divorced. However, right now, she was living happily it seemed. If I went along with Ayase-san''s idea, her request, and what came after that, it would yet again bring misfortune to our parents. I can''t ept that.

    We said we wouldn''t expect anything from each other. We confirmed this stance the first time we met, and somewhat kept our sense of distance since then. In a way, I expected Ayase-san to not do something like this, which led to this situation in the first ce, meaning that I broke the promise. However, speaking of the first breach, it was Ayase-san.

    "Use your looks as an armament, wasn''t that what you said?"

    I don''t know why Ayase-san was hell-bent on not being made light of as a woman, so focussed on being independent, but what she was doing right now was the exact opposite of that. She was the exact type of woman that would be belittled. I don''t doubt her thoughts that this might lead to proper demand and supply. But¡­

    That reminds me, paid dating and night work are like ephemeral actions, and you assume the people to do it are only in it for the quick money, but there''s even clever girls who end up doing it, or so I''ve heard. It wouldn''t be weird for them to trace the exact same thinking that Ayase-san has now.

    However, this was too simple. And, it contradicts with her own beliefs. Those who keep their contradictions and bother other people with it¡­I can''te to like them. If she was some stranger, then I would be able to ignore that, but as family, as an older brother, I can''t just leave her alone. I put the towel I had on me around her shoulders, ensuring that she wouldn''t be cold.

    "That''s not it. If you don''t find a method to prove yourself superior, unrted to you being a man or woman, then there''s no meaning to it, right."

    "B-But, it would be a viable option even if I was a man. That''s why, armaments and whatever don''t matter."

    So she''d be doing the same thing if she was my younger brother? For a second, I imagined Ayase-san with a boy''s stature, but that invited plenty of problems by itself, so I quickly banished that thought from my head.

    "I won''t take any sophism."

    "I-I''m sorry."

    Maybe it''s because I warned her with a cold tone, but Ayase-san showed a dejected reaction. From there, I spotted anxiety, and regret. Even though I''ve realized that she was the exact opposite of the person the rumours made her out to be, she almost acted ording to them. Now I understand that she was ready to do everything for her desire.

    I''m so d¡­So d that she tried it with me first.

    "As long as you understand, everything''s okay. Also, I don''t mind¡­well, paying for your cooking. There''s just one problem."

    That is the reason why I thought of it as an unfavorable solution.

    "Problem¡­?" Ayase-san gently tilted her head.

    "If we keep up a mary exchange inside our family, then the ie of our family''s economy won''t rise."

    "¡­Meaning?"

    "Our parents are really busy, so they can''t go shopping all the time. Except for expensive furniture and electronic equipment, we need to save money for the smaller things, on a monthly scale."

    "Right¡­"

    "And, I''m working part-time myself. I can definitely pay you for the food. But, think about it. If I have to stop working because I get sick, or something along those lines, and I don''t get my monthly pay anymore, then you won''t be getting any more money either. However, can you really stop cooking from that day onward?" I continued. "As long as your source of iees from within the family, it''s uncertain if you can really receive proper price for your hardbour."

    "That''s right¡­I never thought about that."

    "Of course, being paid from the family itself might have its merits. You definitely won''t get deceived in the process. When you get your money from the outside, you constantly have to be careful so that you don''t get paid less for what you deserve. But, even if it''s not that well-paid, I still think it''s better to get an objective value from an outsider, and ask for pay in that context."

    Ayase-san stayed silent, probably thinking about my words.

    "That''s all the advice you get from me. Of course, I''ll help you look for something, but no more of this."

    "Okay¡­I''m sorry."

    "It''s fine." I epted Ayase-san''s apology.

    There''s no reason to lecture her any further now that she had seen the error of her own ways.

    "But, there''s something that we need to discuss."

    "Eh?"

    "Honestly speaking, I didn''t think you were the type of person to do this, Ayase-san."

    "That''s¡­the same for me."

    "I think this entire incident happened because I never really understood you, Ayase-san. That''s why I want to know more about you."

    "¡­Right. I don''t like talking about the past, but I already troubled you like this¡­" Ayase-san closed her eyes and thought about it.

    Letting out a sigh, she spoke of her past memories. This happened when she was a small child still.

    Ayase-san''s father seemed to have been an excellent entrepreneur. However, because he was betrayed by his friends, he lost thepany, suffered from an inferiorityplex, and started keeping his distance from his wife and daughter.

    "Inferiorityplex?"

    "Thinking back on it, my father might have been jealous. Mom always said that, as a high school graduate, she could only rely on this nightlife business, but hearing the opinions from her colleagues, she was pretty popr."

    "Akiko-san seems like she''s a great talker. She''s cheerful after all."

    "Yeah¡­I think my father was always a kind person. But, after he lost hispany, he changed."

    At times he stayed away from this family, or spent time with a woman elsewhere. He basically stopped having any affection towards Ayase-san and Akiko-san. He stopped putting money into his family, forcing Akiko-san to pay for all the money Ayase-san needed, which led to her grudge against her father. There was also the fact that, since his wife worked at the nightlife business, he was always dubious that she might have another man, even ridiculing her for that.

    "Even so, that doesn''t just gratify the fact that he made Mom go through so much."

    That exins why she hates the idea of being belittled as a woman¡­

    "I see how it is."

    Ayase-san looked up at me. "Asamura-kun?"

    "Ah, well, I was just thinking how simr we were."

    "It was the same with your family as well, Asamura-kun?"

    "Yeah, for a short period of time, my old man ended up with gynophobia for a while. I''m shocked to see him get married again. Maybe it''s thanks to Akiko-san."

    "Gynophobia? He?"

    "Yep."

    "I see¡­"

    So was that the same for you as well? ¡ª I heard her faint mutter, but I decided to ignore it.

    "Ahh, that''s why he kept that odd distance to Mom¡­" She muttered.

    Apparently she realized that I was keeping a bit of distance to Akiko-san.

    "We really are simr."

    "Right."

    "Even the bad parts added together."

    I showed a wry smile, unable to deny her words.

    "Well, we still have to get through this, including everything. As an older brother and little sister."

    "¡­As an older brother and little sister?"

    "Yeah."

    Ayase-san let out a snicker, and removed the towel on her shoulders.

    "Please treat me well from now on, Asamura-kun."

    "Likewise. Ah, I wouldn''t mind if you called me ''Nii-san'' on the side¡­"

    "Not happening."

    "Ehhh¡­"

    What a shame. But, there''s no need to rush things. We''ll be siblings for a long time now.

    "I don''t n on going any further than this, Asamura-kun." Ayase-san put the towel on the bed, and approached me with a smile. "Not. Happening."

    From her reddened lips, these two words hit my face like a warm breath. I get it already, sheesh. After all, my shared days with this beautiful yet oddly dangerous step-sister have just begun.

    ©¤©¤©¤

    1 There''s a small paragraph of him exining the Japanese origin of that saying. I would need to add 5 different footnotes for this to even exin that, so just let me rewrite it here a bit.

 Chapter 9 - 7

    <h4>Chapter 9: Chapter 7</h4>

    13th of June (Saturday)

    The dining table was covered with a white cloth. The morning sunlight shining in front the windows drew circles beneath the tes. On top of the tes were full-moon shaped fried eggs, offering shares for my old man, Ayase-san, and¡­

    "Careful with your hand."

    Hearing Ayase-san''s words, I removed the hand who was busy wiping the table.

    "This is your share, Asamura-kun." She said, and put down a te in front of me.

    This blue te had rolled omelettes on it. When I poked at one with my chopsticks, the omelette rolled to the side, making it easier to eat.

    "Is this¡­Japanese-style rolled omelette?"

    "You seemed like you enjoyed it. Since it''s Saturday, I could take my time as well. Don''t expect anything though." Ayase-san, seeming slightly flustered.

    "I''m happy, thanks."

    "Saki-chan''s homemade food. How nice. Hey, Yuuta~ Give me some, okay~" My old man said, but Ayase-san interrupted him.

    "It''s not that good for you to be jealous about it, really."

    "No no no, it looks great, soe on, Yuuta~"

    Since he was looking at his step-daughter''s cooking so eagerly, I pushed some of my omelettes on his te. Isn''t the omelette in front of him the exact same food?

    "Yawn¡­Oh, everyone''s so fast."

    Picking up a sleepy voice I hadn''t heard before, I turned around. Akiko-san wore a gown above her nightwear, rubbing her sleepy eyes. She apparently hadn''t gotten around to making her hair yet, as some hair strands were still curled. This gave Akiko-san a more rxed feeling to her, and I would even go so far as to call it lenient.

    "What time is¡­it." She turned towards the clock inside the dining room, only for her eyes to shoot open. "Eh, no way¡­"

    Since it was Saturday today, we had breakfastter than usual. My old man didn''t have to leave early for work, and there was no school for Ayase-san and me. Of course, this was also in consideration towards Akiko-san, who would alwayse homete in the morning, severelycking some sleep.

    "You can sleep some more, Akiko-san. You got homete yesterday, right?"

    "Taichi-kun¡­Ah, Saki-chan, I''m sorry to let you do it all on your own."

    "It''s fine. More importantly, Mom¡­your looks right now, it''s a bit too stimting for Asamura-kun, and consider step-father''s feelings."

    "Eh¡­" Her gaze dropped down to her own appearance, only for her to let out a shriek.

    Immediately after, she ran off to the bedroom again.

    "A-Akiko-san! Wait a second, I need to talk about something!" My old man chased after her.

    "For crying out loud, that old man."

    "Huh. Seems like she finally dropped that mask."

    "Really?"

    "Then again, she deserves praise for keeping it up that long."

    Can I really just agree with a nonchnt ''Right''?

    "Just so that she doesn''t lose her honor right here, she only gets this careless right after getting up."

    I see. Well, I''m not the best at getting up in the morning .

    "Maybe it''s thanks to the shading curtains."

    "Probably."

    Yesterday, we finally got the shading curtains from the delivery. They''re not only good against the sunlight shining in, but they also block off outside sounds, it seems, and they had instion capabilities on top of that. That makes the summer cool and the winter warm. Thanks to that, Akiko-san should be able to get some more sleep. My old man was at the forefront of getting them, saying ''If it protects Akiko-san''s health, then nothing is too expensive''.

    Ker-chunk, two slices of toast shot out of the oven toaster, as Ayase-san turned towards it, and put them on a te.

    "Tell me if you want more."

    "No, this is more than enough." I declined.

    Seems like we''ll be having toast instead of rice today. Ayase-san put two more slices inside, which should be perfectly done by the time my old manes back.

    "Having rolled omelette and toast is a weirdbination."

    "It''s not weird at all, Ayase-san."

    Add some more sd on a deep te and consomm¨¦ soup, and you have the perfect breakfast. Although it''s a shame that there''s no miso soup. But, I guess she put that into the Japanese-style rolled omelette.

    "Ohh, delicious."

    "Exaggerating again."

    "I really ain''t. Akiko-san''s was really delicious, but yours isn''t losing at all."

    "Really?"

    "Yeah."

    "Well, I guess I''ll make it again then."

    "Whenever you have the time."

    "Whenever I have the time."

    Our words practically ovepped, leaving us both in an awkward silence. We continued our breakfast for a while. That old man sure iste, we''ll be done by the time he''s back.

    "I guess it''s already been one week."

    "Hm?"

    "You said it before, right? Since you came on Sunday, tomorrow will be the first full week you spent with us here."

    "So what? Celebrate because of one week?"

    "Honestly¡­doesn''t sound half bad."

    "Seriously?"

    Since Ayase-san looked at me with a ''What are you talking about?'' expression, I burst outughing.

    "Once that old man catches on, he''ll definitely bring it up anyway."

    "I guess¡­so?"

    "He always liked that sort of stuff. But, we might be better off leaving the two alone for that."

    Since they both got married once before, ording to their logic, they didn''t n on any ceremony, or honeymoon.

    "Ah, that sounds good."

    "Right?"

    "What might you two be discussing here, Saki-chan, Yuuta?"

    Right that moment, the two people in question came back.

    "Nothing at all, don''t mind us."

    I''ll just tell him to take out Akiko-san for dinnerter. With that timing, Ayase-san put the two slices of toast on the te, and put this in front of my old man.

    "Saki, I''m¡ª"

    "One slice, I know." Ayase-san told Akiko-san.

    She put another two slices of toast into the toaster. I guess that the final slice must be for her then. With give & take, her give share would always be bigger, and she would always get everythingst. I see, even with these small details¡­

    "Only one slice for you as well, Ayase-san?"

    "Can''t eat that much in the morning."

    "I''ll try to remember that."

    "Thanks."

    Adjusting to each other is important after all.

    "You two sure get along now."

    "They''re like real siblings."

    "I''m happy to see that~"

    Akiko-san and my old man both narrowed their eyes. I''m happy to hear that it looks that way. Everything was about to break downst night after all.

    Once we finished ourte breakfast, the sun shone brightly outside the window. White clouds passed through the blue sky, telling you yet again that summer was around the corner. The temperature was going up as well, although not enough to put on the A/C, so I opened up a window.

    These few clear days were in the middle of the rainy season. The winding from the open window carried afortable breeze through the four of us, filling the room with a natural scent.

 Chapter 10: Epilogue

    <h4>Chapter 10: Epilogue</h4>

    Ayase Saki''s Diary

    7th of June (Sunday)

    When I said that I was relieved, I really meant it.

    I could tell just from meeting him then that he wasn''t a bad person.

    At the same time, he felt very considerate.

    He''s willing to put in new hot water in the bath after he''s done with his.

    I didn''t expect him to be a student at Suisei though.

    8th of June (Monday)

    Asamura-kun called out to me at school.

    Contrary to my expectations, Asamura-kun is a very t and even person.

    I don''t like the idea of him just taking the rumours about me at face value, but I know that it can''t be helped. I know what I look like to others after all.

    I was angry. Yet, he epted that I was angry.

    He might be the first person I ever met who was willing to adjust to me like that.

    9th of June (Tuesday)

    Memo: Asamura-kun likes his fried eggs with soy sauce.

    From today onward, I will be cooking food.

    Asamura-kun is going out of his way to search for a high-pay part-time job for me, so I will provide him with breakfast and dinner.

    He apologized for not being able to find anything, but I knew that it wouldn''t be this easy.

    Especially asking strangers for help.

    If I could do that¡­

    10th of June (Wednesday)

    Urk, so embarrassing¡­

    To think he would hear that.

    I don''t want to lookme, so I try to keep my hard work a secret.

    Maaya came to visit us. She''s as noisy as always.

    The three of us yed together, andughed a lot. How long has it been since Iughed like that.

    We exchanged LINE contacts.

    It''s very much like Asamura-kun to keep a scenery picture as his profile picture.

    Thanks¡­ for the umbre.

    11th of June (Thursday)

    I have to pay more attention when I dry my underwear in my room, yep.

    Underwear is just like every other piece of clothing. How could you be so entranced by it, Asamura-kun¡­

    Luckily, he didn''t try anything vile with it.

    But¡­

    He said he won''t do anything. He admitted to having desires like that, but stated that having them and acting ording to them is a different problem.

    I couldn''t agree more.

    Whenever I hear his opinion, I realize that I always sympathize with it. That''s probably why I feel so rxed.

    Asamura-kun is dangerous.

    He understands me too well.

    12th of June (Friday)

    Asamura-kun got angry at me for the first time.

    In the heat of the moment, I even told him about it. Even though I didn''t want to remember it again. Yet, it looks like he experienced something simr to me. I didn''t ask what exactly though.

    We talked a lot, but there''s things I couldn''t tell him.

    I was willing to sell my body¡­because I was scared of being indebted to Asamura-kun.

    13th of June (Saturday)

    At night, Asamura-kun and I ate dinner as just the two of us.

    Mom and step-father went off to have dinner as the two of them.

    Asamura-kun was the one who came up with it. Shows again that he is considerate even about the smallest details.

    That''s exactly why I can''t call him ''Nii-san''.

    Once I start calling him like that, I''ll definitely rely on him all the time.

    That is one thing I cannot allow myself.

    I''m sorry, Asamura-kun.

    But¡­whenever I call him Asamura-kun, deep inside my heart, another emotion starts to rise up, different to me calling him a big brother.

    It''s a feeling I haven''t ever experienced, and I can''t put a name on it either.

    I only realized that I became conscious of Asamura-kun.

    It makes me feel uncertain, even gloomy.

    Even when I go to bed, I have trouble sleeping recently.

    If I don''t listen to calm music, in order to heal my brain cells, then my hands and feet won''t rx. Unable to fall asleep without listening to music, how can I even hope to be independent when I''m like this? I feel pathetic.

    ¡­Just what is this feeling, really.

 Chapter 11: Afterword

    <h4>Chapter 11: Afterword</h4>

    Mikawa Ghost Afterword

    Thank you very much for picking up the novelized version of ''Gimai Seikatsu''. I am the responsible author for both the Youtube version as well as the novel, Mikawa Ghost. My main profession is writing novels such as the one you are reading right now, but this time around, I challenged another type of way of work that could invade your private lives.

    The contents of this novel weren''t drastic or dramatic, merely portraying the days passing for our characters Asamura Yuuta and Ayase Saki, and what changes we can spot there.

    Of course, the contents you can find on the Youtube channel are all important to the world of the characters, but there are some other developments that I wanted to show off in this novelized shape, which depicts that these two have gotten closer than we might think.

    Now, my thanks. Dear illustrator Hiten-san, Nakashima Yuki-san who voices Ayase Saki, Amasaki Kouhei-san who voices Asamura Yuuta, Suzuki Ayu-san who voices Narasaka Maaya, Hamano Daiki who voices Maru Tomokazu, video director Ochiai Yuusuke, as well as all the important staff of the Youtube channel and editors for this novelized version, I thank you very much. This book hase into existence thanks to all of you!

    Finally, to all you readers and fans of the videos, I would be happy if you continued to support ''Gimai Seikatsu'' in the future as well!

 Chapter 12: Table of Contents

    <h4>Chapter 12: Table of Contents</h4>

    This is a fan trantion by Cws Trantions,piled together into a file by a fan.

    Please consider buying the official release to support the author, illustrator and their team.

    Table of Contents

    Prologue

    Chapter 1

    Chapter 2

    Chapter 3

    Chapter 4

    Chapter 5

    Chapter 6

    Chapter 7

    Epilogue

    Afterword

    Short Story

 Chapter 13: Prologue

    <h4>Chapter 13: Prologue</h4>

    A step-sister is nothing more than a stranger. The experience I have amassed speaks to the certainty of that fact.

    Our parents suddenly decided to get married. As a result, we''ve been practically forced into a rtionship as siblings, with no affinity that should be born from our genes, and no ovepping birthdates. Being strangers as a result is quite possibly the most natural thing that could happen.

    However, now that a month has passed since my old man and Akiko-san decided to remarry and the four of us started living together, I''m starting to realize that this odd position of having a step-sister who is basically a stranger is quite incorrect. I can''t exactly treat her like a stranger, since we live in the same house. That being said, if you asked me what kind of rtionship she and I have, I''d be stuck trying to think of an answer.

    School ended for the day, and I arrived at my house and turned the doorknob the same as I always would.

    "Wee back, Asamura-kun."

    "I''m home, Ayase-san."

    Right after opening the door, my step-sister greeted me with the same words she had been using for the past month. Because of a mere one-week difference in age, I was the older brother, and she was my little sister. Naturally, that hierarchy had practically no bearing on our interactions, as we are practically strangers to each other who had dropped the normal honorifics.

    There''s no adorable ''Wee back, Onii-chan~'' weing me here, nor any verbal abuse like ''Can you not make such a disgusting face, youme big bro!?'' either. Luckily, you could say. However, as ofte, at the end of our greeting, we''ve been adding a few more words. For example, something like¡­

    "Your part-time work starts again today, right?"

    "Same for you, Ayase-san?"

    "Yup," she gave a brief response.

    Of course, it''s a frank and pretty altruistic exchange no matter how you look at it, but it shows that there''s been a change born between the two of us, albeit a small one.

    The week before the end-of-term exams, I took time off work temporarily. As for Ayase-san, my old man and Akiko-san told her to hold off of making food for a while, or rather, they urged her to. Today, our exams came to an end, and we had just confirmed this fact with that little exchange.

    This caused me to ponder the fact that I now had a little step-sister, who is both a stranger as well as a member of my family. It might have felt short, but a month is still a long time depending on the circumstances.

    For example, if we were lovers who had been living together for a month, we would start to see all the negative aspects of each other, and our rtionship would possibly start bing awkward, which on the flip side would help us know each other better, and we''d be even closer than before. That''s about the levels of changes that I would expect to see happen in a month.

    Of course, I had never lived with a lover of my own. This is merely a deduction I''ve made from knowledge I''ve gathered reading books.

    So what would it be like if she was my actual blood-rted sister? Indeed, nothing severe would change in a mere month. That would be the correct answer. If we ended up spending decades together, a single month wouldn''t change much at all. This means that there shouldn''t be any drastic variation to our behaviors in such a small time frame.

    A younger step-sister isn''t someone close enough to irritate me and make me feel stressed whenever she''s around, but she''s also not someone I''m familiar with to the extent where it feels like she''s always there, like the air I''m breathing. I would argue that I''ve read a fair amount of books in my day, and yet I still can''te up with an expression to describe this sense of distance that we have. Yet, that is.

    I started going to my room to change clothes when Ayase-san called out to me.

    "I got some cheap chicken today, so I''ll be making Yurinchi chicken1."

    The name of that dish could onlye from Chinese cuisine, so I found myself poking my head out of the room before I even took off my uniform.

    "You can make that at home?"

    "Of course." Ayase-san gave me a wry smile. "It doesn''t even take that long."

    "Really now?"

    Since me and my old man didn''t even bother with delivery too much, we just lived off convenience store lunch boxes, so I had no familiarity with exquisite dishes like that. As a result, my cooking knowledge hasn''t improved much from thepulsory cooking sses in home economics.

    "Well, it''s only Yurinchi chicken, so no worries. I won''t go too crazy with it."

    She was basically trying to say that it wouldn''t be too much of a burden for her.

    "All right. If you say so."

    Whenever Ayase-san is stuck in a corner, she tends to go above and beyond what''s required of her. Even though we had barely lived together for a month, there were a lot of things you could learn about someone in that period of time. This reminded me of the night, roughly one month ago, when she came up with the idea of a high-paying family-intern part-time job (with me as the employer). Honestly speaking, that was terrifying.

    "Should you really be taking your time here?"

    "A-Ah, yeah. Then I''ll be going¡­ Oh, right." Right when I opened the door to leave, I turned around onest time. "Can you teach me how to make that? I''d like to try it myself."

    "¡­There''s no need to force yourself, okay?"

    This time, I was the one making a bitter smile. She had definitely seen through me. Current society is based on a contract system. Sadly, though Ayase-san has been preparing meals for us, I have been unable as of yet to introduce her to a high-paying part-time job, which is my side of the bargain. Ayase-san said that she''s always been more give than take, but I also need to show some results.

    Pondering about what I could do, I started making my way to the town of Shibuya on another summer day with the sun still high in the sky. The cicadas also seemed to be reminded of their duties, and they were chirping to create a soundscape befitting the season. Through the gaps between the buildings, I could see cumulonimbus clouds that were colored scarlet red.

    ©¤©¤©¤

    1 Chinese-style fried chicken topped with chopped scallions and sweet vinegar and soy sauce

 Chapter 14 - 1

    <h4>Chapter 14: Chapter 1</h4>

    16th of July (Thursday)

    On this summer morning, my still-sleepy body felt like it was covered by a thin, invisible membrane. My senses felt dulled by the humidity and heat. Giving in to the inertia caused by the A/C I had just turned on, I moved like a mechanical puppet devoid of any emotions, simply wiping the white wooden dining table over and over.

    As was often the case, my parents weren''t home this morning. Ayase-san made her way in from the kitchen with two tes in hand and set them down on the table that I had just finished wiping. Instead of our usual white rice, sodden-looking toast was upon these tes.

    "¡­Bread with soy-vored boiled greens?"

    "French toast." Ayase-san gave me the dish''s actual name with an indifferent tone.

    Still lost as to what that meant, I just muttered a confused ''I see'' in response. Of course, I knew what french toast was. I hadn''t eaten it before, but I knew of its existence thanks to the fact that it appeared in some of the books I had read. That being said, the tragedy of this situation was that even if I knew the term, I was still unable to have an actual physical reaction to its existence in the real world, since I had never seen the real thing.

    "Judging from its name, is it some French dish?"

    "It originated in America."

    "You sure know a lot, Ayase-san."

    "At least I think that''s what it said on the menu at a family restaurant I ate at once."

    It was probably one of those seasonal menus that describes each of the dishes extensively. But the origin of the dish didn''t really matter at this point.

    "How do you even eat this?"

    "I put them there for you. Don''t you see them?"

    "With a knife and a fork?"

    "Yup. Then again, you could eat it with your fingers or with chopsticks. It''s not like anybody''s watching; we''re at home." Ayase-san spoke nonchntly, but I couldn''t see herpletely as a member of my family yet. I''d probably embarrass myself if I made a mess while eating.

    She''s like a stranger to me, not to mention that she''s a girl in the same year as me. She''s really beautiful on top of that, so I can''t exactly show an unsightly side of myself.

    "Cutting bread like it''s some kind of steak sure feels odd, doesn''t it?"

    "Really? It''s not as bad if you tell yourself that it''s just cake, in my opinion."

    "Now that you mention it¡­"

    Being able to look at things from every angle like that sure is an impressive mental feat. With this philosophical argument out of the way, we focused on our meal. I got a taste of eggs and salt, whichbined to create a sweet sensation on my tongue. I was thinking about how to convey my impression of the food when Ayase-san nced at me.

    Oh?, I thought to myself.

    When I looked at Ayase-san, who was sitting directly across the table from me, she had a face devoid of any expression as always. However, her movements when handling the knife and forkcked her usual skill and refinement, which made me think that maybe she was concerned about something that was pulling her attention away from the meal.

    "What''s wrong?"

    "Eh?"

    "I don''t know. It looked like you were pondering something."

    "¡­How perceptive." Ayase-san gave a bitter smile as she looked over at the calendar hanging on the wall.

    It was a calendar Akiko-san had brought with her when they moved in with us. It had a picture of a cat rolling around, which was probably intended to have a calming effect on the person looking at it. I think she got it as an insurance trade when she arrived at the bar she worked at. Since both my old man and I basically lived off our smartphone calendars, we had never had one hanging around, but she had put this one upst month next to the dining table with the reason ''This wall looks lonely''. Ayase-san nced at this proof of women living in our household and opened her mouth.

    "I think it''s today, right?"

    "What is?"

    "The day where they announce the results of the end-of-term exams. My ss is today, I think."

    "Ahh, right, they still aren''t done announcing those yet."

    "Yeah. Though there''s only one subject left."

    Naturally, the fact that both of us had a new family and the resulting changes to our lifestyles weren''t enough to excuse us from our normal student life at Suisei High. We still had to focus on our end-of-term exams, which happened in the beginning of July like every year. Naturally, Ayase-san and I didn''t pay much attention to each other''s studies; we focused solely on our own. We had promised each other to not be too pushy with each other, nor too distant, so of course we didn''t know anything about each others'' exam results, and we didn''t try to find out, either¡ªUntil today, that is.

    "Hey, Asamura-kun, can I ask a crude question?"

    "Go ahead. If it were the kind of question that would make me need to cover my ears or make me feel ufortable, I don''t think you''d even ask it in the first ce."

    Just the fact that she had asked permission to ask the question made me able to tell that it would be something reasonable. That''s a conclusion I was able toe to thanks to spending time with her up to this point.

    "How''d you do on your exams?"

    The question she had was even more normal than I anticipated. Then again, this could be a delicate topic for other people out there, which yet again made me realize how considerate Ayase-san is.

    "Um¡­ 81 points in Japanese History, 92 in Math I, 88 in Math II, 70 in Physics, 85 in Chemistry, 90 in English, 79 in English Communication, 96 in Modern Japanese, and 77 in ssical Japanese¡­ So like 758 total, I think."

    "That''s amazing, Asamura-kun. Your grades are really good."

    "Thanks. I''m happy to hear you say that. But, personally speaking, there''s a few subjects I need to work on, like Physics and Chemistry."

    "I think having a 96 in Modern Japanese is pretty amazing in itself."

    "What about you, Ayase-san?"

    "I have 100 points in Japanese History, 80 in Math I, 86 in Math II, 89 in Physics, 81 in Chemistry, 84 in English, 80 in English Communication, and 90 in ssical Japanese."

    "So you''re above 80 in all of them! You have far better grades than I do."

    "So far, yeah."

    "You just have one subject left, right? Even if your Modern Japanese score is a bit lower than the rest, your total sum should definitely be higher than mine."

    "I wonder. I don''t have much confidence in Modern Japanese." Compared to her usual dry and indifferent tone, I could sense a bit of vague anxiety in her voice, and Ayase-san sighed again. "If possible, I wanted to start working part-time this summer break, but depending on my grades in Modern Japanese, I might have to put more time into my studies."

    "Sorry. It''s all because I couldn''t find a high-paying part-time job for you."

    "You really don''t have to apologize for that, Asamura-kun."

    "No, that was just the terms to our agreement."

    On the days both of our parents are out working, Ayase-san and I take care of breakfast and dinner. If time allows, my step-mother Akiko-san makes some food for us, but generally speaking we''ve been responsible for our meals. Ayase-san is trying to live independently so that she won''t be looked down upon just because she''s a woman, and she''s trying to achieve this by attending a prestigious university.

    At the same time, because she doesn''t want to be a burden when ites to our family''s finances, she wants a high-paying part-time job that doesn''t take too much of her precious studying time, so she requested that I help her gather information, offering to cook breakfast and dinner for me in return. However, as much as it pains me to admit, I''ve failed to have any worthwhile results in that endeavor for this past month. I''m sure that this is just Ayase-san being considerate and not wanting me to feel guilty about it, but she has yet to utter a singleint about it. The only thing she''s done is make a vague bitter smile.

    "I know that what I''m asking you to do here is selfish, and I''m reflecting on it. For now, I''ll look for a normal part-time job."

    "Then I''ll take care of my own food as well."

    "Huh? There''s no need."

    These were the conditions of our contract, so this was an obvious response from me as far as I could tell, but Ayase-san seemed oddly hung up on it.

    "I can keep doing it."

    "But¡­"

    "Cooking''s pretty fun, and it helps me rx. It''s a nice change of pace."

    There''s a psychological reaction called the ''Norm of reciprocity''. If someone receives something, they feel the urge to return either it or something else of equal or greater value. If you receive something, you give it back to the person you got it from, and if you receive something back, you give it back again. By repeating this over and over, human rtionships gradually create a circle.

    I''m well aware that I''m not attractive and charming enough of a human being to be showered with limitless and free love, and if someone is overly friendly with me without any merit in it for them, I immediately doubt their intentions. And even if there''s no ulterior motive behind this affection, I still don''t feel veryfortable only being on the receiving end.

    Since Ayase-san is a simr kind of person as I, she must be aware of how I feel and how I''m pondering about how to make this a give-and-take.

    "Then I have an idea." She raised her hand, like we were in ss.

    "Now that we''ve searched for an entire month, our chances of finding anything are most likely hopeless. We can agree on that much, right?"

    "Yeah. I don''t want to admit it, but as long as we don''t rely on immoral and illegal methods, I think it''s pretty hopeless."

    "In order to get into the university I want, I need to save money, so a part-time job over summer break is necessary, no matter how much time it demands from me. I''ll probably be forced to sacrifice sleep so that I can have more time to study."

    "Doesn''t ack of sleep lower your academic efficiency?"

    "That''s right. That''s why I have a proposal. You can help me look for ideas that can increase my studying efficiency."

    "Increase your studying efficiency, huh? So like looking for good reference books, or preparing an environment that allows forfortable studying?"

    "I''ll leave the methods to you. Can I ask for your help?"

    I never thought I would experience such a selfish request from a little sister in my life. Though this is different from the stereotypical thing where an older brother is forced to put up with a selfish little sister, I still felt the odd duty to agree to it nheless.

    "Got it. I don''t know if I can find anything that''s a good trade for this french toast, but I''ll try my best."

    "Thanks. I''m looking forward to it."

    She spoke with no authenticity in her tone, merely speaking in a dry voice with a cool expression. Yet again, she gave off the feeling that, no matter the result, she wouldn''tin or me me. When I saw her make that face, it made me want to change that expression in a good way. I need to find ideas for how to increase her studying efficiency. Pondering this, I enjoyed the sweet taste of french toast, my pre-reward, as I ate it.

    After spending a joyful morning, the two of us went to school together, as the friendly and peaceful siblings we were¡ªOf course, such a light novel or manga-like event didn''t happen, as per usual. Instead, I headed to school alone. But I didn''t feel any doubts or sadness from that fact, so I must have already gotten used to this rtionship with my step-sister.

    Both Ayase-san and I have yet to reveal to anyone at school that we''re step-siblings, and we act like we''re strangers at school. The only exception to this is Narasaka Maaya, Ayase-san''s good friend. I''d even kept it a secret from Maru Tomokazu, one of my few friends. It''s not that I don''t trust him, but there''s weird rumours going around in the baseball club he''s in, so I wouldn''t want him to worry about me if it ever gets leaked in any way.

    "Yo, Asamura. Don''t look up porn sites while you''re at school, would ya?"

    This very Maru Tomokazu was now calling out to me with a teasing grin on his face. I sat inside the tranquil atmosphere of the ssroom right before homeroom. Since I had finished preparing for my sses, I just sat on my phone, researching stuff.

    "Maru, did you know that the insults you make towards other people are actually a mirror of your own insecurities?"

    "The heck does that mean?"

    "The instant youe up with the idea of using someone else of doing something, it really just means that you would do the same."

    "That''s an interesting conclusion."

    "Basically, you just confessed to visiting porn sites yourself, Maru."

    "That''s a pretty harsh usation, bro."

    "So you don''t visit any?"

    "¡­I do sometimes."

    Judge, I plead guilty for the sake of the used Maru. Then again, I have to give him credit for honestly admitting it without there being any need for him to do so. It just shows that he really is a great guy.

    "I wouldn''t dare look at that kinda stuff at school. I was just looking into some things."

    "Oh, checking anime reviews? Yesterday''s shows were really great. The ''Project DJ Mic'' episodest night was godlike."

    "Oh yeah. You got sucked into that, huh?"

    "They have such great sense when ites to theme songs and OSTs. They''ve got BGM music from 90''s games. It makes it feel so nostalgic."

    "The 90''s, huh? That''s pretty old."

    "It is, but you know what they say: Don''t make light of the old. They''re using songs that were made with techniques and sound design popr around that time. At the same time, they focused more on the game-esque feel to the music rather than the artist''s personal style, which is pretty revolutionary."

    I could tell that Maru was slowly getting more into it. I gave my otaku friend a warm gaze and responded to him so he wouldn''tin about myck of interest.

    "I see, so your otaku heart is tickled by the great music, huh?"

    "Exactly. They don''tpletely ruin the FM synths. Instead, they arranged them into a more modern style. Not to mention that game BGM doesn''t use japanese lyrics, so you don''t run into any sort ofnguage barrier. It crosses the ocean, spreading out into the world. I''m pretty sure that the peeps behind ''D Mic'' are geniuses."

    "That''s pretty unexpected."

    "What is?"

    "Seeing you getting passionate about music of all things. I knew you were knowledgeable about a lot of different genres, but aren''t your tastes a bit too diverse?"

    "You only feel that way because we talk about stuff I know a lot about."

    "Ah, now that you mention it¡­"

    "I just take the reins in the conversation. Of course I''m an all-knowing deity when ites to the conversations I''ve created."

    "Is this some kind of trick tomit fraud?"

    "In essence it''s the same thing. The kind of crime you end upmitting only depends on the trick used."

    "And how are you using it?"

    "To make the conversation as enjoyable for me as I can."

    "So peaceful." I gave Maru a sarcastic response as he openly thered absolute garbage with a smug grin on his face, like he was the ruler of the.

    I considered pursuing that train of thought and bluntly telling him that his logic was total nonsense, but that would have been ame retort, so I decided against it.

    "Even if I can''t call you omnipotent, you are pretty clever, Maru. Your grades for the end-of-term exams must be pretty spectacr."

    "So you''ve figured it out? You see, I''ve kept it a secret all this time, but I''m actually a genius."

    "I knew that."

    Since Maru was acting too confident for his own good, I decided to ask for his results, but the numbers that I got back were about as nonsensical as I expected. 90 points in Modern Japanese, 92 in ssical Japanese, 94 in History, 96 in Math I, 92 in Math II, 90 in Physics, 82 in Chemistry, 90 in English, and 94 in English Communication¡ª820 points in total. After hearing them all, I could only let out a baffled ''Ohh'' in the face of this genius-level savant.

    "Isn''t that pretty crazy? 90+ points in almost all subjects."

    "I just know how to swim with the tide."

    "I don''t think that''s all there is to it. We''re already a pretty high-level school, and we''re already preparing for university, which makes the exams a lot harder than at other schools nearby. You''re even active in the baseball club, and your hobby is watching anime. What kind of cheats are you using to give you the time to study and get these grades?"

    "I ain''t using anything."

    Of course, I knew that there were no cheats or anything like that, but I would have preferred it if he had some kind of secret technique that I could use. If Maru knew of some kind of convenient method to raise one''s academic efficiency, and if he could tell me about it, I could have helped Ayase-san¡­ Then again, there''s no way the world would be as easy as that.

    As for Maru, he seemed to have seen right through me. He stared at me with stern eyes through his sses'' lenses. He let out a sigh, like a wise man indifferently answering the question of an inquisitive person.

    "Though there is one primary factor to my sess."

    "What?"

    "The main premise is that I''m a short sleeper."

    "Your constitution allows you to feel healthy and awake despite how little sleep you get, right? I remember you telling me about that."

    "Pretty much. But I''ve been like this ever since I could remember. Since that''s pretty much decided by my genes, I can''t rmend it to anyone else."

    "Don''t think anyone could copy that, yeah¡­ Wait, you''re giving rmendations?"

    "You wanted to know about my studying tricks, right?"

    "Your level of insight is terrifying."

    "Haha, it was obvious." Or so the mind-reading esper said with a peaceful smile.

    This is why the catchers from the baseball club are all freaks¡­ Which is a pretty bad prejudice to have, I know.

    "Well, hiding anything from you seems pointless anyway, so I''ll be honest. I''m actually always looking for ways to increase my own efficiency when ites to studying. But methods that only work for geniuses won''t help me much."

    "Don''t be jumping to conclusions like that, young Asamura. This is where the real thing starts." Maru said arrogantly. He took out his smartphone, booting up a music app.

    "Music?"

    "Exactly. This is my secret technique for focusing. Pretty much one of those super-easy measures you so desperately want."

    "That sounds like a stretch."

    "It actually helps, you know? Humans act ording to their habits. When I listen to this music, my brain cells are telling me to study, and if I hold a pen, it won''t stop until I''m either satisfied or exhausted. Skipping studying makes me feel restless."

    "I see¡­ so it''s a type of self-hypnosis, like some kind of life hack. I guess that rxing music and environmental noise really has beneficial effects."

    "Depends on the person. Personally, I focus best when I listen to club music or heavy metal."

    "I don''t think that''d work for most people¡­"

    "Everybody has their own type of BGM they use when trying to focus. You just gotta search for what suits you best, Asamura."

    "Wha? ¡­Ah, yeah. I''ll search for what works for me." I was taken by surprise for a second, but I still managed to give a normal response.

    I guess even a sharp and perceptive catcher from the baseball club wouldn''t guess that I was actually asking this for Ayase-san''s sake, not my own. Then again, using some kind of BGM while studying was most likely something Ayase-san hade up with herself already, so I doubt telling her about it would do her any good. This, in the end, is just the starting point.

    For Ayase-san''s sake, I need to gather even more information. While steeling my mental resolve to do so, I gave vague answers to my good friend who continued gushing on and on about how great ''Project DJ Mic'' is.

    That reminds me, what was Ayase-san''s final result in Modern Japanese again? Right as I made it to my home''s front door, my hand on the doorknob, this question came to mind. However, I immediately discarded the thought. It''s definitely not that I wasn''t curious about her results, but forcing my own curiosity on her was definitely bad manners. As soon as Ayase-san decides to tell me, let alone wants to tell me, that''ll be the time when I listen.

    "I''m home." I opened the door, and seeing a pair girl''s shoes at the entrance, which confirmed that someone was home before me, I raised my voice.

    Since I had no part-time work today, nor had I taken any detour on the way home, I figured I must have been home fairly quickly, but Ayase-san had beaten me home again. I wonder if her homeroom ss just ended early or if she hurried home. I couldn''t help but grin to myself at the thought of Ayase-san half-running home.

    Since I didn''t have to worry about my part-time job, I immediately headed to my room and was about to start looking into good work BGM when the door in the hallway I had just passed a few seconds ago flew open. When I turned around, I saw my step-sister almost stomping the ground as she rushed towards me.

    "Asamura-kun."

    "Uh, I''m back? Ayase-san, is something wrong?" I let out a flustered voice as Ayase-san walked up to me so close that we almost bumped into each other.

    Her beautiful eyes were right in front of my nose. Her face, which was so charming that it looked like it had been handcrafted, made me immediately tense.

    "Teach me Modern Japanese."

    "You''re kidding." I said. She had spoken with her usual calm expression, but there was a definite waver of uncertainty in her voice. I found myself blurting that response out on reflex.

    It''s not like I doubted her seriousness. Instead, I took a second to puzzle out the meaning behind what she had said, and what unexpected and impossible realityy beneath this truth. As a result, an utterly dumbfounded reaction escaped my mouth. My expectations got the better of me, so I asked her about it. I judged that beating around the bush would be more rude than anything, so I asked her straight.

    "How many points?"

    "38."

    "That¡­is quite the severe result."

    "I felt like this would happen. I''ve never been good at it, so I figured I wouldn''t be any good even here."

    "Even though you have such great scores in all the other subjects? Then again, there''s things that people are naturally good or not good at."

    "I can''t even understand how the characters who appear in the story feel." She said, averting her gaze.

    I couldn''t help but blink in confusion when she said this.

    "Since Modern Japanese asks you to determine the meaning of the sentences and answer questions about it, I don''t think you need to understand the feelings of the characters?"

    "For novels, the meaning of the text basically equates to the feelings of the characters who appear in it, right? ¡­Well, I''m aware that I get hung up on parts that aren''t even relevant."

    "Even if that''s the case, I can''t see how you''d have problems like that. You''re always so considerate of other people."

    "Does it seem that way?"

    "Yeah, at the very least it does to me. You understand my stances, my opinions, and try to adjust ordingly."

    "It''s the opposite, Asamura-kun."

    "The opposite?"

    "I don''t understand other people''s feelings, so I need to adjust to them."

    "¡­I guess that does make sense."

    As I mentioned before, I find it troublesome and exceptionally hard to deal with people who have a sudden change in mood and ask me to figure out how they''re feeling. This of course is a result of me watching my old man being toyed around with time and time again. I find myself guessing other people''s intentions all the time. Keeping up with this kind of uncertainmunication is like a dice throw with 10% odds that youpletely brick your rtionship. It''s just a game based on pure luck.

    That''s exactly why I was so relieved when she proposed that we ''not have any expectations of each other, merely live together while adjusting to each other.'' Both of us will immediately reveal our honest feelings, like ying a card game with both hands visible. By ying each card in turn, we can continue this card game forever without ever hurting each other.

    While this is definitely a kind form of consideration for the other person, if you turn things around, it''s simply a stiff and demanding strategy to attempt to use fragile words to satisfy them.

    "Honestly speaking, this might be pretty bad. I knew that it would be tough, but it was far worse than I anticipated."

    "38, huh¡­? Isn''t a failing grade in Modern Japanese 40 points or lower?"

    "Correct. There''s a makeup exam on the 21st, right before summer break. If I don''t pass that one with more than 80 points, I''ll have to take supplementary sses throughout summer break."

    "Supplementary lessons that aren''t relevant for university entrance exams¡­ That''s something I''d like to avoid."

    "Right. That''s why I want to pass that exam no matter what. Asamura-kun, your best subject was Modern Japanese, right?"

    "Thanks to my hobby of reading books, yeah¡­ So that''s why you want me to teach you?"

    "Would that be too much to ask?"

    "Of course not. I''m still in your debt for everything you''ve done, so I want to repay the favor."

    "That''s great to hear." Ayase-san gave me a relieved smile.

    I could see the tension vanish from her shoulders, and she left a brief "I''ll be waiting in the living room, then," and stepped out of my room. I couldn''t help but think Yeah, this is very much like her, when I thought about it. Rather than losing her calm and sulking in bed without telling anybody, she was actively trying to fix the situation, and was acting ordingly.

    ¡­But that was exactly why I was gued by a feeling of difort. Why would she ignore this problem until now, when it was definitely going to cause trouble for her, despite usually being on the frontlines trying to better herself ahead of time. This doubt stayed in my mind, but I quickly realized that I was wasting my time. Instead, I left my school belongings on my studying desk, taking only my writing tools and smartphone with me, and headed out.

    When I entered the living room, I immediately spotted Ayase-san sitting at the dining table surrounded by workbooks and notes. There were even barely-opened answer sheets in front of her. She held a pen in her left hand, staring down at the objects in front of her. As a side note, and I heard this from her herself, but Ayase-san is actually left-handed. As a result of her parents'' education, she ended up holding the chopsticks with her right hand, but because she''s used to writing with her left hand, she uses it more actively.

    If this was some type of manga, she''d invite me to her bedroom, and some kind of erotic development would happen, but this is reality. It was a perfectly normal situation, and Ayase-san was focused solely on the problems in front of her, which told me that even the thought of something more than that happening was utterly ridiculous. After pondering about it for a second, I eventually sat down on the opposite side of the table, facing Ayase-san.

    "You aren''t sitting next to me?" She asked.

    "I thought it''d be a bit weird if I did that."

    "When Mom and your Dad are home, we always sit next to each other, right?"

    "I feel like the conditions of that situation are totally different if youpare them to this one."

    "Really?"

    "Really," I answered without hesitation, and was actually pretty confident in that. But when I looked at her nk and dry expression, I started to have doubts.

    I was trying to be considerate, showing her that I wouldn''t use this opportunity for any indecent ideas or fantasies, but maybe I was just being inconsiderate and in the process. I figured that not showing any awareness or consciousness of her being a member of the opposite sex would be for the best, but the person in question is just a tad bit too attractive for me to actually pull that off.

    Naturally, I''m not just rambling out my personal interests, but this is a reality based on objective discussion. Despite all those awful rumours circting around school, there''s still a lot of boys who fearlessly confess to her. This should surely be enough proof to justify my conclusion.

    The memories fromst month are still fresh in my mind. She came to a rather strange conclusion while rationally considering ways to earn money quickly and easily. The appearance of her closing in on me while wearing nothing but underwear still asionally pops up in my mind.

    Naturally, during my daily life, especially with her around, I''m not that conscious of her (because if I kept thinking about that 24/7, I''d be nothing more than an ape driven by carnal lusts), but when it''s just the two of us at times like these, and our distance shrinks beyond a certain threshold, these memories juste rushing back. I can''t help it.

    "Hey, despite that promise of forgetting about it, why is it still a problem?"

    "Huh, really?" It seemed like my mind was being read by Ayase-san, and I let out a dumbfounded response.

    I don''t remember promising anything. I only swore to myself that I would try my best to forget, but Ayase-san shouldn''t know anything about that. Thinking that something was off, I nced at Ayase-san, who was staring at me, visibly confused.

    "Of course. Then again, it was pretty short and abrupt overall, so it might be a bit hard to remember."

    "I''m sorry, Ayase-san. I haven''t the foggiest idea what you''re talking about."

    "Pull yourself together. You''re good at Modern Japanese. Right, Asamura-sensei?"

    When she said that, I realized that she had been pointing at a certain part of the question sheet in front of her, which made me understand what was going on.

    "¡­I see. The topic changed without me realizing."

    "It didn''t? I''ve been working on this problem the whole time."

    "Sorry, I was just on the wrong train of thought there. Let''s start, shall we?"

    It appears that she had already started studying. She wasn''t reproaching me for the indecent visions and memories filling my mind, but had instead asked me about a portion of the problem she didn''t understand.

    "Thanks. Then, as for this question¡­"

    "Ah, hold on. I want to start by proposing another way of studying. Can I do that?" I asked.

    "Of course. Anything that will help improve my grades would be very much wee."

    "Then I''d like to check what parts of Modern Japanese you''re having problems with. Can I see your question and answer sheets?"

    "Yep. Here you go." Ayase-san offered me the papers with no hesitation.

    Compared to her outer appearance, looking like a delinquent with blonde hair and ear piercing, she was actually an honest and proper student. Seeing that paper with a giant red ''38'' written on it was really a sight out of the ordinary. I can''t pretend to think that this is someck of understanding,ck of ability, orck of effort. I believed that there must be a much deeper exnation as to why she was unable to get the points she would normally get, which was why I cross-referenced every little nook and cranny of the paper to find this reason. And then I found it.

    "You''re perfectly fine when ites to readingprehension and the kanji used in papers and articles. You''re losing the most points when ites to the readingprehension part of novels."

    "¡­Yeah, that''s what I have problems with."

    "This was probably the first time you''ve actually gotten a failing grade like this, right? Since the point distribution is weighted more heavily towards the novel readingprehension."

    "Correct. Then again, I knew that myself." She shrugged. "I just couldn''te up with a way to deal with it."

    "Your uracy in terms of correct answers is higher in the beginning when working on the papers and articles, but two novel-rted questionster, when there''s another paper question, you left that empty. Is that because you used up all your time on the novel-rted questions prior to that one?"

    "You''re talking like you were there when it happened."

    "So am I wrong?"

    "Right on mark. It felt like you stabbed me where it hurt, and left me a bit agitated."

    I could see a bit of that despite her otherwise empty expression.

    "Sorry, I guess I was a bit insensitive."

    "You are forgiven. Then again, I asked you to teach me, and you''re being serious about it, so I shouldn''t sulk like that. I''m sorry."

    "All good, now we''re even."

    We''re still keeping up the promise that the two of us shared when we had just be a family. Don''t ignore anything, don''t beat around the bush too much, just adjust to immediately fix any errors. That is the rtionship we have established. We don''t show changes in our emotions with just our facial expressions alone, we immediately exin any unpleasant emotions or situations, which has made it very easy for both of us.

    "And the biggest problem was Natsume S¨­seki''s ''Sanshir¨­1''. You couldn''t solve a single question rted to that, and it even led to a lot of nk answer spaces afterwards."

    "You''re right¡­"

    "You weren''t aware of it?"

    "I was too busy actually trying to solve the question. I remember feeling like that was much more difficult and harder to do than the other questions."

    "So you didn''t realize that this was the critical part of it, I see."

    An exam is pretty much about establishing rhythm when solving problems. As long as you''re a human who works by hand, your mental state can drastically affect your results. If you''re sting through problems, your brain is in a state of ecstacy, your hand starts moving faster, and naturally, your pen flies across the paper.

    On the flip side, if you''re getting stuck on one part, your handes to a halt, as does your brain and thought process, which then causes a rush of stress, and this stress leads to a downfall of your ability to think rationally. In other words, in order to achieve the greatest results in exams and tests, you have to stabilize your own mental state and solve the questions and problems without breaking out of your rhythm.

    ¡ªAt least that''s what I read in a book before. Since I was so easily influenced, I''ve always worked on exams exactly how that book told me. I categorize the problems I can solve right away, the problems that will take a bit of thinking time, and the problems I have to do a lot of thinking for, then I create afortable rhythm as I work through the question sheet.

    "Since you''re a very logical and clever person, Ayase-san, I think that unless you don''t fully understand a question or a problem, you will probably feel ufortable. You quickly work through the problems you can answer easily, but you can get hung up on other ones forever."

    If this assumption is correct, then it could exin why she''s been this bad at Modern Japanese without having to fix or correct anything else. Her head judged that she was trying to solve the problems the right way, and it was a misjudgement.

    "I see." Ayase-san nodded. "When ites to other subjects, I feel like I''m subconsciously solving the questions instantly."

    "Basically, when ites to Modern Japanese, and analyzing novels in particr, there''s a reason why you can''t deal with it."

    "A reason, you say¡­"

    "If we find out that reason, we cane up with measures to deal with it. First, let''s look at ''Sanshir¨­'' and try to figure out what this problem is."

    I checked over the section they used in the exam. Since making the entire book part of a question would be too much to ask of the students, they only asked questions about a particr excerpt of ''Sanshir¨­''. In all the works of the famous Meiji Era author, Natsume S¨­seki, this has especially strong touches of a romantic novel, which makes it well-known as one of the easier novels for high school students nowadays to read.

    Even for people who aren''t too well-versed with literature, because it deals with a citizen''s problems and reality as a stage, the sympathy is what makes it stand out. You could call it a trendy drama at the time it was written. At its core, it''s not that different from a typical modern romance novel.

    If you had to name specific differences, then it would be the eptance and sincerity towards the time it was written in, which makes it even epted as material used for historical studies, to a level where even problems rted to it have been implemented into students'' workbooks, and it''s used as an educational novel. Of course, it wasn''t the only example of this, but bing an educational novel is a great feat in the world of literature. It''s worthy of respect, to be honest.

    "Honestly speaking, it was pretty difficult. Though all the other people from my ss were having no problems dealing with it from what I could see."

    "''Sanshir¨­'' is quite advanced, and it contrasts one''s own freedom in love with the norm of love at the time, which mainly consisted of political marriages. At the time it was written, it was still a new view of love, but people nowadays find a lot of aspects to it that are easy to understand."

    "Really? ¡­I wonder what''s so easy to understand." It must have been subconsciously, as Ayase-san gently bit her finger.

    "I think it''d be faster if you just tried to put into words what exactly you didn''t understand, Ayase-san. Can you give me something?"

    "What the protagonist Sanshir¨­ is thinking, and what the main heroine-esque Mineko is thinking. Let alone their thoughts, I don''t get why they act the way they do."

    "For starters, you''re aware that Sanshir¨­ has feelings for Mineko, right?"

    "Really?" Ayase-sasn blinked at me in confusion.

    She seemed like she genuinely hadn''t anticipated that, but I should be the one making that face right now. I''m fairly certain that even without a lot of reading experience like I have, a normal person would be able to figure that out by reading casually. Especially a girl like her whose results even surpassed mine in all the other subjects except Modern Japanese. This is just way too unnatural.

    "If you''re stuck there, that makes things much moreplicated. Hmm¡­ How should I exin it?"

    "Feelings¡­ Basically, he likes her in the romantic sense, right?"

    "Exactly. Though the writing goes a bit above and beyond with the depiction, staging it greater than it actually is. Just look at the times other men approach the main heroine. You can piece together that the protagonist is jealous, right?"

    "Jealous¡­ So he hates the idea of Mineko talking to another man?"

    "That''s at least how I see it."

    "But he''s not telling her to stop, right? He could just say that he dislikes the idea."

    "Well, he''s got this insecure and awkward personality that doesn''t allow him to do that. Also, when you''re talking with the person you have feelings for, I think the psychological hurdle and exhaustion is just far greater."

    "Keeping your honest feelings secret without ever saying them¡­ I don''t really get it. Maybe because I don''t do that at all."

    "Let''s imagine a situation where you can''t openly state your honest feelings. Like your feelings for your first love. Have you had any experiences when your heart was in such disarray because of romantic feelings that you couldn''t find the right words to say?"

    "No. I don''t have any experience with love to begin with."

    "I see¡­"

    "What about you, Asamura-kun?"

    "¡­Now that you mention it, I think I''m the same way."

    More urately, before I could even acquire a proper mind for love, I heard that I proposed to my kindergarten teacher. Then again, that was just what my old man told me, so whether or not that really happened is up for debate. Thus, I''m not going to count that. After moving up to grade school, where I still have a few things that I can remember, the only thing I remember seeing was my parents fighting most of the time, which caused me to never really dream of having a romantic rtionship with a girl that could lead to marriage and building a family.

    "Hmm, so you don''t."

    "¡­Is that bad?"

    "Not really. I was just thinking that, if you had no experience in love like I do, it might exin that this ispletely unrted to my scores in Modern Japanese."

    "Yeah, it''s pretty weird to think about where things start to differ between us."

    Maybe it''s just my otaku tendencies? I don''t remember ever really imagining going out with a girl in reality, but thinking that a heroine of a manga or novel I''m reading, even anime I''m watching, is pretty cute and charming has been something natural for me. It''s like I''m making up for myck of realistic experience with fictional experience instead.

    That being the case, I feel like it would be a grounded hypothesis to assume that this umted knowledge led to my greater ability of grasping the depiction of romantic feelings in certain media. That being said, this conclusion won''t help me in increasing her learning ability to a level where the supplementary exams would be possible. On the contrary, if I told this to her, it''d make me a failure of a private tutor. My only choice is toe up with a constructive method for her to progress.

    "Then, let''s give up on understanding their emotions. If you can''t figure out their emotions, then there''s no use wasting time on it."

    "So what, are we going to start guessing randomly instead?"

    "Not quite. Confirm the contents of what''s written on the paper as a single stream of information, and answer it mechanically. Basically, you have to change your perception of it."

    "Change my perception? Why?"

    "Because if you push yourself when ites to the questions that require you to read and understand a human''s heart, it results in you ending up in trouble. Compare it to math, where you apply the mathematical form to solve the problem, working through it like a puzzle. Ayase-san, you had pretty good results in History, right? So you must be somewhat informed about that?"

    "Well, I guess. You just have to learn everything by heart. There''s also a few parts that are very interesting."

    "The thing is, if you put a contextual thread on the historical background that is written in the works of Modern Japanese, and associate the two of them, then it might be easier to understand what exactly is written in them. If you''re good at history, and you create a logical connection between the two, you instill in yourself a way of thinking that benefits this process, and you might just be able to understand what the questions are asking from you."

    Of course, that is much easier said than done. However, considering her basic stats and specs, it''s worth considering this possibility.

    "Yeah, that might be a better fit for me."

    "For now, let''s practice with Sanshir¨­. I don''t know if they''ll use it again for the supplementary exams, but the questions and overall amount of them should follow a simr pattern, so if you have your own way of dealing with these problems, you should be ready on the day of."

    "¡­Can I really make it?" She spoke with an indifferent tone, but I could pick up a certain level of doubt in her voice.

    I should be able to say this exactly because I''ve gotten better at understanding the person that she is, so the second she said that, she was clearly showing a certain amount of anxiety. Of course, that makes total sense, since she''s always been aware that this is one of her most problematic subjects. But at the same time, this very reaction just confirmed that it would all work out in the end.

    Ayase-san isn''t so naive as to assume that everything will turn in her favor merely because she figured out a trick to dealing with her problems. On the contrary, she''s the type of person to take detours to reach her final goal in the end.

    "You can do it, Ayase-san."

    "Yeah. I''ll trust in you, Asamura-kun, and try my best."

    Of course, there''s no basis or proof for anything here. However, there was no doubt or scathing remarks at all to be seen from Ayase-san''s reaction. Instead, she said it like she really meant it, and she proceeded to look up the historical background andmentaries regarding Sanshir¨­. Now that the n had been set in motion, all that was left was to push through with it.

    After that, her focus on her work was almost astonishing to me. She didn''t blink once, she merely looked through anything rted to Sanshir¨­ like a machine searching the inte. Well, that would be a bit of an overstatement, but her dedication made me picture something like that.

    As she studied, I would get up to prepare some drinks or look up something else on my phone, and yet she never nced at me in the slightest. She merely focused on the task at hand. If you think about typical events that happen in fiction, there would be a little sister who has yet to get her basics down, working you through hell and back. Or there''d be another little sister who''d start giving you a bit of service since she can''t sit still for a long period of time. But the real step-sister in front of me right now was passionately working on her studies.

    Even so, even without any erotic development like that, I quite enjoyed the tranquil atmosphere that reigned between us, as I merely listened to the sound of her pen scratching across the paper.

    To start from the conclusion¡ªThis studying method brought forth immense results. After she finished poring over all the information regarding Sanshir¨­ that she could find, I asked her the same questions from the exam, with the exam sheet in hand, and Ayase-san seeded in giving me an answer every single time, all of them correct. She really is clever. Once she knows how to solve a problem, she immediately goes above and beyond.

    "Congrats. If you use the same method on all the novels that are part of the subject, you don''t have to be afraid at all."

    "Thanks. Your teaching really helped."

    "¡­!" Ah, well, it wasn''t that big of a deal."

    For a moment, my head turned nk and I reverted back to politenguage. The corners of her mouth went up a little bit as she thanked me, which took me by surprise.

    "Did you just smile?"

    "I wonder. I''m not too sure, myself." Ayase-san shrugged, seeming slightly bewildered.

    Ironically enough, this mysterious gesture which I was unable to understand the origin of greatly resembled one that the heroine of Sanshir¨­ would make. The same Sanshir¨­ that had given Ayase-san such a hard time before.

    ©¤©¤©¤

    1 Sanshir¨­

 Chapter 15 - 2

    <h4>Chapter 15: Chapter 2</h4>

    17th of July (Friday)

    Morning. I got off my bed, my head still in a sleepy daze, and stepped out of my room. As I walked down the hallway towards the bathroom, I subconsciously found myself walking quietly so that I didn''t disturb any family members. This is one of the many changes I havee to terms with after the arrival of a step-sister¡ª-Namely, the morning routine.

    When it was just my old man and I living here, I didn''t have to worry about my appearance. I just carelessly trotted down the hallway with bed hair, bleary eyes, and a disheveled pajama appearance. However, I can''t be that careless now.

    Now I have to be mindful of both Ayase-san and Akiko-san. Since they were still technically strangers to me, and female at that, I sure as hell didn''t have the courage or confidence to let myself show any shameful appearance in front of them.

    After confirming that the bathroom was indeed empty, I checked my face in the mirror. Freshening up my dried throat with a bit of gargling, I washed my swollen cheeks and used the razor to shave the small stubbles of a beard that had started to grow.

    Perfect¡ªwould be a bit of a stretch, but at the very least I don''t have to be afraid of showing myself in front of others, so I confidently made my way to the living room.

    "Good morning, Ayase-san."

    Of course, just like every morning, she was perfectly prepared. Her hair was styled with not a single strand of bed hair to be found, her makeup was ced with the utmost care without a single w, and she was already wearing our school uniform, ironed with no wrinkles, with an apron on top to protect it. As always, I have yet to see my perfect step-sister show any kind of opening.

    I''m sure she must have been upte reading her Modern Japanese material and novels to gather all sorts of reliable information, and yet I had run into her at the exact time and with the exact same appearance as every other morning, which yet again reminds me of her immeasurable self-restraint. On top of that, her workbooks and smartphone were lying on the dining room table, like she was still in the middle of studying at this very moment.

    When I called out to her, Ayase-san slowly raised her head, standing up from the table like it was the obvious thing to do.

    "Good morning, Asamura-kun. Can I make something easy like fried eggs today?"

    "Ah, I don''t need any breakfast today. I''ll just make some toast."

    "Huh, why?"

    "You want to focus on your studies, right?"

    In the corner of my eye, I could see two tes in the kitchen that looked like they had just been washed. One of them probably belonged to my old man, who had made some quick breakfast this morning since he had to leave before everyone else. The other, naturally, was Ayase-san''s. She probably didn''t want to wait for me, so she went ahead and ate something light before securing as much time to study as possible.

    "But we promised¡­"

    "Right now, my debt''s much bigger than yours. If you can focus on the makeup exam for now, then I don''t have any room toin." I responded without leaving her room toin.

    As a matter of fact, if she fails her makeup exam, she has to take supplementary lessons, which decreases the time she''ll have to search for and work at a part-time job, and her overall studying efficiency will decrease as well. As a result, the condition of our agreement, which is her cooking food for me, will have to be dropped, and I''ll have to worry about my own cooking.

    Ayase-san must have realized that I didn''t want to unnecessarily burden her, so she didn''t argue back.

    "Thanks. I''ll take you up on that offer, then."

    "You''re wee¡­ or so I''d say, but it''s not that big of a deal."

    "¡­Okay." Ayase-san faintly smiled and sat back down again, facing the table.

    After watching with a satisfied gaze as my step-sister went back into studying mode, I headed to the kitchen. All right! I guess I''ll go all-out for once. I think I''ll just have to use my secret technique of putting sliced cheese on my bread. Heh, heh, heh.

    I started getting excited all by myself, pretending that I felt joy about such a mundane task. I guess highschool boys are simple in their search for happiness. Then again, maybe the girls are the same? I guess I''ll have to ask Ayase-san another time. Another time when she''s not busy studying, that is.

    The toast ended up perfect. The cheese was a beautiful golden color. As expected from my artistic cheese-grilling skills. Even while I was fighting with the melted cheese stretching endlessly from the toast, Ayase-san kept her focus on the work in front of her. Once again, I can''t help but admire her level of focus. Is it even possible for her to raise her academic efficiency more than this? I feel like any kind of work BGM wouldn''t do anything, except maybe bother her.

    "Mmmm¡­~"

    By the time a good portion of my toast had disappeared into my stomach and I was in the mood for some coffee, Ayase-san stretched her arms far above her head, letting out quite a suggestive voice. No, wait, it just sounded suggestive to me. She herself surely had no intention of making it out to be that way. I''m sorry, Ayase-san.

    The problem is that because she''s wearing the thin summer uniform, when she stretches her arms like that, her sleeves fall down a bit and I can see her white skin. It practically forces me to be more conscious of her.

    I shouldn''t look at her in that way. That would just be rude¡ªor so I kept telling myself while trying to calm my breathing, so I tried to strike up a more casual topic.

    "Done for now?"

    "Yup. Then again, I have to get going now."

    "That''s pretty early."

    "It''ll be much more efficient if I go batting first. I''ve already finished eating and preparing myself."

    "Batting first" here referred to leaving the house first. Leaving the house at the same time to head to school together would make us stand out way too much, and my efficient step-sister wanted to avoid that.

    "Makes sense. Take care."

    "See youter."

    "¡­Ah, wait a second!"

    Right when she picked up her things and was about to leave the living room, I called out to her.

    "What is it?" She turned around towards me.

    "About studying while on your way to school¡­"

    Last month, she was doing some English listening practice on her way to school, and she almost got run over by a truck. I don''t like the idea of warning her because of past mistakes, but I couldn''t help but worry about her even if it made me sound too meddlesome.

    "I won''t." She said while turning forward again.

    After that, her face turned a bit red, and it seemed like she was sulking.

    "I won''t make the same mistake again."

    "I''m d to hear that. Sorry for nagging you."

    "Don''t worry about it. See you." She averted her gaze and left the living room.

    It seemed like she was trying to run away. I guess I shouldn''t have said that. The faint bitter taste of coffee still lingered on my tongue as I reflected on my failedmunication. That incident was a bad memory for Ayase-san, and she was embarrassed by other people seeing her work hard. I can''t me her for having that reaction.

    I guess I''m still far away from being a respectable older brother. I gulped down the rest of my coffee like I was trying to wash away bitterness with more bitterness. Then I realized something.

    "In the beginning, she never let me see how hard she was working, right?"

    What had she been doing for the past few minutes? What kind of appearance did she have yesterday? Even though I was right in front of her. The change was so miniscule that I hadn''t even noticed, butpared to when we first met, she''s been gradually showing me more sides to her, even her weaknesses. It''s just a small step, but I feel like we''ve gotten closer as siblings.

    Even though it was almost the beginning of summer break, a high-level school like ours cut us no ck. Under the pretense that we wouldn''t even be able to remember all of it, the teachers practically rushed through the workbooks, getting as much time in as possible, and then stopped the sses whenever they saw fit. After that followed self-study and self-practice, or in the worst-case even idle chatter. All in all, it made for an atmosphere that wasn''t conducive to any kind of diligent studying.

    That''s why nobody noticed me using my smartphone beneath the desk. I was busy searching through the vast ocean of the inte for any work BGM that I could send to Ayase-san, who was probably the one person studying the most in this entire school. Time passed by, and lunch break soon arrived. After I finished eating the bread I had bought previously, I silently stood up from my desk. Maru heard my chair moving behind him and turned towards me, away from his own phone.

    "Oh? Where are you going, Asamura?"

    "The library room." I gave a vague response.

    I wasn''t actually nning on heading there at all, but if I told him that I was going to be loitering around the school for a bit, he''d only pester me more due to his endless curiosity, so I came up with a white lie.

    "Aight, gotcha." Maru answered, dropping his gaze down to his phone again.

    This was what usually happened during recess, for both of us. Although both of us are indeed friends, we don''t always talk with each other, let alone act clingy. We both respect each other''s personal space, spending a lot of time on our own as well. Since both of us dislike being overwhelmed by other people, that''s probably how we''ve managed to stay friends for such a long time.

    I stepped out of the ssroom and headed towards the library room. That wasn''t my final destination, of course. I was merely walking down the hallway towards said library room. My Senpai at work, Yomiuri-senpai, rmended me a book once that said peoplee up with better ideas while walking around instead of just sitting down on a chair.

    Ever since I read that, I''ve been trying it out. As you can probably tell, I''m terribly easy to influence. While searching for some good BGM, I was silently hoping that some great idea would suddenly hit me. I let my feet carry me down the hallway. Right when I arrived in front of the actual library room, someone suddenly tapped me on the back.

    "Heeey! What''s wrong, Onii-chan?!"

    "¡­!"

    I was so taken by surprise that I forgot to breathe for a second. When I turned around, I was greeted by a familiar female student. She gave me a warm smile brimming with curiosity. Her bright hair was styled up with light curls, giving her a stylish atmosphere. She''s the secret poprity winner of the student year, as well as Ayase-san''s ssmate, Narasaka Maaya. And she''s the only student here who knows that Ayase-san and I are step-siblings.

    She gave off the impression of a cat that loves to tease its owner by hiding inside the dresser as she looked at me with several books in hand. It looked like she had juste out of the library room.

    "Oh, it''s just you, Narasaka-san. I thought you were some sort of T¨­rima1."

    "What''s that supposed to mean?! There''s no way we''d have something like that at this school."

    "You never know when you might run into one, which is what makes them so dangerous, right?"

    "Ehh, I thought this was totally normal~ Skinship and all that."

    "Are you always like this, Narasaka-san?"

    "Sure am."

    "Even towards Ayase-san? I can''t see that at all."

    "Yup! With Saki as well! She always calls me annoying, but she''s secretly happy about it."

    I don''t think she is.

    "I would conclude that she finds you annoying."

    "The deeper the annoyance, the deeper the love, as they say!"

    "Nobody says that. Also, if you follow that line of thought any further, you''ll get arrested for sexual harassment."

    "Ehh? Why am I, a girl, being lectured about sexual harassment by a boy?"

    "Sexual harassment works in both ways, see."

    "Hmph. You sound just like Saki, Asamura-kun."

    If someone already told you, then why didn''t you give it careful thought?

    "Also, you were walking while looking at your phone, Asamura-kun! Guilty! Guilty!"

    "Ah, yes. Now you''re me-shifting."

    "Hey now, we''re not in ss. You don''t have to sound so intellectual!" Narasaka-san pouted.

    Surprise attacks, skinship, an open-minded attitude, and a mentality to ignore everyint and warning. All of these things should be enough for anyone to hate her, and yet I can''t muster up any anger at all. Is it because of her small stature, or the way she talks? I don''t know, but that is probably her own kind of charisma. If someone else tried to pull off what she does, they''d eat a stun gun to the gut. I can see how she''s popr with the boys, at least.

    "You read books?" I felt a bit guilty constantlyining to her, so I brought up a different topic.

    Judging from the covers of said books, they seemed to be novels targeted at a female demographic.

    "These? They got the newest releases I''ve been looking forward to. Summer break''s close, too!"

    "You''re the borrowing type, huh?"

    As a part-time jobber at a bookstore, I really wish she''d buy them instead, but to each their own, I guess. People have different circumstances and allowances that dictates what they can buy, so I don''t feel toofortable forcing my own values on them.

    "Exam period is always a time of restraint, so I just wanted to read them all! You feel me?"

    "Ahaha, I get it. Judging from that reaction¡­"

    "No supplementary exams for me! I didn''t get a failing grade anywhere~"

    "I see."

    "I got a total of 808 points! How''s that~?"

    "Eh¡­?" I let out a dumbfounded voice.

    As a result of that, Narasaka-san''s expression of confidence and arrogance quickly distorted into one of discontent.

    "Ah! You were shocked just now! You didn''t expect me to get an average of 90, did you?!"

    "¡­I''m sorry, you''re absolutely correct." I confessed my sins.

    "That hurts. I''m in the upper ranks of the student year, you know~"

    "I shouldn''t judge people based on the impression they give off¡­ I will reflect on it."

    "That impression basically amounts to me being an idiot, right!? Asamura-kun, are you some kind of airheaded S?"

    "I didn''t¡­"

    Mean it that way¡ªsounded like a weak excuse. When she uses the word ''airhead,'' I can''t talk back at all. Narasaka-san seized the opportunity my silence gave her to bring her face closer to mine.

    "If you feel bad about it, then tell me one thing~"

    "Eh? I mean¡­ sure?"

    "While you were walking and looking at your phone like that, you were flirting with Saki via text, right?"

    "Um, no."

    "Ehh, really? Saki''s been on her phone all day, too. I was really jealous. I thought that you two were getting along super well."

    "What a horrible misunderstanding to have."

    I''m pretty sure she was probably just looking at novels again. Also, how does she evene up with that kind of ridiculous conclusion, despite knowing what kind of rtionship we have? There''s no way love would bloom between two people who just became step-siblings.

    "I was looking something up."

    "Really now?"

    "Here''s your proof."

    Since Narasaka-san didn''t sound satisfied at all, I showed her my smartphone screen.

    "Work BGM? Why would you look for that?"

    "Um, you see¡­" I immediately switched to politenguage, trying toe up with an excuse, but quickly changed my mind. "I wanted to find some for Ayase-san."

    "For Saki?"

    I exined the details. After talking to Narasaka-san a few times, I realized that she''s prone to misunderstandings. If I keep it a secret, or try to talk my way out of it, she''ll just get the wrong idea about it again. If I give her the boring truth, that curiosity of hers wouldn''te to bite me in the asster.

    Of course, I left out the part about Ayase-san working harder than anybody else to fix her ws, and just mentioned that she simply wanted to increase her academic efficacy. That way, I can respect her wish.

    "Huh. You''re looking for music for Saki''s sake. Hmmm." She grinned.

    "I think it''d be better for you to voice your true feelings in order to create a more favorable environment of conversation with other people."

    "Ohh, so you say~ Asamura-kun, so you have confidence in your ownmunication skills?"

    "...¡­I''m sorry."

    She hit me exactly where it hurt. Since I had practically dug my own grave, I chose to apologize instead of fighting back and pouring more salt into my wound.

    "You''re a great Onii-chan, you know. There''s no need to be embarrassed. Hold your head high in pride."

    "I don''t think I deserve that title just because I''m helping her out a bit¡­"

    "Phew, how upright~ I''m a great Onee-chan just by making food, you know."

    "You have a little brother, right?"

    I think I heard something along those lines from Ayase-san before.

    "I do. A ton of them."

    "A ton? You must be a big family."

    "About 100."

    "Huh?"

    "Just kidding~ We''re a normal family."

    So how many little brothers does she have? I was pretty curious and wanted to ask, but the runaway train Narasaka-san wouldn''t wait for me to hop on. She changed the topic before I could say anything.

    "You really are upright, though. Looking up BGMs and searching for a good one? That''s super sincere."

    "Isn''t that normal?"

    "Hmmm?" As if she was unable to grasp my words, she tilted her head in utter confusion.

    ¡­Oh lord, she sounds serious about that.

    "I mean, how else would you search for music if you''re not looking into the material?" I asked her.

    "Hmmm¡­ I never really thought about it. I just pick whatever''s ying, going by gut instinct."

    "I mean, going through the rmendations section is useful, but¡­"

    Recent music apps and streaming sites often offer you a list of rmendations created by an AI on the home screen, showing you simr songs to ones you''ve enjoyed before, or songs based on your search history. Even an antisocial type of person like me, who doesn''t really follow mainstream media or jump on the bandwagon, uses the rmendations feature from time to time.

    "But that''s not all, right? You look up some music on your own, don''t¡ª"

    "I don''t, no?"

    "Ah, I see¡­ Is that so¡­?"

    Since she showed utter confusion and disapproval in response to my own values and ideas, I could only droop my shoulders in defeat. Everyone has their own way of going about things, and I don''t have the right to me her for hers, yet I couldn''t help but feel a bit bothered.

    "You seem a bit disappointed."

    "I know I don''t have any right to be. It justes about when your values don''t match up with someone else''s."

    "Well, I''m more than happy with all the rmendations I get, you know~ If anything, I''m more curious as to why you would go out of your way to search for music."

    "Only listening to the stuff rmended to me makes it feel like I have no will of my own."

    "Huh~"

    "¡­I know that I have a twisted personality."

    So don''t look at me with such an innocent gaze. It feels like I''m a vampire being bathed in sunlight. Unable to look her in the eyes, I covered my face and looked up at the ceiling. However, the reaction she had to that caught mepletely off guard.

    "That''s great! I love that kind of thing!"

    "You''re making fun of me, aren''t you?"

    "Of course not! I think it''s wonderful that you have that kind of self image!"

    "¡­Thanks."

    It''s rare to find a person who''s this skilled at praising others. It makes me wonder if all the outgoing people in the world are like that. When ites to manga, anime, and games, any normie or outgoing person who appears in fiction always has some dirty secret, and they''re depicted as some kind of evil guy.

    Cheesy delinquent guys who try to pick up the heroines, the leader of a female clique in the ssroom who always bullies the pretty girls, you always see evil stereotypes like these in media. Of course, I understand these characters are purely there for the sake of plot. Even if people like that actually exist in reality, as long as I look at Narasaka-san, who is clearly an outgoing person as well, I can''t help but think that there are people who act purely out of goodwill as well. She''s cute, clever, and kind to others. No matter what metric you judge her by, she''s practically perfect.

    "I''d like to listen to some other music as well!"

    "Ohh!"

    So she''s awakened to an interest in the same consumer-oriented method of listening to music? What a wonderful thing.

    "I''ll check out the songs you found, Asamura-kun, so tell me about themter!"

    "Aren''t you just switching who you''re relying on for music? I''m not a song-rmendation AI, okay?"

    "Looking it up myself is a pain, you see~"

    It seems like a shared interest was non-existent from the very beginning. Real sad stuff, man. The only difference is whether you get the rmendations digitally or physically. In the end, she''s still being swept along by other people''s interests. But I''m the only one who actually feels discouraged by that, as these are my own personal feelings. I guess that there''s different ways of looking at it, huh?

    After school ended, I headed to my part-time job with a pretty mncholic mood. Everyone who had thete shift on Friday, basically any time after 6pm, would be forced through absolute hell. After changing into my uniform and stepping into the office, I was met by the manager and the other staff, who looked like soldiers about to head off to battle. There was only one exception¡ªYomiuri Shiori-senpai, who noticed that I had entered the room and walked towards me with a gentle smile, even waving her hand at me.

    That''s the ''My Pace Monster'' for you. We''re about to enter the deepestyer of hell, and yet she''s acting like she''s out for a night stroll to the convenience store. This is the city that never sleeps, the city of youth. Shibuya isn''t called that for no reason; there''s always some kind of trouble happening 24/7. Of course, that isn''t just some kind of prejudice or rumor. It''s the actual truth, and yet people stille here in waves.

    Saturday aside, of course. Then the city turns into andscape of young people walking through the streets, but Mondays and Fridays especially are absolute hell. Monday is the magazine industry''s greatest day of the week, since their new magazines release then, and we as a bookstore suffer the most from that.

    As for Friday, the circumstances are especially crucial for our bookstore. Besides being the city of the young, arge variety of office buildings with a lot of famous ITpanies are lined up next to the other here, making this one of the few Office Cities in the entire country.

    In thetter half of the 90s, when office building rent was still cheap, a lot of new startups and youngerpanies moved into the suburbs, turning it into a bitter valley2 resembling America''s Silicon Valley. It''s also called the Bit Valley.

    Thesepanies and enterprises found sess back at the time, and grew to their current size¡­ or so it said in a book Yomiuri-senpai rmended to me. Either way, this is a store a lot of srymen often visit on their way home from work. It''s general knowledge that the store is filled to the brim every Friday.

    Even when we''re busy, we still need to try our best to always be friendly towards the customers. Even if the store is packed full, we have to be careful of any possible theft. Even if the store is always bustling, we have to make sure to keep it clean and appealing. After we confirmed these ideals, our battle began.

    "Haaah¡­ Cash register today, huh¡­?"

    "Aren''t you a poor fellow, Junior-kun."

    Before I made my way to the cash register, Yomiuri-senpai noticed me sighing and tapped me on the shoulder.

    "Of course, with more people in here, the number of troublesome customers also goes up."

    "Hey now. Should you really be saying that about our valued customers?"

    "I''m pretty sure I''ve heard you''vein about that before. In front of a customer, in fact."

    "I have no idea what you''re talking about~" Yomiuri-senpai put her index finger on her mouth, signaling for me to keep it a secret.

    For a second, I wondered what she was on about, but after seeing the other staff members giving us dubious nces, it finally clicked. It wasn''t just the two of us here today, so our usual mood was forbidden. As always, she''s feigning ignorance.

    She had long ck hair, reminding me of a Yamato Nadeshiko, and she lived under the image of a docile book girl. Nine out of ten people would think that Yomiuri-senpai is a prim and proper Japanese beauty, but that is a grave misunderstanding. On the inside she''s practically a middle-aged old man who loves telling dirty jokes. Of course, since she loves books, reading is one of her biggest hobbies, and she''s a full-fledged literary girl, but it''s honestly terrifying how inurate that stereotype is here.

    "You really don''t show other people your actual self, do you?"

    "I''ve been disappointed one too many times at my university. You''re the only one who knows everything about me, Junior-kun. Did you know that?"

    "Can you stop saying things with weird phrasing already?"

    "I was just stating the truth, though!"

    She immediately started to tease me. Then again, the reason she takes this attitude towards me was my fault to begin with, so I can''t exactlyin. I know that it sounds weirding from me, but I have the deposition to not have any expectations from the women around me, and for her I''m probably the person she can get along with the easiest out of all the other male staff here.

    Even if she shows her real self, I won''t get discouraged or disappointed in her, and whenever she feels like teasing me to vent some stress, I won''t actually get angry at her. It''s convenient and reliable. This is probably the easiest exnation of what kind of rtionship Yomiuri-senpai and I have: Co-workers who arefortable around each other.

    "Also, why are you this rxed? You used to always hate working during Friday''s peak hours."

    "Hehehe~ The thing is, I''m actually responsible for selling area maintenance and location ceholding today."

    "Ah, not fair."

    Now it makes sense why she''s so indifferent. Location ceholding basically means securing enough space in the bookshelves in the selling area for the books and magazines that''ll arrive tomorrow. It''s our routine here to take care of everything the evening prior, so that the newest deliveries can be arranged on the disy shelves first thing in the morning. This prevents any customers from arriving only to not be able to find the book or magazine they were looking for. It increases sales a tiny bit, but the store''s convenience doesn''t really matter at all. To us part-time jobbers, the most crucial thing is that we aren''t assigned to the cash register.

    "It''s not unfair at all. Preparing for the new releases is another part of our job."

    "Well, I can see how location ceholding has its own fair shares of troubles¡­ Yomiuri-senpai, would you like to switch with me?"

    "Why would you say something as cruel as that?!"

    "And there''s the proof that it''s unfair."

    If you weighed both against each other, the cash register is still much more troublesome. I totally get it. As a result, Yomiuri-senpai started humming to herself as she took the newest arrivals list out from behind the register and made her way to the selling area. Curse you, senpai of mine.

    Grumbling half-heartedly to myself, I headed towards the cash register. As you might imagine, the next few hours were hell. Customer, customer, customer, payment, payment, payment. Enquiry, enquiry, enquiry. My eyes felt like they were spinning from the overload of information, but I already had my own strategy for conquering this.

    Entering a state ofplete trance. Like I was assembling parts that came towards me from a conveyor belt, left to right, I kept an expression devoid of any emotion on my face, dealing with each customer absolutely indifferently. It might sound like I was being a bit impolite towards the customers, but I was already trained to mimic proper customer service even in this state, and I received not a singleint for my service. Eventually, the clock reached the 9pm mark, and it was time for me to head home.

    "I''ll be taking my leave."

    "Huh, you''re going home already? ¡­Oh, it''s already thiste, huh? Time always goes by in a sh on Fridays."

    "Yeah."

    "I guess I''ll take a break as well. Junior-kun, once you''re done changing,e to the break room."

    "Huh, why?"

    "Because I''m bored."

    "Ehhhh¡­"

    "Come on now. Eating lunch all on my own is too boring. Let me use all your juicy experiences with your little sister as my side dish."

    "Don''t spice up someone else''s life more than it actually is, would you? ¡­Sheesh."

    Yomiuri-senpai begged me with watery eyes, and I could only sigh in resignation. I guess I''m much weaker to assertiveness than I thought.

    "I understand. However, there aren''t any interesting stories I could tell you, so instead hear me out on something, okay?"

    "Oho? That sounds mighty interesting."

    I''ll at least make this a give & take where we both profit. That is the most resistance I could muster in that situation.

    The back area of the bookstore had a storage room, an office, a men''s and women''s changing room, and a break room. This location was quite a bit away from the actual selling area, so any voices or BGM were drowned out by the thick walls, but here you could observe the inside of the store thanks to the security cameras and the monitors that were set up. When I returned to the break room after changing into myfortable casual clothes, I immediately spotted Yomiuri-senpai leaning over the desk, looking like melted ice cream.

    "Melting, huh?"

    "Of course I would. The poption density inside the storepletely renders the A/C useless."

    "The air feels pretty thin as well. But you ran away from the cash register, so you don''t have any right toin, you know that?"

    "Ehh, I didn''t run away from it~"

    "I know that, I was joking."

    "You''re so cheeky, Junior-kun. You do know that you have to be kind towards girls, right?"

    "I am an advocate of gender equality, see."

    She might seem like a stylish, beautiful Japanese Onee-san, but Yomiuri-senpai can actually act quite like a childish girl at times, so I treat her ordingly. If someone''s constantly shifting between two moods, then I can only act ordingly. Taking her too seriously would result in me getting teased and toyed with, so I have to be careful of that. That''s the note I keep in my mental Yomiuri-senpai instructions, which I followed right now as I sat down on a chair facing her.

    ¡­Physically taking her at face value is totally fine, so I don''t have to be mindful of that.

    "Aren''t you underestimating the physical work when doing location ceholding? It''s difficult for different reasons than the cash register."

    "I''m aware of that. I also know that taking care of that is much morefortable for you, see."

    "No no no, it''s pretty tough, you know? You have to crouch down, stand up, crouch down, with heavy books in your hands. It''s absolutely ruining my hips like you wouldn''t believe."

    "What an exaggeration¡­"

    "It''s the truth. I feel like I''m living through the morning after a passionate lover''s bed-creaking night, my legs still wobbly from all the ramming."

    "I won''t bite even if you use weird examples, okay?"

    "Tsk, boring." Yomiuri-senpai pretended to click her tongue in a cute fashion.

    She''s being intentionally misleading as always. I''ve dealt with her enough to be able to figure out what is a trap and what''s not. If my reaction to such a dirty joke is too serious, she''ll tease me and say ''You''re thinking about it too much~ What exactly are you being conscious of, Junior-kun~?''. If I ask her ''Do you have any experience?'' out of curiosity, she''d just grin at me in silence. Basically, having any reaction means that I lose. In a situation like this, it''s best topletely ignore her.

    "I mean, if it''s that tough on your hips, then how about a massage? I''ve heard about them from the establishment Akiko-san works at, so I could teach you."

    "Akiko-san?"

    "Ah, right. She''s my step-mother, the mother of my step-sister."

    "Ahh, I see I see."

    We''ve spoken here and there of my new lifestyle caused by the arrival of a new step-sister, but we''ve never talked about my step-mother. Since Akiko-san is practically always working or sleeping, proper essential maintenance of her body is absolutely crucial, and whenever we get the chance to talk in the living room, she teaches me a thing or two about it. Using the health card in my deck of conversation cards sure is useful at times like this.

    "There''s a shiatsu3 establishment right in Dougenzaka¡­ Ah, right here. She apparently rmends this one."

    "Hmph, prettyplicated."

    "Is it? Looking at the map, it doesn''t seem too hard to find."

    "I''m not talking about how to get there. You do know that I''m a university girl bursting with youth and energy, right? I''m not at an age where I want to rely on a massage parlor. That''d hurt my pride."

    "You are aware that this ''bursting with youth and energy'' expression isn''t something that young people would use at all, I hope."

    "You found me out, huh? I''ve kept quiet about it for a long time, but I''m actually cursed to stay young forever. I''m an olddy living inside a young woman''s body."

    "Can you stop making up crazy crap for no reason?"

    "Ahaha, Junior-kun, I should call you ''Razor-sharp Retort Logic King.''"

    "What kind of nickname is that? Aren''t you the same, Endless Stream of Lies bber-san?"

    "Hmm, 70 points, I guess? I like how you mentioned constantly talking about lies like how some girls constantly talk about love, but I don''t think the average person would get the reference, so I''ve gotta deduct some points."

    I''d really appreciate it if she didn''t start grading my insults mid-conversation. Since she''s using actual logic to debunk my nickname, despite this being a nonsensical conversation, it only hurts me even more. It seemed that Yomiuri-senpai, as cheeky as ever, noticed my internal conflict. It probably showed a bit on my face. She let out a happy snicker as she opened her lunchbox.

    Although you could hardly call it a lunchbox. It was basically rice balls and sd bought at a convenience store. I found myself worrying if that was even enough for her, but then I realized that, without Ayase-san''s cooking, I''d be pretty much eating the same thing.

    "Now that you''ve started eating, can we finally start our consultation time?"

    "Sure~ What''s rocking, hot pocket?"

    "The thing is¡­"

    I felt a bit bothered by Yomiuri-senpai acting oddly arrogant and confident, but I swallowed down a retort and exined my situation. Of course, I kept as much of Ayase-san''s privacy as possible, carefully choosing what information to share. After I finished the exnation, Yomiuri-senpai grinned at me again.

    "Oho? You''re searching for ways to raise your little sister''s academic efficiency, huh?"

    "Do you have any ideas? Since you managed to pass your university entrance exams, I figured you must have some sort of advice that you could give her."

    "You just told me you were looking into some work BGM, right?"

    "Indeed. Though I''ve been without sess up until now. I feel like I have a safe selection, but none of them really felt like they''d be suited to raise her academic efficiency."

    "Then I have a rmendation of my own. I was looking for some music that could help me study as well, so I looked into it."

    "Ohh, find anything good?"

    "Let me look for it¡­ Ah, I found it. This is it." After fiddling with her phone for a moment, Yomiuri-senpai showed me a Youtube channel page.

    The cover page of this channel, which she apparently was subscribed to, had Japanese-style drawings on it. However, all the words on there were English, so I figured it wasn''t actually operated by a Japanese person. Rather than trying to attract actual otaku, it seemed like a subculture, giving it the feeling of a stylish lounge.

    "Wow. They have more than ten million views. Even more at times."

    "Amazing, right? There''s people who rey the video a few times, but they have a constant 30,000 people watching their 24/7 live streams."

    "Woah, you''re right. Not to mention that all thements are English."

    "That''s right, this isn''t too popr with us Japanese people."

    "There''s still genres I haven''t heard of, huh? How is it different from usual music?"

    "Seeing is believing, as they say¡­ or hearing, in this case." Yomiuri-senpai smiled, taking a small case out of her bag that contained wireless earbuds. "Here you go." She handed them to me.

    "Eh?" For a second, I froze up.

    It took me a second to realize what that action meant. Sharing objects with another person exists in countless variations, but having someone else use your own earbuds is probably the one with the biggest hurdle to ovee. Although we share food from the samerge te, use the same bath, and use the same washing machine, Ayase-san and I haven''t shared our earbuds yet. Yomiuri-senpai, for her part, showed absolutely no hesitation or doubt, acting like it was the most natural thing in the world.

    "The better the audio quality, the easier your ability to judge how good it is, right?"

    "Ah, yeah, right¡­" I realized that I was the only one being oddly conscious about this, and started to feel embarrassed.

    Though it didn''t seem like she was trying to tease me about it. If I hesitated any longer, I might feel guilty for making her wait, so I epted the earbuds like I was a primitive man looking at fire for the first time. That being said, I''d feel bad for stuffing them right into my ear, so I merely held them in front of my ears where I could still pick up the music. My ears should have been fairly clean, but I didn''t want to risk anything.

    However, right after that thought drifted through my head, the second the music touched my eardrums, it happened.

    "This is it¡­" I muttered subconsciously.

    All of my bad thoughts were washed away in an instant. The first thing I heard was the sound of rain pelting against mid-summer leaves. Along with this environmental noise, I could hear a chill type of music ying. Speaking of sound quality, it''s pretty much on the bad side. It felt like I had gone back in time to a culture I have no experience with, and it also sounds like I''m watching an old movie.

    "This is amazing. I''ve never listened to anything like this."

    "It''s lofi hip hop." Covering her mouth with one hand as she swallowed down a piece of her rice ball, Yomiuri-senpai told me the exact genre.

    As expected, I hadn''t heard of it before.

    "Hip hop¡­ so like HEY YO stuff?"

    "Ahaha, not quite." Yomiuri-senpai let out a snicker when she saw me making a kind of rapper-esque pose.

    I guess I was wrong.

    "I think they call it ''hip hop'' because the music is heavily reliant on the beat. Lofi is different from the hip hop you would normally imagine."

    "I see."

    "It''s seen as a chill type of music, but the effects are fairly old, which makes it have some kind of healing effect when you y it on loop."

    "With words I can understand, please?"

    "Basically, it''s good music." She said simply, giving me a proper (?) exnation.

    I''m an average Japanese guy who isn''t too familiar with English and its loan words, so I appreciate a brief summary like that.

    "It seems to be a genre that''s popr overseas. It purposefully uses low sound quality, which makes your heart rx through the nostalgic effect it has, which is especially useful when you''re studying or trying to sleep."

    "Ohh! This is exactly what I was looking for. You really know a lot, Yomiuri-senpai."

    "That''s because I''m an olddy, ho ho ho."

    "How long are you going to keep that joke up?"

    "Until it gets stale."

    "It was never funny from the beginning."

    "I''m talking about my own satisfaction. Your opinion doesn''t matter at all, Junior-kun~"

    "Can''t argue against that."

    "If you''re going to challenge someone as magnificent as me to a debate, you''d beste prepared, Junior-kun."

    "¡­Sure."

    The knowledge she keeps boasting about does in fact make her sound like an olddy, and yet she doesn''t act like one at all.

    "But how did you even find this? If it''s only popr overseas, it must be hard to even stumble across."

    "No, it''s not that big of a revtion. It just popped up in my Youtube rmendations. Ever since then, I''ve been using it when I''m studying."

    "Even though thements on the side are all in English¡­ I can tell that they''ve got a warm feeling to them."

    "You can?"

    "Yes, somewhat."

    "That''s Junior-kun for you. You have a great sense of intuition. You''re correct, too. This channel''s be pretty popr online, see. It''s rxing, somewhat like a bar."

    "A bar? Like one that serves drinks?"

    Of course I''d be sensitive to a word like that, since my new step-mother was working at exactly such a location.

    "They have them in TV dramas sometimes, right? If an adult''s facing some sort of trouble or hardship, they immediately drift towards there. The bartenders listen to their worries and troubles in the midst of this rxing atmosphere."

    I wonder if the first encounter between my old man and Akiko-san happened kind of like that? I''ve only heard anecdotes from the two of them about it, but apparently it all began with Akiko-san showing affection for my old man, who was drunk at the time and poured out his wounded heart. It was an encounter at a ce that could heal you. And to be honest, such a fated encounter sounded like them.

    "I''ve always admired that, but it really doesn''t get as romantic as you might think."

    "I can''t agree with you on that since I don''t drink alcohol."

    "Tsk."

    "Why are you clicking your tongue?"

    "I wanted you to confess to illegal drinking and understand your weakness because it''d be funny. But you didn''t fall for my leading question."

    "Seriously, why?"

    I looked over at Yomiuri-senpai, who was sucking on the straw to her tea carton, and realized something.

    "That reminds me. You''re old enough to drink alcohol, aren''t you, Senpai?"

    "How rude. Are you saying that I''m not allowed to drink alcohol despite the fact that I''m an olddy?"

    "I mean, you might be at an age where drinking alcohol could be harmful to you, right? What if you had some sort of disease?"

    "Hm¡­ Not bad, you''re bing a better debater."

    "Also, bringing up the olddy joke again is futile now, so I''m gonna ignore it."

    "Booo." She clicked her tongue at me.

    Why are you this adamant on acting like an olddy? I won''t make anyments like ''Don''t worry, eventually you''ll grow old and wrinkly''. I''ll keep that answer to myself. Maybe for another time.

    Following that train of thought, I went ahead and subscribed to several of these lofi hip hop channels. Yomiuri-senpai must have been enjoying them quite a lot. She kept exining this and that with a tone one octave higher than usual, which made me smile.

    "Ha ha¡­"

    "Hmmm? Why are youughing while looking at my face?"

    "I''m sorry, don''t mind me."

    Yomiuri-senpai isn''t to be med here. The reason Iughed is simply because I became aware of something pathetic. Right now I''m picking out songs that she''s rmending to me. I''m choosing songs that were rmended to me by Yomiuri-senpai, who had them rmended to her by YouTube. I''m not different from Narasaka-san at all. I can''t even argue against her anymore. I''m sorry, Narasaka-san. You were right from the beginning.

    My legs taking me home from work hadn''t felt this light in a long time. After all, I had a perfect present for Ayase-san. So far, I had been unable to really repay her for making my food day in day out, and being on the take side of our give & take rtionship had been weighing on my conscience quite a bit. Now I can eat Ayase-san''s cooking without any restraint. When I opened the front door, I was greeted by a delicious scent, like I was being weed home in celebration of my great achievement.

    "I''m home, Ayase-san."

    "Wee back, Asamura-kun." Ayase-san was wearing an apron on top of her clothes, warming up the hot pot.

    As ofte, that''s been a normal sight for me, but I still can''t get used to the idea of a girl I''d previously never met suddenly living and cooking in the same house as me. Part of me is still nervous, but more than anything, I feel bad because she''s basically doing my job for me. Of course, if I told her that, she''d argue and say ''We''re the same'', or ''Don''t worry about it'', but I still can''t help it.

    "Have you still not eaten dinner yet, Ayase-san? Sorry if I made you wait for me."

    "It''s fine. I was studying, anyway."

    "I see. I''ll set the table, so wait a second."

    "Yup, thanks."

    This isn''t me helping her, or being kind. To me, it''s the natural thing to do, and Ayase-san didn''t insist on doing it herself, so she just gave a word of gratitude. My thought was that, if we didn''t work on this together, we wouldn''t have an equal bnce between us, and Ayase-san seemed to have understood my idea, which is why any further exchange was unnecessary.

    After stopping by my room to drop off my belongings and washing my hands thoroughly, I trotted back to the living room.

    "Two rice bowls, normal bowls, and big tes, I guess?"

    "No big tes. As for the normal bowls, I need ones that are big enough to fit udon, not just miso soup."

    "Gotcha. That means we''re having pork miso soup?"

    "Not quite. It''s motsunabe4."

    "Wow, you can make something like that? Also, that doesn''t really seem like a summer dish."

    "I''ve heard it works wonders against summer fatigue. You must be exhausted from your job, so I figured this would be a wee change."

    "Motsunabe during the summer, huh? It does smell great. I feel hungry already."

    "Right. I''ll bring the hot pot, so could you take care of the rice?"

    "Sure."

    I handed Ayase-san the two udon bowls and started putting the steaming rice from the rice cooker into the rice bowls. During that time, a distinct scent of soy sauce filled the room, which made me even hungrier. Ayase-san had always been a great cook, but thanks to her doing it on a daily basis, I feel like she''s gotten even better. After we finished setting the table, we sat down across the table from each other and pped our hands together.

    "Thanks for the food."

    "Thanks for the food."

    Even though we didn''t time it all, our voices ovepped. It might just be my imagination again, but we tend to ovep with these sorts of gestures quite a bit as ofte. Either I''m being influenced by her, or she''s being influenced by me. I don''t know how, but it just naturally happened. While I was pondering the influences of our shared lifestyle, I scooped a bit of the motsunabe up and raised it to my mouth.

    "Ah, delicious. It''s sweet and mellow."

    "I see. I''m d to hear it. It''s a Hakata-style dish, so I was worried that it''d be a bit too rich and thick in vor, but I guess it should be fine." Ayase-san made a relieved smile.

    I wasn''t just being polite, either. The taste filling my mouth really was quite to my liking. If my old man were to eat this, it''d probably weigh heavy on his stomach, but since he informed us that he''d be eating out tonight, there was no need to worry about that. Ayase-san had probably kept that in mind when she came up with this menu.

    "You were adjusting it to my tastes, right? Thanks."

    "...Well, pretty much. After hearing your impressions daily, it just naturally became a way for me to reference things."

    "I feel bad for forcing you through so much effort¡­ at least that''s what I would have said yesterday."

    "Eh?"

    When I spoke brimming with confidence, Ayase-san had an oddly baffled response. I booted up the YouTube app on my phone and opened up the channel page of the lofi hip hop channel I had subscribed to previously. From there, I tapped on the 24/7 live stream that had "radio" written on it. Calm, rxing music started to y. It was the opposite of any powerful and energetic genre. Instead, it was the kind of music that enwrapped you in a sense of rationality, like you were being swallowed up by the ordinary. It felt like I had suddenly been transported into a deep forest, far away from the rest of civilization.

    Ayase-san must have agreed with my feelings to a certain degree. Her eyes were fixated on my smartphone, wide open like a camera lens during a photoshoot.

    "This is¡­"

    "Just listen to it for now."

    "Ah, yeah." Ayase-san gently closed her eyes.

    A bit of time passed, the two of us merely listening to the music. Ayase-san let out an astonished sigh.

    "This is great. What genre is this? It''s a lot different from normal calm music."

    "It''s called lofi hip hop. I thought that maybe this would be great music to listen to when you study."

    "Ah. I see, that''s why." She made an expression like she finished a puzzle inside her head.

    Apparently she figured out why I had suddenly started ying music despite us being in the middle of dinner.

    "It''s the first time I''ve heard of the genre. I''m surprised you have."

    "I only learned of it today. A Senpai at work told me about it."

    "Ah, that person, right? That literary girl Onee-san."

    Oh right, I think we talked about Yomiuri-senpaist month. I still remember Ayase-san teasing me that she sounded pretty simr to me. I mean, both of us enjoy reading books, so that much does make sense. But going along with her usual nonchnt attitude on a daily basis sounds fairly tough to me. I''m sure that, in her eyes, I''m someone she can tease and be herself around, but I doubt I''m anything like boyfriend material. Not to mention that I''ve never even heard her talk about her tastes in people, so there was no way I could be the judge of that.

    "Right. It''s not an overstatement to say that she''s well-informed in almost every area."

    "You''re pretty close, huh?"

    "A lot of our shifts ovep, but that''s about¡­ Ayase-san?" I felt like something was off, so I stopped mid-sentence.

    Even though we were looking at each other, face-to-face, for a brief moment, it felt like she averted her gaze.

    "...Huh, what?" After a bit of a timeg, she reacted.

    "Are you okay? You seemed to be spacing out a little. You''re not overdoing it with your studies, right?"

    "Ah, no, I''m fine. I was just entranced by the music."

    It''s true that the lofi hip hop music was still ying, but was that all? I know that Ayase-san tends to overreact to things, so I can''t help but be worried. If that''s just a baseless fear, though, then I appreciate it.

    "Yomiuri-senpai, was it? So she''s got good sense for music, too, not just books."

    "She must have a lot of experience as a university student, I guess. I can''t even tell how deep her knowledge goes."

    "Cool."

    "Her actual personality is the absolute opposite of that, though."

    If anything, the word ''cool'' suits Ayase-san much better. Yomiuri-senpai is more of an airhead, or a humorous person, something like that. When I rified that, Ayase-san let out a snicker.

    "She seems like an interesting person."

    "That I can guarantee."

    It''s a shame that I probably won''t get a chance to introduce Yomiuri-senpai anytime soon. Since we don''t hang out in private, I can''t just invite her to our home like Narasaka-san visited us before. It truly is a shame. With these thoughts in mind, I realized that Ayase-san was pointing her phone screen at me.

    "I subscribed right away."

    "You''re right. That was a quick decision."

    "I''m the type who trusts in her instincts. I''m sure that this lofi hip hop will be the greatest BGM for studying."

    "If it doesn''t help at all, you can quit anytime."

    "I know. I wouldn''t listen to it just because you rmended it. I''ll try it out, and if it works, I''ll keep it."

    "Great. That attitude helps me as well."

    Being frank and honest is the best kind of distance I can ask for. If our rtionship were too thick, it''d be heavy on the stomach, so in a way, this motsunabe could be a perfect allegory for it. Then again, if I said that out loud, I''d get more points removed by Yomiuri-senpai for my metaphor.

    The first one to finish eating was Ayase-san. She must be trying to find as much time to study as possible. She ate up her share in a rather quick manner, putting away her dishes after she stood up with phone in hand.

    "I''ll try it out tonight. Thanks for the tip, Asamura-kun."

    "Don''t sweat it. Also, I''ll take care of the dishes, so you can just put them in the sink."

    "I appreciate it." She carried the empty rice and other bowls to the kitchen, putting them into the sink, and then headed to her room.

    I hope that this helped increase her studying efficiency a bit. With this thought in mind, I finished eating thest bit of food on my te.

    ¡ªDo your best, Ayase-san.

    ©¤©¤©¤

    1 A demon who brings misfortune to houses or people he passes by?.

    2 Bitter Valley = Shibuya. If you''re interested in more info on this, feel free to read this article.

    3 Basically acupuncture but¡­ Japanese style?

    4 Hot pot stew made with offal, vegetables and (often) miso?.

 Chapter 16 - 3

    <h4>Chapter 16: Chapter 3</h4>

    18th of July (Saturday)

    Feeling a faint pain in the deeper part of my eyes, I blinked in confusion. It seems that I forgot to close the curtainsst night, and the summer sun was shining through the opening right into my face. Luckily, thanks to the A/C, it wasn''t too hot. It was just¡­ bright.

    When I turned my gaze towards the clock next to my pillow, thest digit just changed, showing that the time had just turned to 8:30 in the morning. I wonder why the time on digital clocks always seem to round up conveniently right when you wake up... Hm? 8:30am? That''s a time I''d considerte. Although there was no school today, I guess I overslept a bit.

    Maybe everyone already finished their breakfast? My thoughts got that far before I noticed my usage of the word ''everyone''. This meant that I, absolutely naturally and automatically, had included my step-mother Akiko-san and step-sister Ayase-san in this term. This conclusion left me slightly baffled. Even though we''ve only been living together for about a month, I mentally already found this normal.

    I finished changing, snuck into the bathroom to wash my face and fix my appearance, and then opened the door to the living room. I found my old man and Akiko-san sitting across the table, drinking some coffee. When my old man turned around, he made a bit of a perplexed face.

    "Morning¡­ Or rather, you''re prettyte, Yuuta."

    "I overslept, yeah. Ah, don''t mind me."

    Thetter half of my sentence was directed at Akiko-san, who had already put down her cup and was about to stand up. However, before my words could reach her, she had already put the ham-wrapped eggs on a te and in the microwave.

    "There''s no need to hold back, Yuuta-kun."

    "No, um¡­ Thank you." I sat down at the table with the warmed ham and eggs in front of me.

    There was already toast on my te, with butter and jam next to it.

    "Huh?" I realized that there was another empty te on the table in front of mine.

    I also couldn''t see my step-sister anywhere. Does this mean that she hasn''t eaten breakfast yet?

    "Saki is still asleep."

    "Ah, is that so¡­? How rare."

    "Well, she''s a bit of a sleepyhead today, it seems."

    Judging from Akiko-san''s reaction, I could tell that Ayase-san oversleeping was a rare circumstance. And I had to agree with that, as I had never seen Ayase-san getting upter than me, at least not in recent memory. ording to Akiko-san, who had checked in on her bedroom just earlier, she was still sound asleep.

    "She''s got the A/C on, but she''s sleeping with her belly out in the open. I''m worried she might catch a cold like that." Akiko-san said with a sigh. "How troublesome."

    I was troubled as to how I should respond to that. If she was just a ssmate of mine, maybe I could fantasize for a bit about her current appearance? I couldn''t exactly ignore that thought if it were about the top beauty of the school year. However, having that same thought about my actual step-sister would only rm Akiko-san, so I can''t do that.

    "It seems like summer this year is going to be a hot one, doesn''t it?" After thinking and hesitating for a bit, I chose a safe and inoffensive response.

    "You be careful too, Yuuta-kun. It''d be troublesome if you ended up getting too cold, but the heat can be scary as well. Make sure to set your A/C properly, okay? There have been cases of people getting heat stroke in their rooms at home, after all."

    "Okay," I nodded and started eating my breakfast.

    It''s been a while since I had Akiko-san''s breakfast. The fried eggs had a small bottle of soy sauce next to them, showing just a small hint of Akiko-san''s consideration. Just like Ayase-san, she doesn''t forget other people''s tastes after hearing about them even just once, so it must run in the family. Right when I was wondering if eggs and ham were all there was for breakfast, while I was still eating with my chopsticks, a cup appeared in front of me.

    "Here, let me know if you want more."

    "Thank you very much¡­ Is that potage?" I could see some small ingredients swimming in the white soup.

    "It''s m chowder. If it doesn''t suit your tastes, you don''t have to eat it."

    "No, it''s fine."

    m chowder. Is that what I think it is? Milk stew with man ms, right? I''ve heard of it before. I''ve even had it before in some cup soup, I think.

    "It''s Akiko-san''s homemade version, you see." Dad said.

    "It''s not that big of a deal. Not to mention that it''s pretty simple to make."

    There''s one thing I''ve realized over this past month. Whenever Ayase-san or Akiko-san say ''It''s simple to cook,'' my old man and I can''tprehend it at all, since neither of us have any skill when ites to cooking. Figuring out the taste, preparing for the cooking¡­ Ayase-san has taught me about it at times, so I''ve been learning as I go along. There''s no drawback to learning more, after all.

    When I took a peek inside the cup, I saw something red, something white, and even some transparent ingredients inside, all of which would probably be hard to eat with chopsticks. Using the tips of my chopsticks, I gently stirred up the contents of the cup, tilted it, and carefully let a bit of it pour into my mouth.

    The lumpy texture danced between my teeth. When the consomm¨¦-based milk-vored soup touched my tongue, a fulfilling taste spread inside my mouth. A strong vor resembling bacon and carrots, meat and vegetables, was mixed in there as well.

    "It''s delicious."

    The seasoning isn''t too powerful nor toocking. In all honesty, it was delicious.

    "I''m d to hear that." Akiko-san said with a gentle smile.

    My old man grinned at me like he was the one who had made the food. Why are you acting so arrogant? Are you indirectly bragging about your wife? I really don''t like the idea of a 40-year old man watching me with a shit-eating grin on his face while I''m eating breakfast on a school-free morning, so I instead focused on my food. While I did so, my old man and Akiko-san started up another conversation. The topic of their discussion was Ayase-san''s nightly activity.

    "It seems like she was studying reallyte into the night."

    Now how could she say that for sure despite only taking a peek inside Ayase-san''s room this morning? That was because her notes were still open on the desk, her earbuds looking like they had fallen right out of her ears,pletely neglected,ying on top of the notes themselves. Ayase-san disliked the idea of having someone else see her notes, and her personality didn''t allow someone to hear the musicing from her earbuds either, so this was strange for her.

    Akiko-san saw the notes and earbuds in that state and determined that she kept studying until the desire to sleep eventually won over her desire to study more. Once this desire to sleep got the better of her, she must have been unable to pursue anything but the easiest and fastest way to receive this slumber, which caused her to leave everything scattered on the desk and flop onto the bed.

    This was detective Akiko-san''s deductions, and if you asked me, I doubt there''s much discrepancy from reality. She must have been really absorbed in her studies, huh? I just hope that the lofi hip hop helped in some way.

    My old man suddenly piped up.

    "Hey, Yuuta."

    "Hm?" I directed my gaze towards him, still enjoying the dense taste of ham in my mouth.

    It''s bad manners to talk with food in your mouth, after all.

    "It''s been a month now. How do you feel? You''re not inconvenienced in any way, are you?"

    "Inconvenienced¡­? No, not really." I responded after swallowing.

    "How are things going with Saki?" This time, Akiko-san was the one who spoke.

    "Ehm¡­"

    "Come on, Yuuta-kun, you and Taichi-san have been living together by yourselves up to this point, and we suddenly barged into your daily life, right? I''m sure it must be troublesome in a lot of ways."

    Troublesome, huh? When she said that, I was reminded of that one night when I was cornered by Ayase-san wearing nothing but her underwear. That really was troublesome, I guess. I was lying on my bed, inside the dark room, when Ayase-san approached me, revealing her white skin only barely covered by her thin underwear. Her long, brightly-colored hair fell down from her shoulders, as if to cover her chest that was hidden behind a dark-colored bra. Her almost drenched eyes were looking down at me¡­

    ¡­As soon as I remember one part of it, it''s like the entire lid opens up, and everything elsees rushing out as I am forced to remember that sight yet again.

    "What''s wrong, Yuuta?"

    "A-Ah, yeah, everything''s going okay, don''t worry." I answered my old man. I gave Akiko-san a warm nod as well¡ªfeeling a bit guilty while I did so.

    "I see. I''m d to hear that." Akiko-san seemed like she wanted to say something, but didn''t question me any further.

    Instead, she asked me if I wanted some after-breakfast coffee. When I nodded, she pressed the switch on the coffee machine. They seemed to have put grounds in it for me already. The sweet scent of Hawaiian Kona coffee wafted across the dining table as the coffee was poured into the cup bit by bit. I spent this summer break morning in peace along with the scent of my coffee.

    This Saturday, the Saturday right after the week where we receive our end-of-term exam results is quite possibly the beginning of the holidays that causes us high school students'' hearts and minds to clear. I was different, however. I finished my homework in the morning, and by the time 11:30am rolled around, I started preparing for my part-time job. To me, holidays are days that allow me to work full-time.

    After I finished getting ready, right before I left the apartment, I nced over at the door to Ayase-san''s room. It was almost noon, and yet she still hadn''t gotten up. Since I didn''t want to wake her, I quietly told my old man and Akiko-san that I''d be leaving and opened the door.

    After I stepped out of the house, the strong sun rays immediately stabbed into my skin. It''s hot. So hot that it legitimately hurts. For a second, I wondered if I had moved from Japan to the subtropics. I rode on my bicycle to Shibuya''s train station. Afortable breeze blew against me as I did so, but the instant I stopped, sweat started gushing out of every pore of my body again. When I looked at the temperature of a thermometer on the street, I could see that it was already over 30¡ãC. I stormed inside the bookstore where I worked, like I was trying to run away from the heat.

    "Phew¡­ So cool and refreshing¡­" I took a towel out of my sports bag, wiping the sweat off my face.

    I headed to the store''s back room, changed into my uniform, and put on my name tag. I exchanged a few words with the other part-time jobbers that had just got in as well and stepped out onto the floor.

    "Ah, Asamura-kun. Could you start by putting all the new releases onto the shelves?"

    "Yes, sir."

    The store manager gave me an order while pointing at the trolley. Normally there aren''t any new book arrivals on Saturdays. However, since the bookstore where I work is on therger side, putting all the books onto the shelves and on disy was pretty much impossible. I walked towards the trolley and peeked inside the cardboard box on top of it.

    "Paperback books, huh?" I confirmed thebels on them and pushed the trolley towards the forest of shelves.

    The paperback book aisle was a bit further back from the magazines and oneshot releases, near theics section. Since this is noon on a weekend, most of the customers entering this building are looking for food or drinks. We''re using the gap in customers to fill the bookshelves. Of course, we always do this before the store opens as well, so this is the second time today.

    "Ah, you''re starting for the day now too, Junior-kun?"

    A woman who was currently busy arranging a bookshelf turned towards me. Her long and silky hair brushed against both sides of her face as she did.

    "Yes, starting now."

    "Then we''re in the same shift." Yomiuri Shiori-senpai said.

    As always, her graceful appearance looked impressive enough to be painted on a canvas, and I couldn''t help but think that Japanese clothing would look much better on her than this store''s uniform.

    "Are you arranging the shelves right now, Senpai?"

    "Yup, that''s right. Are these the new releases? Do you have the book there?"

    "What book exactly?"

    "From this publisher here." She pointed at the shelf in front of her. "It''s called ''Azure Night''s Interval'', see."

    I peeked into the cardboard box.

    "Is this it?"

    "Ah, yeah, that."

    It''s from a genre called ''light literature.'' The cover of said paperback book is drawn by a popr illustrator, depicting what looked like a highschool boy and a girl. It was much more detailed than in a manga drawing. They stood back to back, the moonlit night sky behind them. They were facing the reader, holding hands like they were lovers. This must be some kind of romance novel, huh?

    "How many do you have?" She asked.

    "Um¡­ two copies."

    "Only two? I was thinking we''d need something like twelve."

    "That¡­ has to be an exaggeration."

    "I figured they''d send the majority back anyway."

    "Makes sense."

    "But now I can''t stack them t and face up¡­"

    Stacking them ''t and face up'' means to stack them in front of the bookshelf on a small tform that reaches up to your knees, with the covers facing upwards. The other way to disy them is to put the book in the bookshelf with its spine facing outwards.

    "That one came out a month ago, right? Not to mention that it''s turned paperback. Are they still selling this?"

    ''Turning paperback'' means that a novel which had previously been sold as a full hardcover volume was now being resold as a paperback book. In other words, it''s a cheaper edition. Since most people had already bought the former version, it''s pretty rare to still see it on sale a monthter. Now that I think about it, I think I remember hearing of this title before.

    "Is it that good?"

    "Probably. The biggest reason is probably because it got adapted into a movie."

    "Ahh¡­ I remember now." I had been wondering why the title sounded familiar.

    I think I saw in the news that this movie was airing. When I took a closer look at the cover, I could see pictures and characters from the movie on the paper wrapper. I actually nned to give this a shot, but thanks to Ayase-san''s arrival and end-of-term exams, I didn''t have much time to check it out.

    "They''re still selling it, yeah. But I only have one here on the shelf already."

    "Only three total, huh¡­ Yeah, you really can''t stack them."

    Since you need to keep at least one volume in the bookshelf aside from the author-specific volumes, we''d only be able to stack two in front of the shelf. That''s the bare minimum, and once one of them is bought, it''s not even a stack anymore. There will be too much of a differencepared to the other books next to it. At times like these, it''s much more rational to put them all on the shelf.

    "I don''t really want to do that."

    Since Yomiuri-senpai is being that adamant about it, it must be a title she''s a big fan of. The important part of this job is noticing what books sell best, and putting them in locations where they''re more noticable. Even people who don''t read books very often buy these kinds of publications, so if you put them in a more conspicuous location, it''ll look more friendly, and they won''t be found otherwise. People new to this media form won''t walk deep into the store to look around. On the other hand, faithful readers of a certain series will search through ces that are more concealed to find what they want.

    "That''s just like you."

    "It''s not that this kind of book is the only one I read¡­"

    It''s just that the more books I read, the more of this genre I happen toe across. She''s not thinking I''m into weird things, is she?

    "What should I do about this?" She asked.

    "Maybe we should disy it face-out on the other shelf? It''s not like it''s a new release."

    "Sounds good~"

    Basically, we''d go to the shelves where you could find other works from the same author and create space there. There''s enough space here for three books with their front cover facing outwards. Since the books could fall out when they''re stacked like that, there''s a notch underneath them to keep them in ce. Since this book seems to actually be fairly popr, all three copies might be gone by the end of the day, but that''s not our fault.

    I set the paperback books on the shelves and on the small tform, and Yomiuri-senpai helped ce the novels she liked on disy.

    "This should do it."

    "Oh right. This movie''s screening is going to end soon."

    It''ll be summer break starting next week, and the summer season movies will start screening. In other words, this weekend is thest chance you''d have to watch it. It''s a shame, but I had already booked myself for a full-time shift today. Man, how careless of me. I really wanted to watch that one. I mentally grumbled about it as I returned with Yomiuri-senpai to the back room. Yomiuri-senpai must have caught on to my lingering regret. She spoke up.

    "Hey, if you still haven''t watched the movie, how about we go to thete-night showing today after work?"

    "Thete-night showing? I see."

    Ipletely forgot about that option. Though starting it at 9pm would mean I''d be out until midnight.

    "My shift ends at 9pm. Same for you, right?"

    "Yep."

    From the sounds of it, Yomiuri-senpai had practically the same shift as me, and because she had off tomorrow morning, she could tag along.

    "Saturday''s the perfect day to enjoy the nightlife!"

    "Phrasing!"

    "Aww, we''re going to watch a movie, so who cares~?"

    She really loves to make double entendres with everything she says. Not to mention that she gave off the feeling that there was some hidden meaning to what she said.

    "We''re just going to watch the movie, right?"

    "Of course!" She smiled at me with a bright grin.

    Am I just being teased again, I wonder? Then again, I''m interested in seeing the movie, myself.

    "Okay. I wanted to watch that movie myself, so I''ll contact my parents after my shift."

    "Contacting your parents! What a wholesome high school student you are!"

    "Weren''t you still in high school not too long ago?"

    "Now that I''m a university student, I''m an adult~"

    "And not wholesome at all."

    "Phrasing!" Yomiuri-senpai burst outughing. "But Junior-kun."

    "What?"

    "If you''re going to contact someone, isn''t there someone more important than your parents?"

    "Huh? ...Who?"

    "Your little sister. She''d worry about you, right?"

    "Worry about me? ¡­No, I doubt it." I really couldn''t imagine Ayase-san being worried about me noting home, so I gave an honest response.

    "Huh, is that so?"

    I feel like she''s hinting at something with that suggestive tone, but it''s not like worrying about it will do anything for me. Not to mention that if our positions were swapped, I think it''d be pretty rude to worry about every little thing Ayase-san is doing, so I''m sure she must feel the same way. I''m sure that Ayase-san wouldn''t do anything to trouble Akiko-san.

    ...I was yet again reminded of that incident a month ago, but that was an exception, so I shook my head to clear it.

    During my break, I contacted my old man, letting him know that I was going to be watching a movie with a Senpai from work.

    ''You''re going on a date with a girl?!'' I immediately heard that voice from the other end of the line.

    "We''re only watching a movie."

    ''I guess Yuuta''s a young man at heart~''

    Can you not focus on that one detail? Also, I''ve always been a young man.

    ''But you''re still in high school, so don''t go too far with your nighttime fun.''

    "That''s not gonna be a problem, okay?" I gave a brief response and ended the call.

    My old man sounded like he was poking fun at me, with a veryissez-faire mentality, but that just shows how much he trusts me. I have no intentions of betraying that trust. I don''t want people to have expectations of me, but this trust I have from the father who raised me is something I don''t want to look down on.

    After I hung up, I looked at my phone, considering for a second if I should send Ayase-san a message. Nah, I think that would just be meddling too much. Our parents should both still be at home, so telling only one person should be enough. I''m just going to watch a movie with a Senpai from work. There''s no reason to make such a big deal out of it. Ayase-san is busy with her studies, so I might just interrupt her. That''d probably be even more bothersome than not telling her at all.

    The end of the shift arrived, and I changed into my casual clothes. Without giving me much of a choice in the matter, Yomiuri-senpai dragged me away from the bookstore towards the movie theater.

    The breeze was still fairly warm, causing me to start sweating again. It''ll probably be a muggy night. The sky filtering through the gaps between Shibuya''s buildings was turning ck, and yet the lights inside the buildings didn''t turn off. I guess you could call it the city that never sleeps. To an antisocial person such as myself, even the nighttime in this city is too bright for me. It made me almost feel ufortable.

    Normally I''d be riding my bicycle home, but somehow I ended up walking through these streets with an older beauty at my side. Now that I think about it, this might be the first time I''ve seen Yomiuri-senpai wearing casual clothes. She was wearing a lightly-colored,fortable-looking top with a red skirt and ck tights underneath. Compared to all the outgoing characters here in Shibuya, she was more of a calm and collected person¡ªA Yamato Nadeshiko¡ªand yet her clothes stood out in their own way, with a stylish feelingpletely different than the usual characters here. On top of that, from my point of view, she seems a lot like an adult, since she''s a university student and all.

    I was reminded of Ayase-san''s own clothes she wore at home. Her blonde hair was shy, of course, but when she wasn''t at school, she didn''t wear any essories or ear piercings, let alone make-up. And yet, and she must be doing this on purpose, but even when it''s just the two of us at home, she never wears any kind of casual jersey or anything at home. There''s absolutely no openings or gaps that you would often see in manga or anime.

    It''s the same as ever. I guess the clothes I saw yesterday, the deep red one-piece with white cor and sleeves, is actually something she can wear outside as well. To her, clothes are like a weapon, so she probably wants to keep her attack and defense maximized at every moment in time. While I was thinking that, my Senpai walking ahead of me stopped suddenly and turned around.

    "Hey, hey, when you''re walking with a woman, you shouldn''t be thinking about anything else."

    "Ah, is that so?"

    When I responded, I noticed that Senpai made a serious expression for a second, only to smirk again.

    "I love that reaction~ Makes you look like a real highschool boy."

    "I was fake before¡­?"

    What exactly is supposed to be realistic about that? I don''t get it.

    "You''re like a Prince, but you''re not making the Princess happy at all. That''s what I mean!"

    "¡­Are you indirectly telling me to apologize?"

    "Not really? Being calm and down to earth suits you best, after all. It makes it easier for me, too, since I don''t have to act considerate all the time."

    I didn''t really know how to respond. It''s true that I didn''t particrly enjoy being considerate of others, nor did I care about being treated with consideration. However, nobody had ever really said it to my face like that¡­ No, I guess Ayase-san has.

    "Come on. We don''t have much time. Let''s go." Senpai started walking ahead again.

    After walking through the crowd for a few minutes, we arrived at the movie theater.

    "Junior-kun, I''ll buy the tickets, so could you take care of the drinks?"

    "Sure. We can split the billter. What would you like?"

    "A diet coke... What are you grinning for?"

    "You''re getting popcorn and diet coke at the movie theater?"

    "You''ve gotta get the basics."

    "Fine by me. What vor popcorn?"

    "Caramel!"

    When I let out a faint snicker, Yomiuri-senpai pouted ever so slightly and turned to walk towards the ticket machine. I guess she has an unexpected sweet tooth? Or is she being influenced by something? After watching her walk off, I ordered the food and drinks. I was holding a small cardboard tray with popcorn and some drinks when Senpai walked towards me, waving.

    "Theater 4."

    "Okay."

    "Should I help you carry something?"

    "It''s fine. Could you just take care of the tickets?"

    "Okaaaay~"

    We walked through the ticket gate and searched for signs for the 4th theater. When I looked at the people near us, I could see a lot of boy-and-girl couples. Senpai seemed to notice it, too.

    "There''s a lot of couples around, huh~?" she whispered to me.

    "It is a romance movie after all."

    We walked through arge door, entering a wide open space that made feel like we had just stepped outside, and my conversation with Senpai stopped abruptly for a second. It''s odd, really. Maybe it''s because we entered the theater. The volume of our conversation dropped drastically.

    We worked to find our seats, which were located in the middle of the cinema. We took one step up the stairs from the front row, and entered the row behind that. Being mindful of the legs of the people who were already seated, we finally arrived at our seats.

    "You can almost kick the seat in front of you, huh? I don''t really like being considerate like that. Maybe this wasn''t a good seat after all?" I said.

    "No, it''s fine."

    "d to hear that." I answered. I put the drinks in the holders and handed Senpai the popcorn.

    "Heh, heh. A full bucket, huh? You really know me well!"

    "Is it too much?"

    "You''re going to eat some too, right, Junior-kun?"

    "I''m fine not eating anything while watching a movie, so eat as much as you want. If anything''s left, I can eat itter."

    "Come on now, let''s eat some together~" She said, tilting the bucket on herp towards me.

    As a result, past the popcorn, I happened to nce at Yomiuri-senpai''s thighs below her skirt.

    "Thanks for the food."

    Of course, this is no big deal. I just have to focus on the popcorn. Reality is often condensed into what I want it to be. When I lifted the first piece of popcorn to my mouth, I tasted a burst of sweetness. But it wasn''t so sweet that it made me want to stop eating. I generally don''t eat anything while watching movies, but I made a mental note that the popcorn here wasn''t half bad. Keeping a bucket of popcorn as apanion is definitely within the realm of possibility for my next movie visit.

    The lights in the cinema suddenly dimmed, and I was taken by surprise, returning my gaze towards the screen. Senpai and I stopped talking, since we came here to watch a movie in the first ce. Right after that, the advertisements started. First, they showed footage of a dubbed live-action movie depicting a robot and ninja fighting for some reason.

    "Seems interesting¡­" I muttered in a quiet voice, and Senpai responded quietly as well.

    "Yeah¡­ It''s the fourth part of a trilogy¡­"

    "Fourth part¡­ of a trilogy? Huh?"

    "Don''t question it. It''s not worth it. Oh, the movie is starting." Senpai put her index finger on her lips.

    We both grew silent, and the movie started. ording to the posters I''d seen beforehand, this movie was supposed to be a tearjerker. The movie opened with a lot ofughter, though, which made me think that it was some sort ofedy. Around five minutes into the movie, though, the tone suddenly changed.

    Whether I wanted to let it or not, my attention was swallowed by the movie. After making it through the first climax, a short breather followed in the form of a briefedic section. I breathed a sigh of relief during that time and happened to nce over at Senpai.

    Her eyes were glued to the screen, her face showing no change in expression whatsoever. Basked in the glow of the lighting from the screen, her face was devoid of anyughter, crying, or even fear. She was merely staring at the screen in front of her. It was a face I would have never expected to see her make, considering that her expressions usually changed drastically in a matter of seconds. I guess this is what she meant by ''simply watching a movie''. Even I must have disappeared from her mind, every fiber of her being observing the scene on the screen.

    Must be nice, I thought to myself. And then I was reminded that I was watching a movie together with a beautiful Senpai. Isn''t this something normally never happens to an antisocial person like me? Am I really sitting here? Everything suddenly felt surreal, and I turned towards the movie again. I''ve gotta watch it all the way through since we''re already here.

    There was a buzzing sound as light returned to the cinema. I blinked a few times, rxed my tense body, and let out a sigh.

    Yeah, the movie was great. The ending was totally unexpected and I even felt like crying for a second. Now I guess I''ll have to buy the source material.

    "I guess I''ll skimp on food tomorrow."

    "Huh?"

    When I turned towards my side, Yomiuri-senpai showed me the popcorn bucket, which waspletely empty. She ate all that on her own?

    "Your hands just keep moving automatically when you''re absorbed in something, don''t they?"

    "I kind of get it, but not really."

    "I really wanted to give you some, Junior-kun."

    "I wouldn''t have been able to eat that much on my own. Ah, I''ll take it."

    Senpai was about to pick up her bag, so I put my sports bag over my shoulder and epted therge container. You''ve gotta throw away your trash.

    "Thanks."

    "Hand me the cups as well."

    I took the empty caps she handed me and threw it all away as we stepped out of the theater. Without taking much of a detour, we left the cinema. While on our way back to the train station, we exchanged our impressions of the movie. Of course, the streets were still crowded, which made me wonder if this city was ever going to sleep.

    On the way, I picked my bicycle up from the parking lot where I had left it and escorted Senpai to the train station.

    "Since it''s alreadyte, I''ll be on my way now¡ª" I tried to say goodbye for the day.

    "Tag along with me for a bit longer." Senpai said.

    Without waiting for my response, she just started walking. Naturally, I hesitated for a moment, but eventually followed after her, pushing my bicycle next to me. We walked around the train station, observing the giant object1 to our left as we slowly made our way away from there.

    "Where are you taking me?"

    "I parked my car over here."

    "Ahh."

    That reminds me, Yomiuri-senpaies to work by car, doesn''t she? I think you can get your license once you''re 18 here. Since Senpai''s in university already, it''s not weird for her to have a license, and she''s definitely above 18¡­ though I don''t know if she really counts as an adult. I see. Once my birthday rolls around next year, I''ll be able to get a license myself. I''d never really thought about it.

    "Are you going to get a license?"

    "Hmm¡­ I''m not sure."

    "Youngsters today sure don''t seem interested in cars, huh?"

    "Youngsters? ¡­Senpai."

    "But nowadays, only about one out of two men actually get a driver''s license, you know? How do you feel about that?"

    "If one out of two men have it, then you can just pay them to have you drive around."

    Right after I said that, Senpai''s mouth opened. She looked like a shocked manga character that had seen something out of this world.

    "What a shocking Pandora''s Box¡­"

    Sometimes, Senpai says things that don''t resemble anything a typical university student would say. Even someone like me who reads books all the time can''t tell what she''s talking about sometimes. Senpai, where did you hear that word?

    "Is it that weird? I''m pretty sure my thought process is fairly rational."

    "I mean, it is almost too rational."

    "Is that so? Well, you don''t want toe across as shameless, so it''s important topensate the driver and be considerate of them."

    "Compensate them? No, that''s not the problem. Think about it. A car''s really convenient for bringing your girlfriend home."

    That idea had never even urred to me.

    "For that to make sense, I would first need a girlfriend. That''s already asking too much from an antisocial background character like me."

    "If you had a car, they might approach you instead?"

    "I don''t think I would be too happy if women approached me just because of that."

    "Aha, ahahahaha. That''s true! I''d have to agree on that!" Yomiuri-senpai burst outughing.

    As the two of us continued our conversation, I could see a small forest in front of us¡ªOr rather, a public park.

    "There''s a parking lot next to the park. I parked my car there."

    "It''s pretty far from the store, huh?"

    "There''s no convenient ces to park in Shibuya, see. Sheesh, the sun has already set, but it''s still so hot." Senpai fanned herself with her small hand to cool herself off.

    The trees growing in the public park were filled with abundant-growing leaves. However, in this darkness of the night, the green leaves weren''t as ck thanks to the lights of the city behind us, only creating a slight dimness lurking overhead. As we got closer to the parking lot, the lights started to grow more sparse, less and less people were around us, and I finally felt like Senpai was taking me somewhere. Promptly, Yomiuri-senpai slipped past the parking lot''s entrance and entered inside.

    Streetmps dotted the paved path here and there. These cones of light stretched out in front of us, illuminating the path beneath our feet. The breeze passing us by caused the leaves on the trees to shake, making the heat that had baked us ever since the afternoon a bit more bearable. The two of us walked through the empty parking lot, and Senpai suddenly stopped.

    "Wait a moment."

    "Ah, yes." I stopped as I was told.

    "I still need to thank you for sending me off."

    "Eh, you don''t need to."

    "Now, no holding back." Yomiuri-senpai said, approaching a vending machine that stood at the side of the path.

    The vending machine''s vertical screen suddenly lit up, and a mechanical voice spoke. "Wee!"

    Senpai took her smartphone out from the bag hanging down from her left shoulder. She pressed a button for a drink and held the smartphone against it, which resulted in a dull sound as the can of juice fell down. She repeated that once again, and came back with two aluminum cans in her hands, offering me one.

    "Here."

    "I''m sorry. Thank you very much."

    I supported my bike with my left hand and epted the can with my right. The can was cold despite the vending machine standing in the sun all day long.

    "I guess both of your hands are full. Should I hold it until you kick out the kickstand?"

    "It''s fine. This is no problem." I skillfully opened the can''s pull tab with one hand.

    After that, I turned it halfway so the opening faced me and took a sip. I felt the cold liquid and foam washing down my throat, right into my stomach, which caused me to let out a sigh after everything was washed down. It was delicious, indeed.

    "Ohh, how skillful."

    "I''m used to it."

    Putting down the kickstand every time I buy something to drink from the vending machine is too much trouble, so I often buy it on the fly and drink it with one hand.

    "Ah, I forgot to take a picture."

    "What were you nning on doing with said picture, Senpai?"

    "I want to take a video as well, and upload it."

    "Would you mind respecting my privacy? Also, it''s not that big of a deal. Really."

    "Really? I feel like it''d get a lot of views." Senpai smiled, only to grow silent for a moment. "You''re really fun and kind, after all."

    "Where did thate from?"

    "Well¡­" She spoke with a hesitant tone, so I waited.

    The light from the vending machine created a shadow on Senpai''s face. As we both stayed quiet, silence filled this public park, since this was the middle of the night. Behind the standing Senpai were towering buildings that looked like ck gravestones.

    "Hey, Junior-kun, there''s something I need to tell you¡­"

    "¡­Something you need to tell me?"

    "Yep. Something I want to tell you."

    In the end, I could only wait for her to speak. But because her light and cheerful tone was gone, it made the atmosphere feel heavy, making it harder for me to breathe.

    "The thing is¡­ I only have half a year more to live¡­"

    For a second, I was unsure what to say, so I froze in ce. My mind, however, simted every possible oue depending on what answer I would give. That''s a lie, right? Why? What happened? My thoughts were so busy trying to figure out the meaning behind what she had said that I couldn''t process her actual words. At a loss for words, I merely stood still, staring at Senpai''s face.

    She gave me a nce like she was testing me, but after two or three seconds passed, a bit of an ufortable expression started to form on her face.

    "¡­Sorry, that was a lie. I was only joking. You don''t need to look so depressed."

    "Did I really have that kind of face?"

    "You totally did. You almost made me worry that you had lost years off your lifespan because of me. I was trying to reenact a scene from the movie, but I guess I took it too far."

    Only then did I realize it. That promation that Senpai had said just now was the exact same line I had heard not too long ago.

    "Ah¡­ from that scene¡­"

    "Right. I thought that the scenery tonight was almost like an exact copy of that."

    "I see¡­ it was a park at night, yeah¡­"

    Why did I not realize it? It was right in front of my eyes.

    "Well, I can''t reenact the scene after all."

    "I sadly don''t have time travel powers."

    Senpaiughed in response to my joke.

    "I thought you were maybe expecting me to make a move like the heroine in the movie did, but judging from your reaction, that doesn''t seem to be the case."

    "What are you talking about?"

    "You were constantly ncing at me during the movie, right?"

    "Huh?"

    "What part of me were you looking at? My face? My chest? Or was it even... Come on, be honest~"

    "No, um¡­" I was at a loss for words.

    It was true that I had been entranced by her for a moment during the movie.

    "Ah, so you really were looking at me~"

    "Wha!?"

    She set me up?! Right, Senpai had never torn her eyes away from the screen during the entire duration of the movie.

    "I don''t know how to feel about you staring at a woman who''s in the prime of youth like me~"

    "Ugh¡­ I mean¡­ I''m sorry." I confessed my sins and lowered my head.

    "Ahahaha, I''m only joking. You don''t need to apologize."

    "But¡­"

    I felt like I had done something rude and needed to apologize, but Senpai just waved her hand at me and brushed it off. After that, she slowly offered me her other hand.

    "Ah, thank you very much." I gave her the can I had just emptied.

    "You did it for me at the movie theater, so this is me returning the favor." She said and put the empty cans into the dumpster next to the vending machine.

    When she approached the machine again, the lights lit up and the robotic voice yed again¡­ yet this time it sounded much more idiotic than before. It was like it had swallowed up what Senpai wanted to tell me. That being said, I hesitated to bring it up again.

    Senpai started walking again, and I hurriedly pushed my bike after her. Neither Senpai nor I said anything until we reached the space where she had parked her car. I had been searching for a topic of conversation, but I couldn''t say anything until Senpai told me "Here is fine." The best I could do was give a vague goodbye.

    "Ah, thank you for the music you told me about. Ayase-san was really happy about it."

    "After thinking about what to say, that was what you came up with, huh~?" Senpaiughed.

    "Huh?"

    "Don''t mind me. Give my regards to that little sister of yours."

    With these words, she disappeared into the parking lot. I saw her off until shepletely vanished, then hopped on my bicycle to ride home. I reminisced about thest exchange we had as I pedalled my bicycle. I still had no idea what would have been the right thing to say in that situation, though.

    When I arrived back home, I saw that the light in the living room was still on. When I peeked in, I saw Ayase-san sleeping at the table. It looked like she had been studying right before falling asleep. She was deep asleep, with one cheek resting on her opened notes. I could hear her faint breathing, quieter than the rumble of the A/C unit. I wondered why she had studied here instead of her own room, but then I grew worried that she might catch a cold from the running A/C.

    I thought of waking her up, but she might just be bothered if she knew that she fell asleep while studying. In the end, I just put a towel over her shoulders. Then I realized that one end of her earbuds had fallen out of her ears, still ying lofi hip hop music.

    I see. So she''s listening to that while studying. Though I don''t know if it actually helped increase her academic efficiency. I don''t want to force my own values or feelings onto other people, but I would be happy if she actually enjoyed the music I rmended to her. I think I might have just realized this now, but what I really wanted the most was to be of help to Ayase-san. Although I still haven''t done nearly enough to really earn myself that delicious French Toast.

    I turned the A/C a bit warmer, just to a level where she wouldn''t get a heat stroke, and prepared for my own bedtime. I took a bath, brushed my teeth, drank some water, and headed to the toilet. Before going to bed for good, I peeked inside the living room again, but Ayase-san was still sound asleep. I thought of waking her up, thinking that the running A/C might make her throat dry over the course of the night, but I decided against it in the end. She probably won''t sleep like this all the way until morning. It''s already past midnight, after all.

    As expected, right when I entered my own room, I heard the rm of a smartphone. I heard a bit of rustling from the living room as I went to bed. I figured she wouldn''t like the fact that I had seen her sleeping face. I had originally nned to only pretend that I was asleep, my long day at work and thete-night movie caught up to me and I fell asleep quicker than anticipated. In my dreams, music mixed with time-worn noise yed in my ears.

    ©¤©¤©¤

    1 Isn''t specified, but quite possibly the Hachiko Statue.

 Chapter 17 - 4

    <h4>Chapter 17: Chapter 4</h4>

    19th of July (Sunday)

    Right after waking up, I confirmed the time on the clock next to my pillow: 7:30am. I was relieved. It''s a pretty early time to wake up on a Sunday morning, but I resolutely got up. I did go to bed a bitter than usual the day prior, but my head feels fresh and clear, so I must have gotten a pretty deep slumber.

    When I went to the living room, my old man and Akiko-san weren''t present. They were presumably still sleeping. However, as I had anticipated, Ayase-san was awake already. She had freshened herself up, showing up absolutely no weaknesses or openings even at home. She was wearing a light fabric pullover overtop of her shoulderless shirt.

    "Good morning, Ayase-san."

    "Morning, Asamura-kun."

    With these words, Ayase-san stood up. When she did so, I could see a ribbon made of simr fabric to her pullover right above her waist, with red hot pants beneath.

    "Ah, I can take care of it myself. You''ve already finished eating, right?"

    I would have felt bad having Ayase-san take care of my breakfast when she was already sitting on the table with a coffee, which was why I asked her to remain seated.

    "I''ve barely finished mine, though. This one is yours, Asamura-kun." She pointed at the food on the table.

    "I just have to heat it up, right?" I went to carry the soup bowl Ayase-san pointed at to the microwave, only to pause halfway.

    Do I warm this up? Or eat it while it''s cold? I started pondering that question, because I felt a certain gentle coldness from the thin soup bowl.

    "Just like that is fine. It''s a lot better cold. I actually just took it out of the fridge."

    She must have heard me getting up and gotten it ready for me when I did so. As always, she''s considerate about the smallest things. When I looked at what was inside the soup bowl, I could see some yellow-ish thick soup.

    "What kind of soup is this?"

    "Pumpkin."

    "¡­Isn''t pumpkin season between summer and fall? So you can get them already, huh?"

    "Really?"

    "Yeah, I remember reading that you harvest them in the summer and eat them during fall. Just after harvesting them, they''re still sweet, so you let them age a bit. On Halloween you hang up pumpkinnterns and wait for the Great Pumpkin to arrive."

    "The heck is that?"

    "Don''t you know ''Peanuts''? Snoopy? Charlie Brown?"

    "Ah, Linus with the security nket1."

    "Why would that be the first thing thates to mind?"

    Linus, a friend of Charlie Brown, is always carrying this nket with him. They called it ''nket syndrome'' or something like that, but in the end, everyone has something in their life they can''t ever let go of, I think. Some people might keep worthless junk like it''s irreceable treasure. I''m sure even Ayase-san has something she holds onto like that. If an adult thinks that it''s trash and throws it away, the attachment grows even stronger. My mother''s angry expression suddenly came to mind, but I shook my head and freed myself of that thought.

    "¡­Well, no matter what season it is, you can pretty much eat vegetables all year round. I''m just a bit surprised to see such beautiful pumpkin soup."

    It looked like sacred sake. It was a faint, almost transparent color.

    "I heated up the pumpkin and some onions, added milk and raw cream, and threw it into the food processor." Ayase-san saw that I was interested and exined the recipe to me.

    Of course, just because I was a bit interested didn''t mean I''d start enjoying making food myself. Even if my lunchbox lifestyle doesn''t change, it might be useful somewhere down the line. I took a mental note of the recipe as I stuffed some bread into the toaster.

    "It''s rare for you to put two slices in¡­ Ah, sorry for prying like that."

    "Both you and Akiko-san are always considerate about the smallest of things, not just about food, so I wouldn''t ever take it that way." I answered, which caused Ayase-san to make a rather ufortable expression.

    Ayase-san might not forget about another person''s preferences, but everyone else isn''t the same. That''s true of friendships in particr. You don''t act that way because you want other people to like you, but because you treasure the other person. Even if she only treasures me as the son of the person her mother got married to, I don''t think it''s a bother at all.

    "I just felt like asking that." She muttered in a quiet voice.

    Is it just my imagination, or is she acting a bit bashful? If you just looked at the scene itself, it seemed like something from a light novel or anime, but reality is not that sweet. If you mistake a reaction from someone close to you as bashful or kind, you might have misfortune or even sorrow from this one-sided misconception.

    As for me, I''m always careful to not get the wrong idea from Ayase-san''s actions. I certainly won''t here. Then again, I know that it can''t be helped if some people misread situations like this. Reality isn''t any anime or manga. But if you were to experience a situation simr to a scene that you''ve watched or read before, it''s easy to get the wrong idea. It is an unfortunate habit that all human beings share. Even I nked out for a second when Yomiuri-senpai made the joke about her life expectancy. Surprise attacks are the worst of all.

    "So, about the slices of toast. I worked all day yesterday, so I got hungry pretty early. I only had one slice of toast yesterday, so my stomach was growling all the way until break." I said with a casual voice as I sat down on a chair.

    "Good work on your job."

    "Thanks."

    Thanks to this exaggerated conversation, the atmosphere slowly turned back to normal, as t as how it always was. I guess this is something people do to rid the air of awkward moods like this.

    Along with the two slices of toast and pumpkin soup, arge bowl with chicken sd inside stood on the middle of the table. The morning sunlight entering from the windows caused the bowl to shine with a green hue.

    "Use whatever dressing you prefer."

    "Thanks."

    Ayase-san looked back down at her smartphone, coffee in hand. Since she''s not listening to anything on her earbuds, she must be looking something up. Anyway, I guess I''ll try out the pumpkin soup first.

    I scooped up a bit with a spoon and had a taste. I could pick up a bit of scent when I raised it to my mouth, but once it was on my tongue, the taste of pumpkin became even more obvious. Boiled pumpkin was always soft enough, but thanks to the food processor, it had almost turned into a smoothie. Although it was sweet, it went down easily. Eating this cold was the right choice after all. I had always thought you needed to eat soup warm.

    "Hey."

    When I was stuffing my cheeks with the chicken sd, Ayase-san suddenly spoke up. I looked up at her.

    "You put a towel over mest night, didn''t you?"

    "Ah, well¡­"

    If I answered honestly, she''d find out I saw her sleeping face. But I was aware that beating around the bush here would only make it worse. Last month I just happened to spot Ayase-san''s underwear drying in her room, which caused me to sweat buckets in panic. That being the case, saying ''Well, yeah'', would be a little too painfully honest. It''d make it sound like I was hiding something.

    "I figured."

    "I know you really want to avoid supplementary sses, but ruining your health for the sake of the exam is not an option either, you know?"

    "Right. Yeah¡­ thanks."

    "You don''t need to thank me."

    If you start thanking me, then I''ll feel the need to thank you for constantly making food for me. Of course, I came up with the conclusion that I should help her, but Ayase-san t-out declined my offer. She has to do both, or she doesn''t mind doing both. It really helps, but can you really keep that work-life bnce going? She says she likes to give more than take. I know that''s easier said than done. I really need to look into another method to increase her academic efficiency other than music.

    "I heard you went to watch a movie yesterday?"

    Ayase-san''s sudden question caused my voice to stick in my throat.

    "Um¡­ Well, I watched ate-night movie that was going to end screening this weekend. Where did you even hear that from?"

    "Taichi-san seemed really happy. During dinner he said ''This is Yuuta''s first time going to y around at night! I was really worried because he''s too diligent for his own good, and he''s a bit boring to be honest, but I guess he''s grown up now!'', and such¡­"

    "Phrasing! Again!"

    Also, how do you remember all of that word for word? How is your memory that amazing?

    "You were with your Senpai from work, right?"

    "That''s true, but we weren''t ying around or anything. We just wanted to watch the same movie. And without Senpai telling me about it, I wouldn''t even havee up with the idea of watching it at ate-night screening."

    "Hmm."

    "Have you heard of the novel ''Azure Night''s Interval''?"

    "Ah." Ayase-san nodded. "I''ve heard of it. I feel like I''ve even seen an ad for the movie."

    "I''m surprised you have, despite not even watching that much TV."

    "It was on the inte."

    This time, I was the one to nod. Advertisements and announcements should be shown where the greatest number of people can see. Even if our generation doesn''t watch much TV, we use the inte. In that case, you just have to put it all over the inte.

    "How was it?" Ayase-san asked.

    I guess she''s asking for my impression of the movie?

    "Ehhh¡­ Well, it wasn''t half bad." I told Ayase-san what I remembered.

    The source material was a so-called light literature novel, which told of a romance between a highschool boy and a girl who ran into each other. There''s funny parts to the story, but it eventually gets a bit more serious, and the final plot twist is still stuck in my head.

    "There''s a girl the protagonist can meet with only once a week at midnight in a public park. She''s actually a student at his highschool, but whenever they meet at noon, she acts like they don''t know each other. They can only meet at midnight, and she acts like an entirely different person. The more they meet, the more attracted they be to each other. And then, one night, she tells him¡ª" I paused for dramatic effect. "''I only have half a year more to live''."

    Ayase-san swallowed her breath. Yeah, it was a pretty big surprise. I mean, look at my reaction when Yomiuri-senpai told me that.

    "The climax is from there on out, but I don''t want to spoil you too much, so I''ll just leave it at that."

    I''m not on Maru or anything, but I tend to keep bbering on about something if I''m in the mood. That just shows how the movie wasn''t ''half bad'', but actually left me with a deep impression. It also shows in that I''ve been thinking of buying the source material.

    "Thanks. It sounds interesting."

    "Right? If not for your supplementary exam, I''d rmend you to watch it today."

    "After the exam is over."

    "Right."

    "If there''s source material, then I might just read that instead. Since I want to help my Modern Japanese grades, I need to read more books as well."

    "I don''t think a light novel will appear on the exam."

    I don''t really know if light literature is technically light novels or literature.

    "I''ve never really read novels or manga. Maybe there''s something I might be able to learn from them."

    "Maybe."

    However, strictly speaking, Ayase-san isn''t bad at understanding the contents of literature. She just has trouble dealing with works that depict emotions other than her own. If someone loves someone else and yet insults them, or if they scream to kill someone else despite their actual feelings, it might be lost on her. When I told her about that, she seemed slightly bothered.

    "They should just be honest about things like that."

    "People act differently than each other. That''s how drama is born."

    If two people who have fallen in love with each other could put their honest feelings into words, the story would be over. Of course, there are plenty of stories that are like that. Discrepancies happen when people don''t adjust to someone else. Both tragedies andedies are born from this. A dramatic love story uses misunderstandings and discrepancies to advance its plot.

    "I really don''t get it."

    "That''s why I think we should leave that as a ck box, and focus only on the few works that coulde up in the exams, as well as corrting information for those. By the way, do you feel like you''re making any progress?"

    "I''m just working on the mock questions, but I feel like I''m getting more points than before. It seems like what you said was true, Asamura-kun. If I just remember the historical background and its rtion to the work, I feel like I can answer a lot of questions."

    "Because it''s an exam after all." I felt the urge to stress that.

    "What do you mean?"

    "Since we''re doing an exam, there won''t be any questions or problems that don''t have an answer. Ayase-san, have you heard of the term ''open ending''?"

    "Like an open conclusion?"

    "That''s a different name for it, but yeah."

    Then again, she must be taking this seriously. Is that why it sounds so weird? I doubt Ayase-san is ying dumb.

    "It happens a lot in movies. The movie ends without you knowing what happened to the protagonist. It''s basically an ending that leaves the conclusion up to the imagination of the audience."

    "I hate that. It''d probably stress me out."

    "I figured you''d say that. Anyway, the point is that this won''t happen in an exam."

    And this isn''t constrained to open endings in particr. There are a lot of other ces where an author doesn''t exin everything in detail, instead leaving it up to the interpretation of the reader. I could list a lot of examples of this. However, these don''t appear in exams either. You can''t grade someone on their opinion about something, after all, especially if it''s different from person to person.

    "That makes sense."

    "Exactly, which is why they''ll make questions about things where the reader''s experience won''t be any different¡­ at least not to a level where it could impact your grade. A famous cram school teacher once said ''There will not be a problem where you can''t pick a choice at a multiple-choice question2''."

    Aside from questions where your creativity, originality, or knowledge of a topic is being tested, of course.

    "It''s a bit direct, but it makes sense."

    "Right?"

    However, I have to agree that keeping it vague at times is what makes books so charming. In such a case, theck of rity stimtes your imagination. I might prefer t rtionships that omit guesswork in real life, but I can gain more viewpoints on different things by reading books and increasing my knowledge. Not only am I escaping narrow-mindedness by reading books, but I can also train my imagination and creativity, broadening my horizons. That''s why I don''t want Ayase-san to read books solely because of a thirst for knowledge¡­ Though I wouldn''t reallyin if she did.

    "So are you going out with that Yomiuri-senpai?"

    I nearly spit out my coffee. What do you mean by that, huh? When I realized she was staring at me, I subconsciously straightened up and answered like I was the defendant being interrogated by a public prosecutor.

    "We aren''t like that."

    "Really?"

    "Really. She''s just a senior at work."

    "Hmmm."

    "She likes books, so we get along. That''s all."

    "You read a lot of books too, don''t you? That difference is pretty significant, I guess¡­ I see. I should read books too after all¡­ I might have to go shopping." Ayase-san said, only to suddenly stop herself, fumbling over her words. "Big emphasis on ''might.''"

    "I''m more than happy to see the birth of another book lover. Though your exams are more important right now."

    "Huh? Ah, yeah¡­ You''re right." Ayase-san sounded a bit flustered, and she directed her gaze down towards her phone again.

    She put her wireless earbuds in her ears and opened her notes, signaling that she had gone into studying mode. I cleaned up after I finished eating breakfast, loaded the dishwasher, and then headed back to my room. I have another full-time shift at work starting around noon today. Since I went straight to bed aftering home yesterday, I needed to finish up my homework. Since tomorrow is the deadline for said homework, I was panicking a bit. I became so focused that I was working on it until my phone''s rm rang. Thanks to that, I yet again wasn''t able to eat a proper lunch.

    When I stepped out of our air-conditioned house, the summer heat hit me like a wave. I was forced to blink a few times from the strong sunlight hitting my face. Our dear sun was really motivated today. I could even pick up the faint scent of scorched asphalt. Although it was barely noon, the temperature had already passed 30¡ãC. This was the third consecutive day of mid-summer.

    Despite the fact that it was a Sunday, arge crowd had gathered in front of the Shibuya train station. I somehow made it through there, arrived at the store, changed into my uniform in the back room, and stepped out into the front. Today, my shiftsts to 9pm.

    "Yo, Junior-kun."

    When I entered, Yomiuri-senpai called out to me. She acted the same as ever, almost like that eventst night didn''t even happen. Of course, that made it easier for me, and I was very thankful for it. She must be good at reading the room.

    "Hello Senpai. Are you filling up the shelves?"

    "That''s right. Could you help me?"

    "Of course."

    Yomiuri-senpai was pushing the trolley with a cardboard box in front of her. When I took a peek inside, I could see some heavy magazines in there. Luckily, I could avoid the cash register today, so instead, I focused on filling the empty spaces on the bookshelves and organizing the other shelves. If I had a spare moment, I would fix any bent covers as well, or put any returned goods into a cardboard box. When you work at a bookstore, there''s always something to do.

    Of course, I can''t tell the store to order any books for me from printers, but I can tell Yomiuri-senpai about them, and she can rmend them in my stead.

    "Women''s magazines, huh¡­ Seems tough this month."

    "Righto. Probably in my top 3 list of books that are bothersome to deal with."

    "Oh yeah, the extras are crazy."

    For magazines targeted at modern women or housewives, there are always limitless extras appended to such volumes. Thanks to that, the magazines are always thick and heavy. These extras often contain eco-bags, makeup samples, or even stylish pouches. Whenever you have theserge extras, you need to make sure that they don''t end up all over the ce.

    To achieve that, you either tie them together with string or tape, or you use rubber bands. Both of these have their merits and demerits. Keeping them together with string or tape is always a secure way to attach them together, but in the event that you use too much, it can damage the magazine in the process. Rubber bands are easy to put on or remove, but if someone gets a magazine without the extra, you''ll getints.

    Of course, you could seal them together in the same stic wrap, but sealing already-thick magazines along with the extras is something barely any bookstores do. At the very least, I doubt the cost of doing so makes it really worth it.

    "I wish they''d at least make it the same size as the magazines themselves. They really don''t care about how difficult it makes them to stack. Here, hold this."

    "Woah! Don''t just throw it at me. ¡­Wow, this really is pretty unbnced."

    "You can say that again."

    This time, they had added a small paper box about the same size as the magazine, which offset the heaviness from the other magazines.

    "What''s even inside there?"

    "Some kind of treasure box."

    "Huh?"

    When I looked at the cover, it said something about some kind of essory inside that box. They wouldn''t put actual jewels into a magazine extra, and yet the cover made it seem like something extravagant.

    "Isn''t this¡­ false advertising?"

    "It should be fine. It says it''s ''something like a treasure box''."

    "But¡­" I doubt that''d hold up in court.

    "The outside box is fairly big, but the inside is maybe a third of that at best. That''s why they''re impossible to bnce."

    "Why didn''t they just put it in the middle?"

    "I guess they made the box first. Then the box ended up bigger in the end."

    "Ahhh¡­"

    I didn''t know what was really going on, but Senpai''s logic made sense.

    "It''s heavy already, but it weighs so much more on one side than the other¡­"

    "It''ll be pretty hard to stack, yep."

    "This magazine sells quite well, though, so we have to stack it somehow."

    "Let''s give it a try."

    However, once we got to the tform in front of the magazines, it was as bad as I had expected, and I cursed to myself. When we started stacking the magazines, we could only stack them about two-thirds as high as the tower next to it. Any more than that would make it lean and eventually fall. Since magazine covers are generally smooth and slippery, they slide and fall over particrly easily.

    "This ain''t doing it."

    "Indeed. It might be possible if we alternated every other one upside down."

    "Then you won''t be able to see the front cover once one is sold. You can''t do that."

    "Right~"

    This is quite troublesome. In the end, we decided to stack the bottom half of them upside-down, with the upper half stacked on top showing their covers. Even if some copies of these magazines are sold, they shouldn''t reach the ce where the covers are upside-down, at least not before we could add more copies on top of them. Once we''repletely out of them, we can just flip the lower ones back over. It''s more work, but that''ll at least give the magazines proper treatment. After that, we built the other stacks of magazines up around them.

    "All right. That should do the trick."

    After slowly working through the mountain of books in the cardboard box, I raised my head when I didn''t get a response from Yomiuri-senpai. She wasn''t even looking at me. Her gaze was fixated at a point near the corner of the bookshelf.

    "That girl seems like she''s looking for something. I guess I''ll go ask her if I can help."

    I followed Senpai''s gaze. She wasn''t looking at the magazine shelf, but rather at a point in front of one a bit further away. A girl about my age stood there, acting confused. She had light hair and an ear piercing that sparkled thanks to the interior lights shining down on it. Right when I thought to myself Wait, she looks familiar, Yomiuri-senpai had already started walking towards her, talking to her in her employee mode.

    "Are you looking for something by any chance?"

    The girl twitched in shock and turned towards Senpai. "Umm, I''m searching for a book¡­"

    "Huh? Ayase-san?!"

    When I raised my voice, Yomiuri-senpai turned back towards me, and the girl gave me a nce from a distance. It seems like she didn''t realize it was me for a second. I guess that makes sense. This must be the first time she''s seen me wearing this store''s apron. Her mouth was wide open and round, and when Yomiuri-senpai saw this, she started running towards her like a cat chasing its prey. She''s definitely going to use this for some kind of ckmailter.

    "So you''re searching for a book. Let me help you!"

    "Um, thank you very much."

    "Leave it to meeee!"

    Oddly ufortable politenguage came from the usually outgoing girl as the diligent literary girl employee brimmed with curiosity. Yomiuri-senpai, you''re showing your true colors here. I approached the two of them, pushing the empty trolley.

    "Hey, you''re this kiddo''s little sister, right?" Yomiuri-senpai asked Ayase-san, pointing at me.

    "Ah, yes, that''s right. So, um, who are you¡­?"

    "Yomiuri Shiori. Nice to meet you."

    Ayase-san made a satisfied expression. "Ah, so you''re¡­"

    "Wow! You really are a beauty, just like Junior-kun said! So cutesy wutesy~"

    "Are you some kind of drunken old man, Yomiuri-senpai?"

    "How could you tell, Junior-kun? Did you perhaps visit a bar before, Mr. Underage?" She retorted mercilessly as I approached the two of them.

    If I had any kind of reaction there, it''d be my loss, which is why I kept talking with an unfazed expression.

    "More importantly, what brings you here, Ayase-san?"

    I had assumed she would be focusing her time on studying, so I asked it like it was odd behavior, despite it actually being fairly ordinary.

    "I came here to buy a book¡­"

    "Junior-kun, go and put these away, would you?" Senpai asked me, pointing at the trolley.

    Now that I think about it, we''re still at work, so that should have top priority. I pushed the trolley back to the back room, though slightly reluctantly¡ªand ran back at full speed. When I returned, the two of them were still talking like before.

    "I see. That big, huh?"

    "Isn''t that normal?"

    "I don''t think it''s quite something you could call normal¡­"

    The heck are they talking about?

    "Oh, you back already, Junior-kun? That was barely two minutes."

    "Haaaa, huff, y-you timed it¡­?"

    How good is she at multi-tasking like that?

    "Just going with my gut."

    "You mean intuition? Also, you were the one who brought out the trolley in the first ce, right?"

    "I don''t like it when my junior has such good perception."

    "Tell that to an alchemist3 some other time¡­ Sheesh. So did you ask Ayase-san what she was looking for?"

    "Not yet."

    Do your job, would you!?

    "Um, Asamura-kun, I''m looking for a reference book. There was a ce where I got stuck¡­ and also, that movie you watched yesterday. I thought I''d buy the source material for that while I''m here."

    I see. That exins why she''d take a break from studying¡ªor so some anime or manga protagonist would say, and would already agree with her. However, humans aren''t so pure as to act because of a single motive. Having only one motive is almost unrealistic. I don''t think she was lying per se, but¡­ if that were true, then the chance of her being interested in what one of her family members was doing at work must at least be usible. Not to mention that she had always been curious about Yomiuri-senpai.

    "Oh my, you''re interested in that movie, little sis? Today''s thest day it''s showing. Should Ie with you for thete-night screening?"

    "Ah, that''s a bit¡­"

    "Ayase-san has to study. Could you please not drag her down the wrong path?"

    "A sinful flower grows by sucking the blood of beautiful people¡­"

    "How awfully inefficient. Flowers relying on light and water to grow usually end up being far superior."

    "That''s quite the harsh criticism you''re making of me. Well, let''s leave the jokes aside."

    "I was being serious, though."

    "We have our job as shop employees."

    "I was doing my job. How about you?"

    "Junior-kun, we don''t have time for idle talk during our shift. We need to put our utmost into satisfying our customers!"

    "¡­I don''t have any objections there."

    I mean, the other customers areughing at our conversation. I want to get away from here as quickly as possible.

    "So, little sis, the book you''re searching for is¡ª"

    "It''s Saki."

    "Hm?"

    "Ayase Saki."

    "Ayase?"

    "You can call me Asamura Saki, too, but that would make it hard to differentiate between us, so feel free to call me whichever you like."

    I think this might be the first time Ayase-san has referred to herself as ''Asamura Saki''. This name was fairly unfamiliar to my ears, making it feel quite fresh. But I guess that makes sense. Going by that logic, there''s a possibility that I''ll end up as ''Ayase Yuuta''. If I introduced myself like that, I wonder if she''d feel the same way as I am right now?

    "Hmm, I see. That''s why Asamura-kun has been calling you ''Ayase-san'', huh? Then I''ll call you Saki-chan. So, about this reference book, that should be in the learning corner. We should start with the novel first."

    "Yes. And¡­ Asamura-kun." Ayase-san said, looking over at me. "If you have any other rmended books, please let me know. I think that the books you like might be a good starting point."

    "Mine?"

    Ayase-san nodded.

    "I figured that if you rmended something to me, it''d be good. Watching movies all the time is a bit too expensive, but if it''s just paperback books, I could buy a few, and reading will surely help with my studies as well."

    "I see. One of the good things about novels is how far your money goes! You really get it, Saki-chan!"

    "There''s even the recent movie subculture as well."

    I guess that makes sense. The price is the biggest factor when deciding to buy a book or not. Since working part-time is securing me enough money to spend, I don''t worry about the price as much. Not to mention that books aren''t that expensive to begin with. But I probably only think that because I like books.

    Maru even told me before that "You really don''t care about anything but books, huh?" with an exasperated tone. It''s true that I''m not interested in making myself look good like Ayase-san does. I''m the type of person who thinks brand-name clothing is way too expensive. But everyone has their own set of values. Just look at Maru. He buys anime BD boxes as soon as theye out. That''s why I was a bit bothered when he said that to me.

    "But even if you ask me for rmendations, it''s not that easy. I don''t know what kind of interests you have."

    "If she''s curious about ''Azure Night''s Interval'', why not rmend something along those lines? After that, you can make rmendations based on those sorts of tastes."

    "Ahh, that makes sense." I was a bit thankful for Yomiuri-senpai throwing me a helping hand.

    That''s a senior bookstore employee for you.

    "Then I''m choosing one from the light literature genre. I think something more realistic would be better for starters¡­ Ah, before that, the source material. Do we still have one of the volumes?"

    "I don''t think it''s still up on the front disy despite you setting it up so well before. It should be on the shelves now, and there might be an offchance that a customer can''t find them there, so¡­"

    Then the vice store manager called out to Yomiuri-senpai. He asked her to take care of the register, as she''s practically perfect for the job thanks to her looks and appearance. With an expression consisting of resignation and eptance, she epted. Giving a brief farewell, Senpai headed to the register. Senpai, I won''t ever forget what you''ve taught me. Please live strong.

    "Is the cash register a lot of trouble by any chance?"

    "I think it is. It basically requires a lot of briefmunication with people who generally don''t bother considering your circumstances."

    When I said that, Ayase-san''s face tightened, and she hugged her body with both her hands. Come on now, it''s not that scary. Anyway, I took her to the light literature shelves, and we started looking for that light novel. Maybe it was thanks to it being on the shelves, or maybe because it was still early in the day, but there was a single copy left.

    "Around here¡­"

    "Ah, I read the manga for this. So it was based on a novel, huh?"

    "I figured that a novel receiving a media mix4 would be a good starting point."

    Though it depends on personal preferences if you''ll enjoy a particr novel or not.

    "The learning books corner is over there. There''s a pir with arge ''Hiring part-timer'' poster hanging on it right in front of it. Though it might be hard to read with the dim lighting. Anyway, the shelf is to the right of that."

    "Ahh, I see. I got it¡­ I think."

    "If you''re having trouble, feel free to ask an employee around there, ore back and I''ll take you there."

    "It''s fine. I should be able to find it by myself. You''re working right now anyway."

    "Got it. Then I''ll be going back to work."

    "Going back, huh? Oh yeah, that apron looks pretty good on you."

    "That''s¡­ Thanks."

    Suddenly receiving thatpliment left me more bewildered than happy, to be honest. If possible, I would have preferred to take her to the corner myself, but I had already spent a lot of time dealing with Ayase-san, so any more than this would probably be considered cking.

    With the source material of the movie and two books I rmended to her in hand, Ayase-san headed towards the corner. After gazing up at the poster, she headed to the right, disappearing towards the bookshelf. After seeing her off, I returned to my own duties of organizing the shelves.

    After a bit of time had passed, Ayase-san called out to me from behind me. When I turned around, she was carrying another heavy book, which seemed to be some kind of reference book.

    "I''ll buy this and then go home. Thanks for helping me during your shift."

    "I was happy that I could help. Don''t worry about it."

    I watched Ayase-san walk off to the cash register, when suddenly someone called out to the side of me.

    "Excuse me, where is the cash register?"

    When I turned towards the voice, I saw an elderly woman carrying a thick magazine. The arm she was holding it with was shaking. Although she had a bag with her, she probably thought that putting the book in there before paying it would get her in trouble, which was why she was carrying it with one hand.

    "The cash register is to the left after you walk down this aisle¡­ But do you want me to help you carry that?"

    "I shouldn''t, but¡­ can I ask you for that?"

    "Yes, of course." I epted the magazine, which turned out to be the heavy one with the small box added to it.

    I escorted the elderdy to the cash register, and since it was open right now, I could take care of the actual purchase as well.

    "You really helped me. Thank you very much."

    "No no. Thank you very much for your purchase!"

    The elderdy stuffed the magazine in her bag and left after giving a brief goodbye.

    "Please wait a moment."

    There, I heard a familiar voice from the cash register next to mine, belonging to Yomiuri-senpai. Coincidentally enough, the customer she was currently dealing with was Ayase-san. They seemed to have finished the paying process. Senpai put the change into a silver tter in front of Ayase-san and slid the books into our store''s original paper covers.

    "You''re pretty fast." Ayase-san said, speaking with a tone of admiration in her voice.

    The two of them hadn''t realized that I could hear them.

    "Mm, well, I''m used to it. Yuuta-kun''s pretty fast, too."

    "Yuuta-kun¡­? Ah, Asamura-kun."

    "Right. It would just be confusing if I called him ''Junior-kun,'' wouldn''t it? Here, your three books¡­ Um, dear customer, would you like me to put a cover on your reference book as well?"

    It''s a bit toote to go back to politenguage, Senpai.

    "No need, thank you."

    "Understood. Then again, he''s the only one who started working after me, so he technically is my only Junior-kun. Oh, and here is yourpleted purchase." Senpai put the four books into a vinyl bag and gave it to Ayase-san.

    "Thank you very much."

    "Likewise. Thank you very much for your purchase! If you want to watch Yuuta-kun at work again, stop by whenever!"

    "That''s not why I¡­"

    "For you, Saki-chan, I''ll throw in a free smile for 0 yen!"

    So you''re taking money from other customers, Senpai? Ayase-san, however, ignored thatment and stepped out of the store. The next customer immediately moved up in line at the cash register, and I returned to the shelves.

    Around when our shift ended, Yomiuri-senpai came to talk to me.

    "Your little sis sure is cute~"

    "Are you still going on about that?"

    "Once you''re my age, you need to absorb the essence of the youngsters, or you''ll end up rotting faster~"

    What are you, some kind of vampire?

    "I don''t think you''re that far apart in age."

    "We''re talking about high school and university here. It''s a huge difference. You really don''t get it, Junior-kun."

    "I feel like I never will, to be honest."

    "She really was cute, though. She had such lively reactions. Whenever you came up, her expressions would change ever so slightly. Junior-kun, this one might be big money."

    "Big what?"

    "Big money~!"

    For a second, I was unable to grasp what she was talking about. However, when I saw her bright grin and sparkling eyes, I figured it out. Basically, she''s saying that Ayase-san''s reaction hints at romantic interest.

    "No, that''s definitely not¡­"

    "Really? Are you sure?"

    "Ayase-san''s just my sister, okay?"

    I can''t look at her in any other way, and I''m certain that Ayase-san feels the same way. She must.

    My shift for the day ended, and I made my way home straight away. Both of my parents were still awake, so we ate dinner together. Although it was prettyte, 10pm, they had waited for me all the way until then. Akiko-san had gone all-out for the first time in a while. She had made some excellent fried chicken. While we ate, my old man kept bbering on and on about how great it was, munching it all down. How can he have this much energy despite already living with her for a month?

    Ayase-san wasn''t with us at the dining table. She apparently had finished eating earlier, and was now in her room studying. I didn''t see Ayase-san again that evening.

    ©¤©¤©¤

    1 Linus

    2 Looked up the exact quote, but I couldn''t find it.

    3 This is a reference to Fullmetal Alchemist, a quote from the guy who made a chimera out of his dog and daughter. Of course, altered to fit context more.

    4 Media mix

 Chapter 18 - 5

    <h4>Chapter 18: Chapter 5</h4>

    20th of July (Monday)

    It was Monday morning of a new week. Upon entering the school''s ssroom, I could feel my vigor physically leave my body. It all looked like a ck and white movie to me. I could hear bits and snippets from my ssmates'' conversations, but their voices seemed much more quiet than before. An idle atmosphere reigned.

    The reason for this was simple. Halfway through this week, summer break will start. It''s different from the mentality of next week will be summer break which was the casest week. The end-of-term exams were over, and summer break was right in front of our eyes. It''s pretty much impossible to ask for people to show any kind of motivation for a throwaway match.

    While I observed the passage of time inside the ssroom moving a tad bit slower than usual, a single male student sluggishly walked into the room.

    "Morning, Maru. Morning practice must be tough."

    "Yo, Asamura¡­" Both his voice and even his expression were out of steam.

    Although not many of our sports clubspete on a national level, there''s a lot of them who put in enough effort to at least reach the middle of the road solidly. My good friend Maru Tomokazu keeps up apetitive position in the baseball club, which is why he has morning and after-school practice practically every single day. Normally, he isn''t as exhausted as how he looks right now, so maybe something else has happened.

    "You''re like a dried-up tree without your usual energy there. What happened?"

    "We lost the second match in the local preliminaries."

    "So you''re depressed."

    "No, not really. It just means that practice will be even harsher during summer break."

    "Not the opposite? Normally, you''d practice even harder if you made it further in a tournament."

    "Even if you put everything into your practice, there''s a limit on how much actual skill you can acquire in a short period of time. You can take a break to improve your physical condition, you can avoid any risks or injuries from practice, that sort of thing. They rarely really go all out in terms of practice during big tournaments."

    "I see. That sounds logical."

    "Indeed¡­ Mm." Maru sat down on his chair, devoid of any energy, and observed the inside of the ssroom with narrowed eyes.

    While watching our ssmates making ns for the summer break in the midst of this sluggish atmosphere, Maru let out a mutter.

    "Must be nice to be able to enjoy summer break."

    "Are you the kind of person who''d get jealous about that, Maru?"

    "Of course I am. Your free time is the greatest fortune you can have. Then again, I was the one who decided to pour my time into the baseball club, so I can''tin."

    "Then what are you jealous of?"

    "That I don''t have much time to visit the movie theater. They release a lot of big titles during summer break, trying to target the free time families and young couples have. Since I''m stuck at practice, I can''t enjoy them." Maru let out a deep sigh. It made me mentally let out a snicker, since this was very much like him.

    I don''t know how to feel about someone watching movie after movie because practice is slow during a big tournament, but that''s how Maru Tomokazu is. His thought process is always a bit different frommon sense.

    "There''s a lot of movies I was interested in as well."

    "Like ''Azure Night''s Interval''?"

    "Huh? That''s a standard tearjerker, dude. It might be good for girls who want their daily share of depression, or couples that need an excuse to flirt in public, but a movie maniac like me won''t be satisfied by something like that."

    "Are you seriously judging it without seeing it? That makes you a failure of a movie fan. I''ll have you know it was pretty good."

    "Wait, you''ve seen it, Asamura?"

    Ah, I think I messed up. It''d be bad if he asked me Why? With Who? In what situation?, so I had to choose my words carefully.

    "I was interested in the source material since I saw it at work, so I went to watch it alone after work."

    "Asamura¡­ You went on a date, didn''t you?"

    "Huh? No, what are you talking about?"

    "I didn''t even ask, and yet you specifically mentioned that you went alone. You always act independently, so there was no need for you to rify that."

    "What are you? Some kind of detective? You''re reading too much into it." I tried to remain calm, but I could feel the sweat building up beneath my shirt.

    Maru was looking at me through his sses like a bird of prey would look at its next meal. It felt like he was staring directly into my soul, which made me feel really ufortable. It makes me think that I might be better off just confessing that I watched the movie with Yomiuri-senpai. Is this how a criminal feels when he''s backed into a corner? Then again, he doesn''t have any concrete proof for any of this.

    "With Narasaka, Ayase, and now¡­ Asamura, aren''t you a bit too sexually frustrated?"

    "I''m telling you, you''ve got it all wrong."

    "Really now? I''ve heard reports of people saying you''ve been talking with Narasaka here and there. When was it, in front of the library room a while ago?"

    "Huh, what, am I being stalked? It''s a bit scary that you know about that."

    "People have eyes everywhere. Your sins shall be revealed."

    ''The walls have ears'', ''the sliding doors have eyes''; ''people will talk''¡ªthese are all sayings that suddenly sound much more credible than ever.

    "I think calling the fact that I talked to Narasaka-san a ''sin'' is taking things a bit too far."

    "For the men who''ve fallen for her, it''s a serious crime¡­ You didn''t watch the movie with her, did you?"

    "I didn''t go with... anybody."

    I was about to say ''with Narasaka-san'', but I quickly corrected myself. In response, Maru clicked his tongue. What a terrifying way of guiding me to answer the question in the way he wants. This guy is dangerous.

    "Well, you know. If you awaken to your desires to experience sensual love, just let me know. I''m the number one when ites to human rtionships, and I''ll support your love as much as I can." He shed his white, healthy teeth in a smile and gave me a thumbs-up.

    In all honesty, Maru''s resourcefulness is impressive enough to make any enemy his friend, but I don''t feelfortable at all having him as an ally.

    "If that happens, I''ll be relying on you."

    "Aighto."

    When I gave a brief response, Maru showed no intentions of questioning me any further. Thanks to his sensitivity and knowledge of other people, he must know that I actually went to the movie theater with someone else, but instead of letting his curiosity get the better of him, he instead is prioritizing my own feelings on the matter. Knowing when to give up is very mature of him. He really is a great friend.

    ¡­Though telling him that to his face would be pretty awkward, so I won''t do that.

    sses ended for the day. Maru quickly left for baseball practice, and the other ssmates slowly but steadily filed out of the ssroom shortly after. I watched them all as I remained seated. I held my phone in hand, spending my time reading up on socialworks or news, waiting. Shortly after, thest group of two students, who had stayed behind chatting about this and that, finally left as well, leaving me alone in the ssroom.

    A raw summer heat blew in from the half-opened window, and the chirping cicadas in the distance assaulted me with a sense of nostalgia. I guess that all Japanese people have this feeling under the right circumstances. Maybe Japanese people have an automatic reaction in their genes to reminisce about their hometown as soon as summer rolls around?

    Or so I hypothesized to myself, and eventually stood up from my seat with a sigh. I wasn''t just wasting time, of course. Ever since Ayase-san and I became step-siblings, we decided that we should go home at times as far away as possible. Since we both had to go back to the same home, our path home would ovep. If we ended up walking next to each other, it''d just be awkward, so I want to avoid that sort of thing.

    ¡­However, this decision decided to stab me in the back today.

    "Ah, Asamura-kuuuun!"

    "Huh?"

    After I put on my outdoor shoes and was about to step out the entrance, someone called out to me. When I turned around, a girl with a bright hair color tapped me on the shoulder.

    "How you doin''? What a coincidence meeting you here!"

    "Narasaka-san?"

    This female student was Narasaka Maaya. And past her shoulder, I could see another student¡ªAyase-san. Huh? Why is she still here? The second that question popped up in my mind, Narasaka-san spoke again.

    "Let''s go home together!"

    "Eh¡­ Um, why?"

    "Huh? Why? I mean¡­ since we''re here already?"

    "I don''t know what that is supposed to mean. Do you need to go in the same direction?"

    "Totally the same. After all, I''m visiting Saki''s ce."

    "Huh?"

    I nced over at Ayase-san, seeking an exnation. She put her hands together in apology.

    "She''ll be teaching me."

    "Ahh, I see. But¡­ are you fine going home together, Narasaka-san?"

    "Totally. Why would I be against it?" Narasaka-san said with no hesitation whatsoever.

    That''s the king of normies with a hundred friends for you. There''s absolutely no psychological hurdle for her to talk with a member of the opposite sex. It''s true that in my life so far, I''ve never had much contact like that, but it''s not rare for groups of boys and girls to head home together. Since both Ayase-san and I had to hide our rtionship to avoid any misunderstandings, I was probably just being worried for nothing.

    "Since you go to the same ce, there''s no need for us to leave at different times. Right, Saki?"

    "Well, that''s true¡­" Ayase-san nced over at me.

    ¡­I guess it can''t be helped this time around. I nodded in resignation, and Ayase-san sighed.

    "Maybe I shouldn''t have asked Maaya after all." She muttered.

    After that, the three of us stepped out of the entrance. The awkwardness of walking home with two girls next to me made my throat dry up. I can''t shake off the anxiety that someone might be watching us. In the end, Narasaka-san''s conclusion was more urate. When we stepped out of the school gate, we still encountered a few students here and there, but none of them turned towards us, let alone stared at us. Seeing a single boy and two girls walking down the street must be something that''s so normal they don''t even pay attention to it.

    Maru mentioned that someone saw Narasaka-san and I together, but now that it''s the three of us in a group, we probably don''t stand out as much. After leaving the school behind us, we walked down the road from Shibuya to Daikanyama, which was known here in the area as the ''Peculiar Hill'' road. Even though school had already ended, the sun still stood high, which caused the asphalt to boil. Sweat started building beneath my clothes, which caused me to feel a bit dejected.

    Ayase-san walked next to me, wiping her neck with a handkerchief. Even though she''s a normal human just like me, I''ve never seen her breaking a sweat or making a face, so I feel like I''ve made the discovery of a century.

    Then I heard an electronic sound, resembling something like a click. When I turned around, I saw Narasaka-san a bit behind us, grinning to herself with phone in hand.

    "Ah, don''t mind me. Just keep walking naturally like that!"

    "Are you taking pictures? Even if you''re a friend, I won''t allow candid photos." Ayase-san said.

    "No no no, not in the slightest~ I''m taking a video. Totally different."

    "The idea behind it is the same. Give that to me. I''ll delete it."

    "Ahhhhh! Don''t take it from meeeee! My smartphoneeee!" Narasaka-san begged, but Ayase-san snatched it away without hesitation.

    She checked through the camera roll and deleted the video.

    "You really hate having pictures taken of you, Saki. There''s no need to go crazy like that. I was going to delete them anyway~"

    "Don''t wanna. I don''t like it. If you decided to not delete one, I''d have toin to you. That''sme, and I don''t want to doubt you, so I''ll just delete them all myself."

    "I''m in big trouble, Asamura-kun! Saki is bullying me with logic!"

    Why are you expecting me to back you up? I don''t mind joining in on your conversation, but at least do so when the topic is a bit morefortable. Of course, my answer was predetermined.

    "Pretty sure I''m siding with Ayase-san here."

    "You betrayer, Onii-chan! You don''t need to agree with her just because you resemble each other as siblings!"

    "I don''t remember bing your ally, and could you stop calling me ''Onii-chan''?"

    That kind of thing is something you''d say to blood-rted siblings. Of course, since we''re not blood-rted, we''re very different from each other, but thanks to us living together, I feel like our senses of values and habits have started to ovep ever so slightly. Maybe that''s what she''s talking about?

    "Also, you''re not making any sense. Why did you suddenly start taking pictures?"

    "I thought you two walking next to each other would make a buzz online. How about you be one of these YouTuber couples? ''A blonde-haired gal and an antisocial boy became siblings'', or something along those lines? It''d definitely go viral."

    "There''s no way we''d do that. There''s no way anybody would enjoy watching that." Ayase-san said with no hesitation, and I nodded.

    "Agreed¡­ Also, Narasaka-san, even if you''re right, hearing you call me ''antisocial'' to my face hurts quite a bit."

    "Ah, don''t get the wrong idea, I wasn''t saying it to insult you. I just saw a lot of these ''Bad Boy'' tags on Insta, and they''re all super handsome and very popr with the girls."

    "Now you''re calling me super handsome? That just sounds fishy if you ask me."

    "Ahhhh, that''s where you''re wrong. You''re not a handsome guy by nature, but you''d definitely be hot if we put makeup on you, see."

    I feel like she''s going to fall no matter which direction she goes. I''m sure that Narasaka-san has no ill intentions, but it''s really hard to single out one thing there to tell her she''s wrong about.

    "Also, there''s a lot. A lot of people watch these YouTuber couples'' live streams. Like, a whole lot. It''s hard to get a lot of viewers right now since there''s so many people doing it, but siblings doing livestreams together is rare! Let''s try to make enough money with ad revenue to buy a mansion!"

    "Ad revenue¡­ You can earn money?"

    When this money-rted word appeared in Narasaka-san''s passionate speech, Ayase-san showed a slight bit of interest.

    "Of course! Once you''re popr, it justes rushing in!"

    "Rushing¡­"

    "Wait, Narasaka-san, Ayase-san, calm down."

    I immediately stopped the two girls, who had suddenly started to drive in the samene. I know I shouldn''t bother them when they''re having a friendly chat, but I''d feel guilty remaining quiet while they''re chasing a feeble dream.

    "There''s a lot of people who are uploading videos like that, and celebrities and even corporations are joining in as well. This world isn''t so kind that it''d let you make it big that easily. ¡­At least that''s what someone who''s familiar with the Inte said in their video."

    When Ayase-san asked me to search for a well-paid part-time job, I looked into this video service thing and the ad revenue you get from it. The ones who make it big make boatloads of cash, and streaming ranks really high in polls for what profession grade schoolers want to be when they grow up. However, as brightly as you may shine temporarily, it is a cruel and harsh industry, to the point where everything depends on your view count. It slowly eats away at you, leaving you frustrated and depressed.

    Simrly, even if you do a couple''s stream, there''s potential problems you can''t avoid precisely because of that premise.

    "Even if you seed, constantly having sess is much more difficult. You hear stories about that sort of thing a lottely. The couple breaks up, and the channel they built together falls apart immediately."

    "I mean, that''s true, but that''s exactly why I''m saying this."

    "Huh?"

    "Unlike lovers, you two are siblings, so you won''t break up! It''ll be a channel where people can watch you flirt! Could there be any greater type of rtionship!? I say no!"

    "Now that you mention it¡­"

    "It''s not happening. Asamura-kun, why are you suddenly letting yourself be influenced by her?"

    "Sorry."

    Ayase-san gave me a sharp scowl, and I apologized immediately. Those who are sessful advocate for you to move quickly when faced with a challenge, but I feel like these words are much more urate when you''ve failed in any way. If you feel even a slight bit of an ufortable atmosphere, swallow your pride immediately and apologize. I want to live with the motto ''Apologize in an instant''. I might be contradicting myself, though, since discontent and grumbling are just how some conversations work.

    Ayase-san ran her fingers through her hair, letting out a sigh as she continued.

    "There''s no way we''d do that. It''s not like it''ll actually work out."

    "I''m sure it''d do great! Both you and Asamura-kun are really clever."

    "That doesn''t feel like praise since it''sing from you, Maaya. You got better overall scores than either of us."

    "No no no, I''m not talking about exams. How do I put it¡­ It''s like Zhuge Liang clever!"

    "Still impossible. Even if we tried to do it for real, we don''t know how much time it would take, and I''ll miss out on time to study."

    "Booooring. I can guarantee you''d be popr. Also more importantly, I wanna see you two being lovey-dovey!"

    "So it''s all for your own benefit. I keep telling you that it''s not like that."

    "Either way, it''ll never work out. There''s a lot more problems beyond that, as well."

    Right now, the only person at school who knows about the rtionship Ayase-san and I have is Narasaka-san. If we actually were sessful with our channel, it''d basically reveal it to everyone. Also, we''re siblings, so how would we exin to my old man and Akiko-san that we''re acting like a couple on camera?

    Of course, you have to keep in mind that Ayase-san is beautiful, logical, and always considerate, which gives you the distance when you need it, so she''s veryfortable to live with. If there were a lover''s rtionship that stemmed from this, it might end up in bliss and happiness.

    That being said, she''s my step-sister. On top of that, this isn''t the world of fiction, but reality. She''s my real step-sister. I can''t even see any other option other than having things stay like they are currently.

    "I see, what a shame. Well, you don''t have to be YouTubers. You can try anything! Finding something you''re good at can lead to a job with high pay, you know! You should try Insta, Asamura-kun."

    "Why? I don''t have any skill for taking stylish pictures."

    "You just have to upload pictures that''d be good under the ''Bad Boy'' tag! I''m sure it''d be perfect for you!"

    "No thanks." Or so I said with my back to her, but I was actually downloading the Insta app on my phone.

    While Narasaka-san and Ayase-san walked ahead of me, I followed a little ways after them, setting up my ount. I was guided through the tutorial screen and created a profile. If this really could make you popr quickly and efficiently, and let you make easy money, then I''ll definitely tell Ayase-san about this.

    ¡­But on the way home, thanks to bad cell reception, I couldn''t tell which users were popr right now. I had gone out of my way to create the ount, but I feel like it''ll rot away in the passage of time.

    We arrived at our home. When I opened the door to our apartment, my tense muscles rxed, and I could feel my fingers suddenly lightening up like I had put down something heavy I had been forced to carry. Walking home from school as a group of three was totally different from my usual routine. Telling me to rx would have been a waste of breath.

    For the random offchance that Narasaka-san would identally wander into my room, I locked the door. I turned on the air conditioning, loosened my necktie, and took off my uniform. The cold air blowing against my sweat-drenched body felt good indeed, but I kept myself from carelessly saying anything out loud.

    Right now, Narasaka-san was here. Even if I blurted out something embarrassing, Ayase-san would ignore it out of consideration, but I don''t want a total stranger hearing it. Following that train of thought, I realized something. I had naturally assigned to someone thebel ''total stranger''. Basically, that required the premise that there were other kinds of strangers out there.

    Ayase-san is a stranger, and there are other strangers different from her. The fact that I''m making this distinction means that she''s gradually moving closer to bing ''family'', right?

    I finished changing out of my uniform and stepped out of the room. When I went to the kitchen to grab a drink, I saw Ayase-san in the living room, staring at her workbook, with Narasaka-san teaching her. Ayase-san was still wearing her uniform, probably out of consideration for her friend.

    Both of them had serious expressions on their faces. Even after joking around on the way home, Narasaka-san was now diligently teaching Ayase-san. I quietly opened the fridge, trying not to bother them, and poured myself some barley tea. Trying to not be too loud, I returned back to my room.

    I sat down cross-legged at the table, putting the cup down in front of me, and booted up a manga app on my phone. Since I''ve been so busy with exams, I didn''t have much time to catch up with what I was reading, so I''m using that time now to catch up on a manga series. I didn''t have any part-time work today, so I had some precious free time for myself.

    After about an hour had passed, I had caught up with most of the series I wanted to read. I considered checking out that new series Maru had rmended, and was about to tap on the search button when my finger stopped. In the top left of the screen, I saw the time: 5pm.

    I figured that this time would be when dinner preparations would start, so I stood up with my smartphone in hand. That''d normally be Ayase-san''s duty, but since she has an important Modern Japanese exam tomorrow, she needs to study as much as possible. I headed to the living room, and Ayase-san raised her head.

    "Ah, sorry, it''s about time, right? Can I make something that won''t take much time today?"

    "It''s fine, I''ll do something myself. You keep studying."

    "Eh. Really¡­?"

    I tried to make a reassuring smile as I entered the kitchen, and Ayase-san rxed her posture from almost standing up moments before.

    "I don''t have to worry about part-time work today, so don''t worry about me. Go ahead and focus on your studies."

    "¡­Thanks, that''s a big help." Her voice had a faint trace of hesitation to it, but she did thank me properly.

    Narasaka-san watched this exchange happen, put her palm beneath her chin like a detective analyzing a crime scene, and narrowed her eyes like a curious cat.

    "How nice. You''ve got a great husband atmosphere to you, Asamura-kun."

    "What kind of character are you acting like now?"

    "An art critic!"

    "I don''t get it."

    While holding a conversation that made absolutely zero logical sense and exchanged no real information whatsoever, I opened up a recipe site. When I was alone before, I would always make some instant curry from a powder, but I checked the contents of our shelf to be sure. I found a package in there which I had actually bought before Ayase-san and Akiko-san joined us, with the words ''Extra spicy'' written on it, in deep red.

    Since they had taken care of most of the cooking ever since they moved in, the number of instant or microwavable meals we ate had gone down drastically. Basically, I don''t know how well she handles spicy food. When I thought back to the times the two of them cooked, they never used anything spicy. They even made dishes that relied on spices more on the sweet and savory ends of the spectrum, so I doubt they can handle too much spiciness.

    Of course, this would be no problem if I could just ask her about her preferences. However, since Narasaka-san is here, I was hesitant to ask her bluntly. There''s this saying ''Kid''s tongue'', which is used to make fun of people who can''t handle spicy food. Announcing your own ability or inability to deal with spice has a good chance of hurting someone else''s pride depending on their own.

    So no curry tonight. I shall rely on the wisdom of the greatest housewives of history instead¡ªand use one of the greatest blessings of the world, the Inte, to look up other recipes.

    "Alright, this should do." I decided on a recipe and started working on it.

    Spoiler alert: It ended in failure. Well, not quite. It''s not strictly about sess or failure. I overestimated my own ability, which was practically nonexistent. Every single term in the recipe was abstruse to me. The hell is cake flour? Is that any different from wheat flour? Season to taste? What kind of process is that? Get the hot te ready? I don''t even know how you''re supposed to heat a te. Boil it for five to ten minutes? How imprecise can you possibly be? How can you even tell when it''s done?

    As I should have guessed, my basic cooking knowledge was too low. I can''t even read the recipe properly. I feel like this recipe is much moreplicated than the Modern Japanese exam Ayase-san is dealing with. For now, I''ll cook the rice. Even I know how to wash rice and put it in the rice cooker. Worst-case scenario, I can serve the cooked rice with tsukudani1 and somewhat hide my ipetence.

    I postponed the hard work untilter and focused on what I could do. With these thoughts, I started washing the rice. Of course, I know that I''m basically running away from reality. Ahh, the cold water feels good on my hands.

    After I finished that, I set up the rice cooker, and someone walked into the kitchen.

    "Asamura-kuuuun~"

    "Narasaka-san? There''s some drinks in the fridge, so help yourself."

    "I came here to check up on you, Asamura-kun~ Aren''t you having a hard time?"

    "Did you set up cameras somewhere in here?" I looked around the kitchen.

    "I''m not spying on you! I just realized you were cooking the rice, so I figured you might be having a hard time."

    "I-It''s not normal¡­ to cook the rice first?"

    "Depends on the family. In mine, we take care of the side dishes and everything else at the end."

    "I see¡­ But to be honest, this is pretty embarrassing to admit."

    I resigned myself and exined everything to her. Namely, that I looked at the recipe and figured I might be able to pull it off, only to end up so stupid that I didn''t even understand most of the words written on it¡ªYeah, exining that would have taken way too long, so instead I said I wanted to start with something even I understood. Narasaka-san muttered a quiet ''I see~'' with a nod, and then went back to the living room.

    "Hey, Saki, you can do the rest with some repetition, right?"

    "Yeah, thanks to you."

    "Great, then you can fight this battle alone! I''ll help Asamura-kun with the cooking."

    "Eh? I mean, sure, but¡­ I can''t force you to take care of that."

    "Don''t mind me. It''s time for Maaya-chan to show her wifey power, fufufufu~"

    "I-I see. I''m looking forward to the result." Ayase-san gave me a bewildered nce.

    Of course, my expression was equally confused.

    "Alrighto, it''s time to teach cooking-beginner Onii-san how to hold the reins! I''m looking forward to your guidance!"

    "Ah¡­ Y-Yeah."

    Narasaka-san rolled up her half-sleeves even further to reveal her two arms. She approached me brimming with confidence and energy, so I could only nod. Normally I should be the one asking for guidance, but I didn''t even have the energy to point that out.

    "Then let''s get this started. What''s your basic goal for the dish?"

    "The goal¡­? I don''t really know, but I want something that''ll let Ayase-san''s head work properly during her exam tomorrow. So something with decent nutrition and protein."

    "Gotcha. Sweet-and-sour pork is probably the best bet here. Let me see¡­ Ah, found it." She opened the fridge and took out some pork.

    A question came to mind.

    "Huh? Do we have meat for sweet-and-sour pork in there? Don''t you use that floppy kind for that?"

    "Yup. It''s easy to do with pork cutlet. But ribs work just fine. A lot of recipes actually use them."

    When I looked up recipes with that, I found a lot of sweet-and-sour pork recipes that used ribs.

    "What''s important is the way you cut the meat." Narasaka-san puffed out her chest like a teacher teaching their pupil, but just this once I couldn''t say anything back.

    As a matter of fact, Narasaka-san''s cooking skills were wless. She took out the ingredients and seasonings from the fridge without even looking at the recipe, showing great progress unbelievably quickly. After that, she cleaned the meat and ingredients, all the while teaching me every step along the way.

    The reason she could teach a beginner like me with no problem is because she had everything down to a T. She showed me firsthand what was important to consider so I''d be able to do it myself.

    "You''re crazy, Narasaka-san. You''re almost like a home economics teacher."

    "Can''t youe up with a cooler example? Maybe a first-ss chef who just came back from France?"

    "That''d lose the part about you being a good teacher, though."

    "Oh yeah!" Narasaka-sanughed without a care in the world. "But you''re just as amazing, Asamura-kun. You learn everything so fast. It makes me want to teach you even more."

    "I do think it''s because of your ability to teach¡­ Also now that I think about it, Ayase-san is a great cook, too¡­ Am I the only person in our school year who can''t cook?" My voice was filled with tension at the thought of me being the most sheltered out of everyone. Considering that the sample size for the test was only two individuals, it doesn''t hold much statistical value, but the odds weren''t zero.

    "Ahaha, I doubt that~ I know it''ll sound like humblebragging, but I do think I''m fairly skilled when ites to cooking."

    My faint glimmer of anxiety was blown away by Narasaka-san''s energeticughter¡­ Thank goodness. I found myself sighing in relief from being able to avoid a serious injury to my pride.

    "I have a lot of younger brothers. Since our parents are always working, I have to take care of the housework. Mom''s at home today, so that''s why I can visit Saki''s ce, but that''s pretty rare in itself."

    "That reminds me, you came herest month as well¡­ But never since."

    "Yeah. I guess once a month is the limit."

    Only being able to enjoy one free day a month must be hard for a high school student her age. Not to mention her grades. She''s either even cleverer than Maru, or she''s a harder worker than she lets on. Because of her high tension and energy, I always thought she was a weirdo, but it seems like I need to reevaluate that assumption.

    "Say, Asamura-kun, is there really nothing going on between you and Saki?" She suddenly asked out of the blue. She had finished preparing the ingredients for the sweet-and-sour pork and prepared the miso for the miso soup, teaching me the ropes the whole time.

    "It''d be bad if there were, right?"

    "I mean, you''re practically strangers. No blood rtion and all that."

    "As long as we have a connection in the family register, it''s totally not okay. Also, why are you this curious about my rtionship with Ayase-san?"

    "Why? ¡­That''s a pretty hard question to answer. I just felt like Saki had changed."

    "Isn''t that just your impression of her?"

    "It is, yeah? How can you have an opinion without having a personal impression of something?"

    "¡­I guess you have a point."

    She defeated my argument with her feelings and emotions. Only people with weakmunication skills like me need logical adjustment. Someone like Narasaka-san probably doesn''t need to adjust at all. She just works with intuition and reacts to the conversation.

    "For example, Saki''s been using more perfume as ofte. Did you know that?"

    "I had no idea."

    "Thank God. If you did, it would have been pretty gross."

    "Can you not ask me a trick question like that?"

    I''m d I answered correctly the first time. Of course, I am conscious of girls my age, particrly someone who''s practically a stranger who''s living in the same house as me, but I wouldn''t stare at her all the time, let alone be conscious of what she smelled like.

    "So, what can you tell me about how much perfume she''s wearing?"

    "It''s summer right now, right? You start sweating just from walking around, so it''s a troublesome season for us girls. Since we don''t want to smell nasty from the sweat, we put on more perfume, use a lot of sweat wipes, and use shampoo with a stronger scent. Girls do a lot¡­ At least those of us who have interest in the opposite sex."

    "I see."

    "Last year, Saki used wipes at most. Then again, she never sweated all that much, so using the wipes was enough."

    "So you''re saying she''s using more this year."

    "Right! It''s like she''s using everything at her disposal! Her actions must be influenced because of someone she''s interested in! Or so I, Private Detective Maaya-chan, have deduced based on my intuition, Watson-kun!"

    "Huh."

    "What do you mean ''Huh''!? You don''t feel anything after hearing that such a cute girl might be conscious of you!?"

    "Even if you say that¡­ I mean, it makes sense that she''d be conscious of me¡­"

    "See! I knew it was in the romantic sense!"

    "Again, no." Ipletely denied her assertions before she could get more excited. "She''s living with someone of the opposite sex who had been like a stranger to her up until now, so of course she''d be conscious of her smell. She''s trying to not be rude towards me."

    I''m the same way. When it was just me and my old man living here, I could walk around the apartment with messy hair, baggy eyes, and smelly pajamas no problem. But that won''t do anymore. Ayase-san and Akiko-san are here. Since there''s the ever-present possibility of being seen by these two women, I don''t have enough courage to show myself with a sloppy appearance. That''s something I''ve been thinking about just recently, myself.

    "Huh~ I guess that is true~"

    "You''d feel the same way in her position, Narasaka-san."

    "Hmm¡­ Ah." She pouted and nced over at the living room, but caught her breath upon seeing something.

    She gently poked her elbow at my side and spoke with an energetic voice.

    "Did you see that just now? Saki looked over at us."

    "Ayase-san did?" I looked over at the living room myself.

    Because of this, Ayase-san and I made eye contact. Her mouth opened for a second, and she averted her gaze right after. Aside from that odd reaction, neither her expression nor the color of her face changed. She just looked down at the reference book in front of her again.

    "Maybe she just heard us talking about her? Your voice is fairly loud, Narasaka-san."

    "Ehhh? I totally think it was a gaze of LOVE."

    "Aye aye, let''s keep the gossip at that. Even someone as nice as her will get tired of you after a while."

    "It''s a shame, but she''s always annoyed at me, so annoying her more won''t change anything~"

    "Then why are you trying to agitate her even further?"

    I really don''t understand this normie''s attitude. She''s not a bad person, but sometimes she takes it a tad bit too far. While I was thinking that, the miso soup finished cooking, and so did our preparations for dinner. When I looked at the time, it was half past 6pm, and the rice cooker let out a sound to indicate that the rice was done.

    "Nice timiiiin. This concludes Maaya Cooking." She said ''Nice timing'' with a weird intonation, took off Ayase-san''s apron that she had been wearing this whole time, and headed towards the living room. "Studying suspended. Replenish your nutrients, Lieutenant Colonel Saki." She said, jumping onto Ayase-san''s back and clinging to her.

    Ayase-san must have been listening to music. She took out her earbuds, speaking up with an annoyed tone.

    "Why did you assign me a rank at the end? ¡­But thanks. I feel bad for having you help with dinner even though you''re a guest."

    "No worries, no worries. It''s time for me to head home, anyway."

    "Huh? You''re not going to eat with us?"

    "Mom is taking care of everything at home, but I should at least eat dinner with them. I want to enjoy her food when I can." Since she can say that with a smile on her face, they must be a happy family.

    To someone like me who has grown up while watching my parents always fighting, she looked so dazzling that it made me want to cover my eyes. She packed up her things with a soldier-like speed and stepped out of the living room with a ''See you~''. Right when she passed me at the front door, she shed a grin and leaned in to whisper with a voice only I could hear.

    "I''ll give you some alone-time~"

    "Again, that''s not¡­"

    "Anyway, bye-bye~"

    I tried to object, but I was given the chance to do so, and she just waltzed out the door with her hand waving at me. I stood at the door in a daze, watching after her. Ayase-san stood up and approached me with a questioning gaze.

    "What''s wrong? Did she tell you anything weird?"

    "No, it''s fine. It''s just¡­"

    "Just what?"

    "I think she''s a weird girl."

    "You can say that again."

    She actually agrees with me? This might honestly be the first time we''ve shared so much empathy since we started living together.

    "Ah, delicious."

    7pm arrived. In the end, the two of us wound up eating dinner alone again. Ayase-san stuffed a piece of sweet-and-sour pork into her mouth, and her eyes opened wide. Rather than pure ''Heck yeah!'' happiness filling my chest, I was relieved more than anything.

    "I''m d you like it."

    "I feel like you chose sweet-and-sour pork out of consideration for something."

    "¡­You sure are perceptive."

    I guess someone who cooks every day can pick up the intention behind the choice of menu.

    "Thanks. I''m really happy."

    "You''re wee. That being said, Narasaka-san deserves the most gratitude."

    "Maaya made all of this?"

    "Honestly speaking, I made it. She taught me practically every step of the way, but she made me take care of the main parts¡­ I really feel like she has enough talent to be a teacher."

    "Totally. If it were me, I''d just take care of everything if the other person was taking too long."

    "I know, right? I feel like that would be the safer choice as well."

    Yet Narasaka-san did not break her teacher''s stance all the way to the end. I feel like she''d be a great grade school teacher, or considering her grades, even a teacher in higher education. I felt warm inside imagining Narasaka-san taking care of children with a smile.

    "How are your studiesing along?"

    "Thanks to your help, I solved all of Maaya''s mock exam questions."

    "I''m d to hear that."

    "When I told Maaya about my Modern Japanese studying method, she was all ''Isn''t taking detours like that really inefficient?'', you know."

    "Well, it''s probably one of the more time-intensive studying methods, for sure."

    Even if you can''t fully understand the text in front of you, as long as you understand the contents at the most fundamental level, you can puzzle it out. However, this way of solving problems is most beneficial to those who possess the actual know-how, but that only works if there''s a definite answer to the question that the majority of people can understand.

    Any thorough, rational level of thought equates to ack of flexibility. Since Ayase-san is that kind of person, if she encounters questions that allow for vague answers, she''ll probably freeze up automatically. That''s why this roundabout drastic treatment was the only way for her to seed in Modern Japanese, without forcing her to ept vague answers.

    Earlier, Ayase-san had praised her friend Narasaka Maaya-san''s flexibility. She attributed this as the reason she was so popr in ss. They say that people are attracted to people who are the exact opposite of them. That would exin why Ayase-san got along so well with Narasaka-san. And it''s not just that. This also shows that she epts diversity at a mental level. She doesn''t rely on stereotypes, instead having an attitude that allows appropriate conversation.

    I figured that this was because of her father''s prejudice, since she had seen her mother being suppressed mentally by him, but that probably isn''t all there is to it. Everything following this is just my own assumption. I can''t confirm this with her directly, so these are my deductions as an outside observer, so to speak.

    If I had to guess, she''s fighting and resisting: Against the blood of her father, which she cannot respect. Her train of thought is solid, written in stone, which doesn''t allow any vagueness, allowing only ck and white, consenting to everything from her own perspective, which drives her to this tendency of wanting to do everything herself.

    That''s why, in order to keep this stern flexibility, she wears this thick armor¡­ Of course, this is all just conjecture on my part.

    "There''s no need to worry. Everything''s going fine. I should be okay for the real exam tomorrow."

    "¡­I see."

    Ayase-san gave me a reassuring smile. She must have guessed the reason why I suddenly became quiet. Since I couldn''t tell her about my thought process just now, I don''t have much proof for that, though.

    "I''m sure you can do it, Ayase-san."

    "Thanks, Asamura-kun. Man proposes, God disposes, as they say." Ayase-san gripped her chopsticks tightly and carried some more pork to her mouth. "Delicious."

    Until we finished eating dinner, she kept repeating herself, thanking me and telling me the food was good.

    The fated exam is tomorrow. Will she be able to achieve freedom for summer break, or will she be restrained by supplementary sses? The conclusion draws near. Oddly enough, despite the fact that this wasn''t my problem at all, it felt like my own fate depended on this event. But I put a lid on these arrogant feelings and wished all the best for my step-sister.

    ¡ªDo your best, Ayase-san.

    ©¤©¤©¤

    1 Preserved food boiled in soy.

 Chapter 19 - 6

    <h4>Chapter 19: Chapter 6</h4>

    21st of June (Tuesday)

    There must have been a significant problem with earth''s gravity today. Since the flow of time was so much slower than usual, I was certain of it. If someone told me that this was a reality-changing phenomenon caused by the progress of humanity''s scientific standard, then I might actually believe them and be an environmentalist as a result.

    sses finally ended, after I''d felt like they''d never arrive. In other words, it was time for the supplementary exams. Since tomorrow was the end-of-term ceremony, everything we discussed in ss went into my left ear and out of my right. I don''t even remember what I talked to Maru about during recess, let alone the taste of the bread I ate. I suppressed the urge to immediately ask Ayase-san about her results, and I remained alone in the ssroom until I finally came to my senses.

    ¡­No, this is definitely too much meddling. I''d just be a bother. Over these past few days, I tried my best so that Ayase-san would do great for this exam. That being said, immediately running over to ask her for the results was bad manners. I''ll meet her at home anyway. It''s not like I only see her at school, so there''s no need to rush.

    "I''ve got my part-time work as well, so time to head home." After my head calmed down a bit, I muttered these words to myself in the empty ssroom.

    Of course, I don''t often talk to myself like that, but it was necessary to get me to move from this ssroom. Feeling a bit bashful, I grabbed my bag and left the school.

    In the end, even during my time at work, I was unable to focus on anything, which ended awfully. I made mistakes at the register, and I made other novice mistakes, which hasn''t happened since I started working here. It''s been a while since I''ve had to apologize to a customer.

    "Junior-kun, are you okay?"

    "¡­Probably. I''ll be taking my leave now."

    Even when Yomiuri-senpai called out to me with a faint glimmer of worry in her voice, I gave a brief response, nothing more. Of course, I knew that I had to be a bit more careful when riding home on my bicycle, but I somewhat made it home safely. Even so, I found myself pedalling harder, almost like I was trying to get home as quickly as possible. I wonder why? I wasn''t even that curious about my own exam results.

    With these thoughts in my mind, I arrived at the apartmentplex, headed up the elevator, and headed towards my own home.

    ¡ªck!

    When I pulled on the doorknob, I felt like my shoulders were about to give in, and a dull sound reached my ears. The door that should be open didn''t move an inch, the lock preventing me from opening it. Weird, I thought.

    Whenever I came back from part-time work, Ayase-san would leave the front door open. She always told me to keep my key with me to help prevent crime, but the entrance to thisplex already had an auto lock, which made it almost impossible for anyone not authorized to enter, and it''d just be annoying for both parties if I had to ring the bell because I forgot my keys or lost them. We had both agreed that this was much more efficient.

    In the end, it seemed like she was just being considerate of me, not forcing me to remember to bring a key to unlock the door after a hard shift at work¡­ but that might just be my imagination. Either way, the door was locked, so I took my key out and unlocked it. It seems like the lock itself is working.

    "I''m back... Ayase-san?" I called out to her as I stepped inside.

    The inside of the apartment was pitch ck. I turned on the lights and walked down the hallway towards the living room. Until I turned on the lights there, it was dark as well. I couldn''t pick up the presence of anyone except for me. When I took a peek inside the kitchen, there weren''t any traces of someone else having dinner, let alone preparations for one. I assumed that she may be sleeping, so I went to her room, but the door was closed, so I couldn''t check up on her.

    When I checked the shoe rack at the entrance, her shoes were nowhere to be found. Of course, nor were those of Akiko-san or my old man, meaning that I was the only one at home right now. When I checked the clock, it was half past 9pm. Not once had Ayase-san still been out thiste.

    I felt a chill run down my back. What if her exams had been so awful that she was dealing with the shock? Maybe it''s because of a certain romance movie with a tragic ending I had watched recently, but my mind immediately jumped to the worst possible conclusion. I wanted to believe that she was at least safe. However, her stoic personality might even be a risk to her own wellbeing. The reason I had been restless all day, wanting to know how her exams went, was probably rted to this feeling.

    A thorough and almost pathological rational thought process. Hating her own disposition, she wants to keep up flexibility to the level where it turns abnormal. This kind of self-denial is definitely not healthy. From her point of view and method of doing things, relying on Narasaka-san or I for her studies was out of the question. Now, what would happen if, after she stretched herself to such an extent, the exam results were not good enough?

    "...!"

    Before I had even thought about what I was doing, I had already sent her a LINE message.

    ''Where are you right now?''

    Of course, these words were utterly ridiculous. In order to guarantee a smooth family rtionship with Ayase-san, these were the words I had never wanted to use. But, in this situation, these words were the only ones I could rely on, no matter how much I might hate them. I don''t want to regret anything, so even if I embarrass myself, that much is fine.

    Five seconds¡ªTen seconds¡ªFifteen seconds¡ªAnd then one minute. She didn''t even read the message. No change showed on my LINE screen.

    This won''t do. I can''t wait. I can''t sit still. I dashed to the entrance, threw on my shoes, pulled open the door with a force I wouldn''t expect of myself, and jumped out into the hallway. I pressed the button to call the elevator, which was at ground floor, and waited. Tap, Tap. I found myself tapping the toes of my foot on the ground. It wasughable how nervous I was. The longer the elevator took to get to my floor, the faster I tapped my foot on the ground.

    I''m aware that I''ve just been influenced by too many novels, and watched too many movies. Young people nowadays get ridiculed for things like getting drunk on vague heroism. In reality, such tragic developments hardly ever happen. However, it''s also true that nearly 200 highschool students each year choose to take their own life. Irresponsible, unrted people would question their reason for doing so, but for the person themselves, it could be enough of a reason to give up on life.

    It''s ''only'' 200 out of more than three million high school students. Nothing but a small fraction at best. But if you argue that, is Ayase-san really someone who''s part of a majority? Clearly not. Maybe I feel this way because I barely have any experience dealing with strangers, but her personality and her actions seem different. To a degree where joining the ranks of 200 people wouldn''t be too unrealistic.

    Ding! An ordinary sound pulled me out of my panicked thoughts. The elevator arrived. The door opened, and when I was about to rush inside, I almost bumped into the person stepping out of it.

    "Woah."

    "Ah¡­"

    We both tried to dodge each other, which is why we ended up taking our distance with an odd pose. The other person moved back further into the elevator, and I took a detour to the side, stepping inside as well. In the end, both of us ended up in the elevator. We both fixed our postures, and when we confirmed each other''s faces, our mouths opened in shock.

    "Um¡­ Ayase¡­san?"

    "Asamura-kun? Where are you going at such a time?"

    Standing deeper in the elevator was a highschool girl, with her student bag in one hand, and a shopping bag in the other, still wearing a school uniform. This girl, Ayase-san, looked at me with wide eyes.

    "Ahh, well, um, you know, how do I say this?"

    The words wouldn''te out of my mouth. I couldn''t tell her that I had been influenced by a movie that drove me to act like a hero, and I was worried sick for her. All I heard was the sound of the elevator door closing, like it was making fun of me.

    That''s right, just like how the cool and dry Ayase-san in front of me isn''t a little sister character out of some fictional world, the incidents that happen in reality are most often barely anything to even consider, which was why a wonderfully romantic scene of the hero running to save the heroine would never happen in this world. This reality wasn''t one offered on the highest floor of a high-rise building with a beautiful view, nor on a small hill with beautiful night scenery, but rather the dull inside of an elevator at the apartment both of us lived in.

    "You weren''t home, and I couldn''t get in touch with you, either. I thought the exams were so awful that you were crying to yourself¡­" I chose my words carefully.

    Confessing that I was worried her life had been in danger would make me embarrassed for the rest of my life.

    "Ahaha, so I made you worry. I''m sorry about that." Ayase-san faintly snickered and apologized.

    And then she cast her face down slightly.

    "The exams, huh? Well, honestly speaking¡­ the results weren''t that great, I guess."

    "Huh?"

    So that''s why she was out this long? When I started thinking that, Ayase-san put down her shopping bag, opened up her student bag, and took a single piece of paper¡ª94 points. If I remember correctly, the number of points you needed to pass was 80.

    "So you passed. Don''t scare me like that."

    "You had 96 points, right? I couldn''t win, so I''m a bit frustrated."

    "That''s what you mean? Sheesh."

    Ayase-san was pouting in annoyance, but I could only sigh in relief. Still, she wanted to beat my score in a subject she was at a distinct disadvantage at. Ayase-san''s stoic attitude really is something else.

    "Sorry that I made you worry. I was out shopping¡­ at a different store from usual." She lifted up the shopping bag she had put on the floor, showing it off.

    Shown on there was the logo of a department store in Shibuya.

    "You went all the way to the department store?"

    "Yup. They had a sale on some high-ss ingredients, cheaper than at the supermarket. Don''t worry, even if I buy cheaper food, the quality won''t suffer."

    "I''d expect no less from you."

    "I''m a provisional housewife after all, so it''s the least I can do."

    "That''s a weird thing to call it."

    "I thought that this might be the best title for what this feels like. I don''t n on only doing housework for the rest of my days, but right now, I''m basically doing the work of a housewife."

    "That does make sense, yeah."

    That being said, I never thought I''d hear Ayase-san use that exact term. It''s almost like I was talking with Yomiuri-senpai, so I''d prefer some kind of lead-in. Then again, even if I''m mentally prepared, Senpai is still hard to deal with.

    "But why did you go to the department store in the first ce? Were you trying to celebrate how well you did on the exam?"

    "50 points. You got half of it correct."

    "So what would be the correct answer?"

    "It''s my way of thanking you, Asamura-kun¡­ That way of phrasing it might make me sound condescending, but I wanted to be honest for once." Ayase-san averted her eyes trailing off into a mutter.

    "I didn''t do anything that would deserve any gratitude. It was just part of our exchange. I wasn''t really able to grant any part of your wish."

    "Just for this one exam, you did a lot for me. You found this lofi working BGM music, you helped me find a way to study my Modern Japanese problems. You even made dinner yesterday."

    "You''ve made food for me practically every day for the past month, so I don''t think I''ve made up for anything yet."

    "I told you, I''m more on the giving side of give & take. A famous bank worker said to pay back any favor double, right?"

    "Wasn''t that used in the context of revenge?"

    "The only difference is between positivity and negativity. In the end, it''s the same as revenge. I want you to enjoy something really delicious today."

    "Ayase-san¡­"

    She really is upright. From my point of view, I would have toe up with even more to really repay her for everything she''s done. But Ayase-san is trying to pay me back instead. Just how much do I have to do in order to end this endless giving from my step-sister and have her ept something from her older brother? Of course, from the perspective of an older brother with an actual little sister who''s constantly troubling him, this might be a rather good problem to have, but it is what it is.

    While I was thinking to myself, Ayase-san spoke up, her tone having droppedpared to before.

    "Or¡­ is it that you won''t rely on other people unless they''re an older Senpai of yours?"

    "Huh?" I was forced to return a dumbfounded voice, unable to process the words I had just heard.

    Of course, there is only one name that popped up in my head when I heard ''older Senpai'': Yomiuri Shiori, my Senpai at my part-time job.

    ...Huh? I wonder why. Something hazy like a gloomy feeling started to rise from the depths of my heart. I don''t really understand why, but just looking at Ayase-san''s expression assaulted me with an awkward feeling.

    "Yomiuri-senpai? Why would you bring Senpai up now?"

    "She''s the person you entrust your back to, Asamura-kun. As far as I know, she''s the only one."

    "I mean, we have a lot of shifts together at work."

    The more I spoke, the drier my throat became. Even though I was only speaking the truth, it made me feel like I was lying. I shook my head. What am I thinking? Is this some kind of side effect from worrying about Ayase-san? My heart is beating ufortably hard. For a second, yet another stupid thought entered my mind. Maybe I''m the character in the movie who''s about to die. My mental state is helpless, I know.

    "You can rely on me. Just like you rely on that person at work. You can rely on me at home. How about you just consider this a selfish request from your little sister?" Ayase-san gently tilted her head, like she really was a younger little sister.

    I was shocked to see such a devilish gestureing from her, but the thought of this request being more altruistic than anything caused me to make a wry smile to myself. But, as an older brother, this is where I should give in.

    "So for today, if I ept the cooking honestly, it''ll be mission clear?"

    "Yup, I''d be happy if you did." Ayase-san said, nodding in a satisfied manner.

    I personally think it''s kind of weird to be on the giving end and yet feel this happy about my positive response. But this is reality, not some story, which is why cause and effect aren''t portrayed quite so clearly. Our intentions aren''t openly written in a text bubble in some manga. Just like manmade objects and objects of nature can create a distorted dichotomy, this mismatched feeling is exactly what makes reality feel like reality.

    "¡­How long are we going to stand here?"

    "I know, right. I''m d nobody else called for the elevator."

    The elevator had stayed in this same position the entire time, making it seem like we were trying to prank someone else. Reminded of this ridiculous and secretive situation we found ourselves in, we bothughed, and managed to escape our confines with a single press of a button. The fact that we didn''t get into a quarrel either only emphasized the reality we lived in.

    We entered our home, and while Ayase-san started preparing for dinner, a certain question popped up in my mind.

    "That reminds me, there is one more thing I wanted to ask."

    "What is it?"

    "I sent you a LINE message. Why didn''t you respond?"

    "Ah, that." Ayase-san spoke like it was nothing special, taking out her smartphone.

    It seemed to be out of battery. The screen remained nk even after she pressed buttons on it.

    "I got addicted to lofi hip hop music after listening to it while studying. It''s been eating away at my battery, so there''ve been a few times it''s run out of juice."

    "Ahh¡­ so that''s why."

    As expected, reality is boring. And all too dull.

    If I had really been calm at that time, I would have realized the lie she had told me, and the reason for the sense of difort that gued me. I think the reason my thought process came to aplete halt was because it was overwritten with a sense of relief.

    Later that night, right before I fell asleep, this doubt came to mind, but since I had already wasted my opportunity to ask, the truth I should have known sunk deeper into an eternal abyss. The only way to find the answer would be to read Ayase-san''s diary, I guess.

    The department store at Shibuya is farther away than our neighborhood''s supermarket. But, even taking that into ount, wasn''t it still a bitte for her to get home at 9:30pm?

 Chapter 20 - 7

    <h4>Chapter 20: Chapter 7</h4>

    22nd of July (Wednesday)

    Arge cumulonimbus cloud filled the sky, as if it were trying to cover Shibuya''s tallest buildings. Behind these white clouds was the blue sky, looking like a blue screen on a PC. Summer had fully begun, announcing the ending of Suisei High''s first term. Today was the end-of-term ceremony. Even the sluggish atmosphere inside the ssroom had gone elsewhere, reced by excitement running through the air. It didn''t even quiet down after the teacher''s sharp rebuke.

    "Alright, this concludes the ss! Don''t go too crazy during summer break, you hear me?"

    WIth these words as the trigger, summer break stormed into the ssroom. The teacher shook their head in disbelief, but nobody was even looking at them.

    "I''ll be leaving first." I told Maru and stood up.

    "Oi now, why are you in such a rush?"

    "Because I have my part-time job right after this."

    "Right after? It ain''t even the evening yet." Maru opened his eyes wide in surprise.

    "I got a shift one hour earlier. A veteran Senpai happened to quit, so they asked if I coulde in more."

    "Sounds rough."

    "That''s why I decided to go home early, and get everything prepared."

    "Ayo, you do you, diligentd!" Maru didn''t ask anything else, so I quickly left the ssroom behind me.

    It really is only one hour, so there might not be any real reason to rush like that, but whenever you do something for the first time, there''s always unexpected things that are bound to happen. I really didn''t want toe inte after asking to move the shift earlier. However, contrary to my worries, I made it to the bookstore perfectly on time. I changed into my uniform, walked inside the store, and realized something.

    There were no customers. When I checked the time, I saw that I was here exactly an hour earlier than before. Does the atmosphere of the store change that much just from a small change in time? When I looked around inside the store, I could hardly even see any srymen on the way home from work. Which makes sense, of course, since it wasn''t thatte in the day. They''d only starting inter on.

    "You''re pretty early today, Junior-kun."

    Turning around, I saw Yomiuri-senpai walking towards me with her hand in the air.

    "Ah, Senpai. Yes, I have an earlier shift today. Also, I didn''t expect to see you here."

    "My department has summer break starting Monday~"

    "That sounds like something a university would do."

    "A friend of mine hasb all through summer break, though. The physics department has it rough."

    "In other words, you have a lot of free time on your hands."

    "That''s why I''m here. By the way, are you working full-time during summer break, Junior-kun?"

    "Well, for now."

    After hearing my response, Yomiuri-senpai made a faint smile. I''ll get the wrong idea if you keep smiling at me like that, so could you not?

    "Well aren''t you passionate about your work. Your Senpai is happy to spend more time with you, Junior-kun."

    "Don''t tease me, please."

    "No no no. I''m not teasing you at all~ I''m just trying to show how happy I am to have a pure coworker pal who I can spend time sweating with. Well, you might be busy drenched in the sweat of youth with your cute little sis."

    "So you''re teasing me after all."

    "You figured me out, huh?" She stuck out her tongue with a grin, which resembled one of those devilish teasing heroines in the works of fiction, but as soon as a Senpai of hers called her up to the register, she made a face more like an exhausted officedy.

    Of course, I''ve never seen a tired officedy outside of fiction, so I can''t say much. But now that Yomiuri-senpai mentioned it, this is the first long school break I''ll be spending with Ayase-san. Since we''re in different sses at school, we barely see each other. The only difference was our sses before the sports festival. However, both of us will be at home most of the time this summer break, so we might actually see each other more often.

    No, I guess not, since I still have work. I filled my calendar with a lot of full-time days. Basically, I was the one who decreased any chances of us meeting, and I nned to spend less time at home. Of course, it''s not that I want to spend time with her that much, okay? You understand, right?

    I shook my head to rid myself of these thoughts and shifted into working mode. For starters, I have to take care of organizing the shelves and setting out the new releases.

    After a few minutes passed, my back raised screams of agony. Working at a bookstore can really do a number on your hips and back, which only gets worse when you have to lift heavy books, carry them somewhere, or put them on shelves while crouching down.

    I let out a long sigh, stretching both my arms. I heard cracksing from my back as I did so. While I was stretching my shoulders a bit, I saw familiar-looking bright hair moving from the corner of my eye. I immediately directed my gaze over there, and I saw a girl wearing familiar clothes walk into the staff office. That is¡­

    "Asamura-kun, if you''re tired, you can take a break."

    When I turned around, the store manager greeted me.

    "Um¡­ the person who just walked in there¡­"

    The store manager followed my gaze and nodded.

    "Yeah, she''s got an interview for a part-time job here."

    We were short on staff, after all, so this is pretty great news.

    She''s a highschool girl looking for a part-time job over summer break.

    "Oh right, I think she attends the same school you do, Asamura-kun."

    I faintly heard the store manager bbering on and on.

    "What''s her name?"

    But I immediately heard the answer to the question I had asked on reflex.

    "She''s called Ayase Saki."

 Chapter 21: Epilogue

    <h4>Chapter 21: Epilogue</h4>

    Ayase Saki''s Diary

    16th of July (Thursday)

    I really blew it. I never had any confidence in Modern Japanese, but I didn''t think I''d actually do that badly. I''m just bad with all these novel-rted questions. Of course, I didn''t want to just ignore the problem and leave it at that, so I bought a lot of reference books and worked through a lot of mock questions, but when ites to the real thing, I always break down.

    I''m thinking about too many unnecessary things, I guess. I should just focus on the actual meaning of the text, and move on when Ie across problems I can''t solve, just like Asamura-kun told me. Any discrepancies and troubles the characters go through are just so unclear to me. I can''t understand at all what they''re trying to say when they talk on such vague terms.

    They should just be honest and directly state their feelings to each other. If you hide your honest feelings and keep your own desires in check, you won''t be able to bring your romantic feelings to fruition¡­ Of course, I know that this is just my twisted way of thinking.

    Still, Asamura-kun is really good at teaching. To be honest, I nearly gave up, but I think I might have found a small ray of hope.

    Thanks.

    17th of July (Friday)

    This lofi hip hop Asamura-kun rmended to me is great.

    The noise like rain pattering against the windows is really calming.

    Oh, yeah. Now that I think about it, I''ve always liked the sound of the rain.

    Maybe I''m someone who focuses better on rainy days?

    I had no idea that genres like this were popr overseas.

    I really need to thank Asamura-kun for going out of this way to look it up for me.

    This isn''t good. I was focusing too much. It''s going to be morning soon.

    I need to prepare for bed and get some sleep.

    I know that the less sleep I get, the more it''ll actually hurt my learning ability, and it''ll impact my health as well.

    Still, it''s impressive that I''m able to focus like this.

    This music sure is effective.

    Weird.

    After getting into bed, unnecessary thoughts started running through my head.

    I should be giving my brain some rest, but they keep drifting in an odd direction.

    Lofi hip hop.

    The one who told Asamura-klun about it was a charming Senpai at his work, right?

    It''s not like it matters.

    But why am I writing about it in my diary?

    I don''t get it.

    18th of July (Saturday)

    I know it sounds weird, but I don''t understand why I am going to write the following in my diary.

    It makes no sense.

    There''s no benefit to what I''m about to write.

    Yet I will write about it.

    How great, isn''t it? Satisfying myself and using a dairy to store these emotions.

    Asamura-kun got homete.

    Since his work ends at about 9pm, he usually gets home by 9:30, maybe 10pm. That''s how it''s always been.

    Yet it''s past 10:30pm, and he''s not home yet.

    When I went to get a drink from the fridge, I asked Mom and Dad-Taichi-san about it.

    In a rare urrence, they were both home, talking as they watched TV.

    I didn''t want to bother them when they could finally enjoy some time together, since they were finally able to act like a married couple, but I couldn''t stop myself.

    So I asked them about Asamura-kun.

    ''Isn''t hete? Is he going to be fine?'' I asked.

    Then I got my response.

    Yuuta''s watching a movie with a girl from work.

    A girl from work.

    I didn''t hear about this.

    I mean, I get it. There''s no reason for him to contact me about it.

    Horsing around at night without contacting your family isn''t something I can exactly appreciate, but since he told Dad-Taichi-san, expecting anything more would be kind of selfish of me.

    Even Asamura-kun has rtionships that I don''t know of.

    It''s not weird for him to talk with a girl or two on a regr basis.

    Maybe it''s her?

    The beautiful Senpai at work who told him about lofi hip hop.

    If so, I''d hate that.

    Ah, let me take that back. Writing it down is different than just thinking about it. The words carry a different weight to them.

    The word closest to what I''m feeling is ''hate'', but it''s not like I have any actual hatred for this girl I don''t even know.

    This is the worst.

    I don''t even know anything about her, and yet I''m forcing my negative feelings into words that I''m direct at her. I hate myself for that.

    I''m getting impatient.

    I decided I might as well give Asamura-kun a ''wee back'' once he gets home, so I decided to study in the living room instead of my own.

    Even after my parents went to bed, I kept studying in the living room.

    *P.S. from the following day.

    I messed up. I totally fell asleep.

    It''s probably because I slept all night yesterday, without even getting up until noon.

    It''s the unfortunate influence of ack of sleep.

    In the end, I didn''t wake up even after Asamura-kun came home. I couldn''t even greet him.

    Now that I think about it, I woke up with a towel on my shoulders. That was probably his doing, right?

    Thinking about that, these gloomy and hazy feelings I had yesterday started to clear up a bit.

    As for why, I don''t know.

    What is this?

    19th of July (Sunday)

    So that''s the rumoured beautiful Senpai. I have to admit, she has the beauty to match the title.

    Even though I was only looking for some reference books and a few novels to buy, I subconsciously made my way to Asamura-kun''s part-time workce. It seemed like he was really considerate of me because of that, so I''ll try and reflect on it.

    Yomiuri Shiori1. It''s a charming name, for sure.

    She loves books, is loved by books, and is loved by people who love books.

    Maybe it''s because she''s a university student, but she feels more like an adult, and yet she has kept this cuteness on top of her adult charm.

    Asamura-kun seemed like he had fun around her as well.

    I really think they''re a great fit. Asamura-kun would definitely be happy if he was with her.

    That reminds me, that store had a poster asking for part-time workers hanging on that pir.

    Working part-time at a bookstore, huh?

    It definitely isn''t an efficient job that''ll let me earn money quickly, but it feels like something I could do.

    But there''s one thing I wonder about. I don''t think he''d be too happy about his step-sister having a job interview at the ce where he works. I can''t do that.

    Wait, no no.

    I can''t be thinking about anything but the exam right now.

    I need to pass that first.

    Focus, Ayase Saki.

    20th of July (Monday)

    Today is the final day before the exam.

    I''m really thankful to Asasmura-kun and Maaya. Both of them helped me.

    I''ll go to bed early so I''m fresh in the morning, which is why I''ll keep it short for now.

    The sweet-and-sour pork was delicious.

    Thanks, you two.

    21st of July (Tuesday)

    I passed the exam.

    I know that it''s easy to say now that the results are out, but to be honest, I was pretty sure I''d pass yesterday.

    It felt like a blockade inside of me had opened, making it much easier for me to answer questions.

    It''s thanks to Asamura-kun. And Maaya as well, of course.

    Either way, now I''ll be able to use my summer break freely. I can earn money while keeping my studies in check.

    Before going home, I took a detour in Shibuya.

    I wanted to visit the ce where Asamura-kun was working at one more time.

    I wanted to have a better look at the poster where it said they were searching for part-time workers.

    As for Asamura-kun, he was nowhere to be seen. He might have been working elsewhere right now, but since I didn''t want to run into him, I stayed away as far as possible from the cash register so an employee wouldn''t find me.

    I don''t want him to think that I''m a stalker or anything, after all.

    I carefully walked around the store and spotted the poster.

    Right when I did, a person who seemed like the store manager came to talk to me.

    ''Are you interested in working part-time?'', he asked.

    Did I make that kind of face? I have confidence that my expression doesn''t really show much about what I''m thinking.

    Without thinking about it, I said ''Yes''.

    There''s no turning back now.

    I was told toe the next day for a job interview, bringing my curriculum vitae.

    Since I''ve never had a job interview before, I figured I needed some practice, so I went to a karaoke box.

    I guess I could have done it at home, but picturing Asamura-kun at home with me while I did so made me feel awkward.

    If someone heard me practice for a job interview, I''d probably die a bit inside.

    It''s not like I could exin it away well, either.

    If he asked me why I was interested in working at that bookstore, I wouldn''t have an answer.

    I don''t even know, myself. Don''t ask the impossible of me.

    I looked up temte questions on my phone and started practicing all on my own.

    There were a few times when an employee walked in, which made me feel awkward because I wasn''t actually singing. But strangers are strangers, so it doesn''t matter.

    I''m sorry that I made you worry like that, Asamura-kun.

    Since I figured I''d be making it homete, I wanted to contact him earlier, but that would require me to make up a reason as to why I had been out longer.

    ''I went to the bookstore where you work and practiced for the job interview I have there tomorrow''¡ªthat''s definitely not something I could tell him.

    I feel like I''ll have to face this gloomy and hazy feeling inside of me sooner orter.

    But, at least for today, I decided to treat Asamura-kun to some great food.

    Since I was in Shibuya already, I stopped by at the department store.

    I bought high-quality food without stepping out of my financial boundaries too much, since I figured cooking something delicious would still be allowed.

    And, if it wasn''t, then¡­ I could only ept my mistake.

    I''ll just use this detour to the department store as an excuse for why I ended up getting home thiste. As for why I didn''t contact him, I used the standard excuse that my phone had run out of battery. It''s a fairly white lie, all things considered.

    In the end, Asamura-kun was really worried. That might have been the first time I''ve seen him that flustered.

    After the doors to the elevator closed, it was just the two of us, and we talked about a lot.

    Inside the narrow ce, just as the two of us.

    An apartment''s elevator is a ce like any other, but even I was nervous while we were together in that secluded room.

    I at least hope he didn''t think I was smelly, since I was sweating quite a bit.

    I used the excuses I came up with. I''m d he believed me, but the more I lied, the bigger the feeling of difort grew in my heart.

    Am I not acting exactly the same as a character who''d appear in a novel?

    These gloomy and hazy feelings. I can''t bring myself to exin them to him. I bottle them up inside me, put a lid on them, wrap lies all around them, and stuff them into the furthest reaches of my consciousness.

    Even though it doesn''t make any sense.

    If I could just voice my honest feelings, adjust to them, and avoid any discrepancies, I might be able to find the right path.

    I''m scared.

    Scared about what I''m feeling right now.

    Because I''m slowly starting to understand what is happening to me, and what I''m thinking about him.

    Yet I find myself unable to even leave this simple word behind in my own private diary.

    How ironic.

    I really am turning into a character from a novel.

    22nd of July (Wednesday)

    Now I did it. I really messed up. I didn''t think about it twice.

    I didn''t expect they would ept me as a part-time employee that quickly.

    I even ended uping in for an interview during the same shift as Asamura-kun and Yomiuri-san. I left as soon as I could, in hopes of them not seeing me, but I wonder if that worked out.

    No, I''m just buying time at this point.

    I can''t run away forever.

    I have to exin this to Asamura-kun. About me working at the same bookstore as him.

    I''m¡­ scared of exining.

    I''m scared, but at the same time, I find myself relieved.

    Of course I''d feel that way, since I can finally clear up these gloomy and hazy feelings that I have.

    The Asamura-kun I don''t know.

    The rtionship between Asamura-kun and Yomiuri-san that I don''t know.

    If I''m able to flesh that out only a little bit, this gloomy and tortuous feeling might soften up a bit. That''s what I think at least.

    Unbelievable¡­

    Why is the initiative in my own actions being taken by him?

    Asamura-kun isn''t even doing anything. I''m putting these chains on myself, restraining myself.

    What aical emotion this is.

    Since nobody is going to read this, I guess I could just write it all down here to remind myself.

    Since I''m keeping it in the back of a locked drawer, it should be safe, right?

    Here is a question for you, me. For you, Ayase Saki.

    Q: Choose a single word to express the identity of this unsightly emotion guing you.

    A: Jealousy.

    ©¤©¤©¤

    1 Her name basically consists of three kanji. Yomi (Reading) Uri (Selling) Shiori (Bookmark), so you get the point here.

 Chapter 22: Afterword

    <h4>Chapter 22: Afterword</h4>

    Thank you very much for picking up the second volume of the novelized [Gimai Seikatsu] series. I am Mikawa Ghost, responsible for the original script of the Youtube version, as well as the author of this novelized version.

    This volume portrayed the story of the always calm and rational Ayase Saki slowly realizing a weakness in herself and dealing with that. Since she''s too serious for her own good at times, maybe it wouldn''t hurt her to once a while look at her own heart. In order to support her during this hard time, Asamura Yuuta introduces her to lofi hip hop. As a matter of fact, I considered releasing this music Saki was listening to on the official [Gimai Seikatsu] Youtube channel, so if that is avable right now, I would be happy if you checked it out.

    At the same time, aicalization has been decided! Kanade Yumika-sensei will be responsible for that, and I am already burning with excitement. For further information, please keep a watch on our official twitter.

    Now, my thanks. To my illustrator Hiten-san, Nakashima Yuki-san as the voice actress for Ayase Saki, Amasaki Kouheisan as the voice actor for Asamura Yuuta, Suzuki Ayu-san as the voice actress for Narasaka Maaya, Hamano Daiki-san as the voice actor for Maru Tomokazu, Suzuki Minori-san as the voice actress for Yomiuri Shiori in the added bonus, video director Ochiai Yousuke-san as well as all the other YouTube staff, to everyone who has been involved in this project, and most importantly, to all of the readers and active YouTube followers, thank you very much. I would be delighted if you continued your support of [Gimai Seikatsu].

 Chapter 23: Short Story

    <h4>Chapter 23: Short Story</h4>

    Sorry for the wait, Junior-kun~ It took me a bit longer than I expected~

    I didn''t think that the toilet would be this crammed.

    I guess I was looking down on Shibuya''s movie theaters.

    Phew¡­ The trailers haven''t started yet, right?

    I''m d I made it in time.

    It''s our date, so it''d be a waste if we didn''t get to talk a bit~

    Then again, we shouldn''t be too loud, manners and all.

    So¡­ there should be no problem if I talk to you like this, right?

    Hehe. Despite this being good manners in consideration of the others around us, it somehow feels like we''re doing something forbidden instead.

    Still¡­ As I expected, there are a lot of couples around. Maybe because it''s a romance movie?

    It was a good choice for us to sit near the front row, right?

    If these couples suddenly started flirting in front of us, I might feel like kicking their seats!

    Hey now, why do you look so disappointed? I''m just joking!

    Not to mention that we can''t reallyin, considering how we look right now~

    Oh my? Junior-kun, don''t tell me you weren''t aware of it?

    You have such a beautiful Onee-san right next to you, whispering into your ear.

    There''s bound to be a lot of boys who''d be jealous of you right now.

    You''d rank number one in the ''Back I want to kick'' opinion poll. Congrattions~

    Oh right, Junior-kun, before the trailers start, there''s a little request I have. Would you mind hearing me out?

    The thing is, I''d like to switch seats with you. I''d rather sit in the middle rather than closer to the entrance.

    You seem like you''re confused, huh? Very well, I shall tell you the truth~

    If some terrorists suddenly barged in from the entrance, I could at least use you as a shield, Junior-kun~

    Just kidding! Hehe, don''t take it so seriously. I was only fooling around a bit~

    You''re gonna put the popcorn in the middle, right? I wanted to sit closer to it so I don''t make much noise during the movie.

    Come on, it''s no biggie, right? No objections? Great, time to switch~

    Yup, much better. This way I can grab it much easier.

    Mm? What''s that face for? Are you thinking that I''m some sort of glutton?

    How rude. You might not know it, but I''m fairly careful of my diet, okay?

    Look at my drink. See? It''s a normal diet coke.

    Yeah yeah, I get it. Resistance is futile. It doesn''t hold much credibility when I ask for caramel popcorn.

    But I can''t give up on the caramel! Won''t you forgive this weak lil'' me? Sniff sniff

    popcorncrunchingASMR.mp3

    Mmm, delicious~ Should I feed you some, Junior-kun?

    If you open your mouth like a small kitty, I''ll toss it right inside.

    Here, open wide~

    Nom~

    evenmorepopcorncrunching.mp3

    Hehe, delicious~

    What, did you think I''d really feed you? What a shame~ I ate it myself instead!

    Sorry for teasing you like that~

    Your reactions are so cute, I just can''t help myself.

    There''s no need to worry. I wouldn''t force you through some couple-like thing like that.

    If we go around flirting too much, your new little sis might start getting jealous~

    Eh? She won''t get jealous? Hmm, I see.

    Then¡­ could you tell her one thing?

    If the position of your lover is still open, I might keep it all to myself~

    Just kidding~ You''re always so calm. I felt the urge to see how far I could take it.

    As I figured, you''re still Junior-kun no matter what.

    Calming and reassuring Asamura Quality!

    The fact that you''re so easy to deal with is rxing.

    Wait, doesn''t make me sound like some kind of yful woman!?

    I''ll treat you to some delicious food another time, so could you just forgive me for today? Okay?

    Oh, it''s getting darker. I guess it''s about to start.

    Just so you know, I''ll be taking some of your time after the movie is over~

    I''d like to walk around for a bit and talk about our impressions of the movie.

    A movie is still a movie in the post-movie analysis, right?

    Now then, let''s see for ourselves what this movie has to offer, shall we?

 Chapter 24: Table of Contents

    <h4>Chapter 24: Table of Contents</h4>

    This is a fan trantion by Cws Trantions,piled together into a file by a fan.

    Please consider buying the official release to support the author, illustrator and their team.

    Table of Contents

    Prologue

    Chapter 1

    Chapter 2

    Chapter 3

    Chapter 4

    Chapter 5

    Chapter 6

    Chapter 7

    Epilogue

    Afterword

 Chapter 25: Prologue

    <h4>Chapter 25: Prologue</h4>

    Around a month has passed since we entered our summer break. In other words, this was the first long break time that I, Asamura Yuuta, would be spending with my younger step-sister Ayase Saki. Ayase-san is a fellow second-year student at Suisei High; she''s currently 17 years old. She''s beautiful to the point of being known by almost every student at the school, and even though I call her my younger sister, our birthdays are barely one week apart.

    You would surely expect certain things to happen in a situation like this, as would anyone withmon sense. Our parents decided to get remarried, making Ayase-san and I step-siblings, but we are still in the middle of our adolescence, running into each other on a daily basis as we live under the same roof.

    And now our first summer break has begun. If we were step-siblings like the ones you often see in fiction and stories, we would already be having all sorts of temte events in the near future. To name a few: A pool visit, a trip to the sea, and a summer festival. In general, we''d head out together a lot, deepening our bonds, and there would be incidents that would make your heart rate race above normal levels. It''s a natural course of events. It has to happen, as this is what the readers anticipate.

    However, reality couldn''t be further from fiction. It''s always as realistic and uninteresting as you can imagine. No such events happened between Ayase-san and I, no matter how many days passed. At the very least, not up to the current time, which is close to the end of August. No notable progress has urred in our rtionship, and we just spend our days inly and simply like we always have. The only thing different from before is the amount of time we spend together. After all¡­

    "Good work today, Asamura-san."

    "Likewise, Ayase-san."

    ¡­We spoke to each other like we were strangers who had just met. For this entire month, both her and I were working at the same part-time job during the same shifts.

 Chapter 26 - 1

    <h4>Chapter 26: Chapter 1</h4>

    22nd of August (Saturday)

    It was another Saturday morning, towards thetter half of summer break. Outside the window, I could hear cicadas holding a live concert. I pondered life while eating some rolled omelette with my chopsticks. Generally, during summer break, a weekend basically puts a school-free day on top of your already school-free day, which then creates this feeling like you''re missing out on something. Can''t we just take all of the Saturdays in this 40-day summer break interval as extra holidays after the end of this vacation?

    I don''t think it''s that big of a request to make. If a public or national holiday falls on a Sunday, we generally get Monday off, so we technically should get all the Saturdays that happen during summer break¡ªor if that''s too much to ask, at least the Sundays¡ªconverted into vacation once summer break ends. Don''t you agree? I considered this idea so much that I brought it up during breakfast.

    "You already have an entire month of summer break, and yet you want even more? Is there anything you want to do or something?" My old man seemed astonished in reaction, so I stopped eating and started thinking.

    "¡ªNo, not really."

    "So why?"

    "I just felt like I''m wasting time."

    "That''s youth for you."

    "I don''t think age has anything to do with this."

    "Once you reach my age, you''ll be unable to think of anything to do even if you suddenly get a day off."

    "Woah, you''re saying that in front of Akiko-san? At least make it sound like you''re happy to spend time with her¡­"

    "Fufu, you really are considerate, Yuuta-kun. Unlike a certain Taichi-san." Akiko-sanmented from her seat across from my old man at the table as she picked up a piece of rolled omelette.

    Since my old man and her remarried two months ago, she''s now basically my step-mother. She works as a bartender at a bar, so she mostly works at night andes homete. My old man for his part is your typical sryman, so he leaves early but doesn''te home thatte at least. Despite being newlyweds, their day/night cycles were opposite from each other except for weekends and holidays. That''s why I am yet again reminded that today is a weekend when I see my old man and Akiko-san talking together in the morning like this.

    "But you need to think about these sorts of things, Yuuta-kun."

    "I do?"

    "For example, today might be a Saturday and a school-free day, but it''s not all that different from the other days you''ve spent this summer break, right?"

    I found myself nodding along to Akiko-san''s argument. Just as she said, such a long period of holidays and no school causes you to lose grasp on the concept of days, and they all sort of blur together. Even more so since I''ve been living this kind of lifestyle for an entire month since summer break started in July.

    "But today is a Saturday instead of a normal weekday, right? Meaning you''ll be working part-timeter, Yuuta-kun."

    "Yes, I have a full shift again today, so I''ll have to head out at noon."

    "Very admirable. So you''ll be working the same schedule as you did yesterday, right?"

    "Yes."

    "Since today is actually Saturday, you''ll be getting a holiday bonus, which results in higher pay! That''s amazing!"

    "Eh¡­ Eh?"

    "It might feel like any normal day, but you actually get paid much more. That''s a great thing. Don''t you agree?"

    "I¡­ guess?"

    "If today wasn''t Saturday, you wouldn''t get this bonus. When you think about it that way, isn''t the way you''re currently spending summer break the best?"

    After hearing her out, I couldn''t help but at least partially agree. Even though the logic sounded oddly contradictory, it was far easier to believe when youbined it with Akiko-san''s naturally slightly air-headed voice.

    "Jeez. Asamura-kun, you''re being deceived." Ayase-san cut in, seeming unable to bear with it any longer after having only listened in silence up until now.

    "Really?"

    "Yup. If you go with that logic, then you could also say that you''ve been working full-time with only a weekday sry up until yesterday."

    "Ahh¡­ I see."

    Basically, Ayase-san is saying that the weekdays during summer break aren''t ''normal days'', but rather all ''holidays''. That would mean that I''m not gaining anything by working today; instead I''m losing out on potential ie. The reason I found myself easily agreeing with Akiko-san''s logic was because she had blinded me with the logic that a Saturday during summer break is like any ''normal'' day, which she brought up first thing in the conversation, thus creating the concept that today is ''normal'' in my mind. Guided thinking is a terrifying thing.

    "Be careful. Mom has the talent to be a used car salesman."

    "How cruel, Saki. Is that something you should say to your own mother?"

    "I know how you really tick because I''m your daughter. Befuddling people is something like eating breakfast for you, right?"

    "Ahh, that takes me back. No matter how sad or depressed I ever got, Akiko-san always knew how to cheer me up." My old man added his ownment like he seemed to remember something thanks to what Ayase-san said, but didn''t you basically admit to being deceived there?

    Is that something you should be saying with such a happy and delighted tone of voice? Then again, the woman in front of me here is known as the bartender with the most experience out of Shibuya''s entire business district, so she''s a pro at dealing with customers. She could probably make my old man and I dance in the palm of her hand. But that''s neither here nor there.

    "Being forced to work on a holiday is a bit of a depressing way of thinking about it, but as long as I keep in mind that I get paid more today, it''ll probably have a better impact on my mental state, so I''ll go with that." I said. Akiko-san gently smiled and offered me her slender hand.

    "Yuuta-kun, would you like another serving of miso soup?"

    "Yes, please."

    "Ah, I''ll get it. I wanted some more myself, anyway." Ayase-san stood up before Akiko-san and snatched my bowl.

    "Thanks."

    "You''re wee."

    "Saki-chan, could you get me another serving as well while you''re at it?"

    "Ah, yes." Ayase-san epted my old man''s bowl with her hand that wasn''t holding adle.

    After that, she smoothly carried the bowl over to the pot, turned up the heat on the stove, and stirred the miso soup. Before it started boiling, she turned off the heat again and carefully poured some soup into the bowl.

    "Thanks, Saki-chan."

    "This isn''t anything special, so don''t worry about it. Here, Asamura-kun."

    "Thanks."

    Ayase-san put my bowl down in front of me and sat down in her own seat to restart her breakfast.

    "Saki-chan''s miso soup is as delicious as always." My old man said, smiling in joy wide enough for his eyes to look half-closed.

    On weekends, Akiko-san and Ayase-san were both responsible for breakfast, but miso soup is Ayase-san''s fort¨¦. Today, it was standard miso soup with scallions and deep-fried slices of tofu. The tofu rehydrated in the soup perfectly, making it soft and perfectly chewy, and the scallions'' texture made it enjoyable to eat.

    "Yup, you''re right. Ayase-san''s miso soup is really fantastic."

    "¡­Thanks, Asamura-kun." Ayase-san sounded like she hesitated for a moment before giving a response.

    Upon seeing this, Akiko-san gave a blooming smile. "Fufu, you two have gotten pretty close."

    "Yup, they sure did."

    My old man and Akiko-san looked at each other, smiling in contentment. I felt relieved to see them like that. Thinking back to when I was much younger, eating breakfast like this was either supplemented with rage and voices raised in anger, or awkward conversations, making the food lose all taste and warmth. Compared to that, now I was being practically forced to watch a lovey-dovey married couple exchange words of affections to no end.

    Of course, being teased and feeling slightly ufortable about it all was par for the course, but it''s better than them holding back. Ayase-san seems bothered by it a lot of the time, but the fact that she doesn''t leave shows that she shares simr sentiments to mine.

    "But you two still call each other by your family name, huh?" My old manmented.

    Akiko-san also nced over at Ayase-san.

    "Are you still too embarrassed to call each other by your given names? You can go with ''Yuuta-niisan'', you know."

    I found myself agreeing with Akiko-san''s proposition. I guess this is what you call difference in experience. I can''t imagine Ayase-san calling me ''Onii-chaaan~'' with a sweet voice, but ''Yuuta-niisan'' sounds usible. It''s not too different from ''Yuuta-san'', and it would make us feel more like siblings¡­ I guess. Though it''s not like I would really know since I don''t have and never have had an actual little sister. I think this is pretty reasonable at least. However, Ayase-san calmly shook her head in response.

    "It''s not that I''m embarrassed, but it doesn''t feel right."

    "Really?"

    "Really."

    "Well, you''re right. ''Asamura-kun'' makes it a bit lessplicated."

    "Complicated?" I was confused by my old man''s choice of words, so he borated.

    "Before we started dating, Akiko-san called me ''Asamura-san''. At home, that is. So to Saki-chan, ''Asamura-san'' refers to me, and ''Asamura-kun'' refers to you, Yuuta. That makes it easier to follow, I guess."

    I didn''t even hear the second half of what he said. I just froze up, with my mouth open in shock. I had never even thought about that, but it''s true. Obvious, even. Even as close as they are, they still have a certain level of politeness towards each other. Even more so since he was still a customer back then, and a veteran at customer service couldn''t suddenly close the distance between them by calling my old man ''Taichi-san''.

    In public spaces, Modern Japan sees the addition of ''san'' after a name as fairly formal, but sometimes it bes inevitable to even add a person''s family name¡­ Wait, hold on.

    "Wait, so back then you called Akiko-san¡­"

    "Yup, I called her ''Ayase-san.'' Makes sense, right?"

    "It took quite some time for him to start using my given name though, my goodness."

    "Hahaha, you''re making me blush." My old man scratched his red cheek.

    This gesture you could only describe as an example of bted adolescence caused even me to feel embarrassed. Ah, good, I''m being forced to watch a newlywed couple flirting first thing in the morning. But I guess this just goes to show how happy they are. When I raised my head and nced over at Ayase-san, she made a bit of a troubled expression, but immediately went back to eating her breakfast.

    Thanks to that, I managed to regain my calm as well. Thanks, Ayase-san.

    After we finished eating breakfast, I brewed some coffee and set the cups out in front of everyone. Since breakfast was done and I hadn''t helped, I figured I could at least do this much. My old man and Ayase-san prefer it ck, but Akiko-san likes it with a bit of milk, so I poured a small amount into a small creamer pitcher and offered it to her.

    "Thanks, Yuuta-kun."

    "You''re wee."

    As for me, I go with wherever my mood takes me, so I''m pretty random when ites to my preferences. As for coffee, I usually alternate between Brazil Santos and Blue Mountain. My old man heard somewhere that the smell helps you focus, so he bought heaps of it. I think it was right before Ayase-san''s supplementary exam. Since we still had a ton left over, I was slowly chipping away at it. As for how I finished my summer homework so fast, it was either because of the time I had at my part-time job or because of the coffee.

    "Still, I never thought you''d start working at Yuuta-kun''s part-time job, Saki."

    "How many times do we have to go over that, Mom?"

    "I mean, I just never imagined something like that."

    "It''s my first time working part-time, so I figured that it''d be easier to get into it if someone close to me had experience. I''ve always loved books, and I wanted to help my modern literature scores too, so this was just perfect, to be honest."

    This exact exchange has probably happened at least three or four times since the beginning of summer break. Akiko-san was still a bit confused by it, but for Ayase-san, it was probably much easier to answer than the questions on her supplementary exam she had before break.

    Of course, it was a surprise to me to see Ayase-san want to work part-time at a bookstore, whichbines physicalbor with not-the-best pay, considering how adamant she was about finding a job that pays a lot with the least amount of effort and time invested. She also doesn''t seem to be as much of a book lover as I am, though I''m not trying to gatekeep here or anything.

    That''s why I doubted my eyes at first when I saw Ayase-san at the bookstore on that day. Up until that point, she had never mentioned anything about her ns or that she already had a ce in mind. I was curious enough to want to ask her about it right away, but I couldn''t exactly just leave my work, so I had to suppress my curiosity until the end of my shift. Then again, that was just wasted energy on my part, because she told me right away after I got home. When I asked her why she hadn''t told me beforehand, the answer was simple.

    "It''d be embarrassing if they didn''t ept me after I applied."

    It wasn''t exactly an exciting plot twist like would be in a drama. It is true that it''s embarrassing to fail a job interview, so I understand where she''sing from. While sipping the coffee in front of me, I reminisced about the evening Ayase-san nonchntly told me ''Starting tomorrow, we''ll be coworkers, Asamura-kun''.

    "Are the two of you sure you want to be working all summer break?"

    "No worries. I''m still attending my summer sses. I can take proper care of myself, okay?"

    Once you be a second-year in high school, you should immediately start focusing on your university entrance exams. Especially in our school, Suisei High. It''s quite a highly-regarded uppity school, so most people¡ªaside from my friend Maru Tomokazu who spends his summer break with club activities¡ªgenerally focus on mock exams or summer courses. As a side note, Ayase-san isn''t attending said summer courses.

    Since such courses are usually offered by a famous prep school, naturally one that charges money, she would have needed to ask her family for money in order to attend. My old man said that he wouldn''t mind paying for them, but you know how stubborn Ayase-san can be. After all, she ns to get into a famous university all on her own, without epting any sort of help from others, and I can''t help but respect her for that.

    "Summer courses? Ahh, I don''t really care about that." My old man said, based on trust (or so I''d believe), andpletely ignored my hard work.

    Instead, he voiced an entirely different concern.

    "I mean, you and Saki-chan aren''t showing any signs of heading off anywhere for your summer break."

    "That''s what you meant?"

    Both Ayase-san and I are busy pretty much all day every day, so being able to hang out as a family like this was a rare urrence even during summer break. That being said, I didn''t expect my old man to justpletely ignore the topic of studies altogether and suddenly act all serious about something like that.

    "It''s very important. When you grow up to be an adult, you''ll find it harder and harder to find time to really enjoy yourself. There''s no time like the present for you two to spend some love-filled youthful time with friends."

    "Mmhmm. So why do I feel like you''ve been having plenty of that despite your age?"

    "In our case, it''s love between adults. There''s a difference."

    Or so he said, but when I look at this couple, I wonder what exactly the difference is. But that would be too much of a philosophical question right now. Maybe everyone in the world just assumes that whoever says something first is right.

    "As high school students, shouldn''t you like, you know, go on trips, go to festivals, and create lots of memories?"

    "As an adult, shouldn''t you like, you know, warn me not to have too much fun? Also, I''m having plenty of fun doing my shifts at work, so it''s not all work and tedium." I replied with an exhausted tone.

    My old man shook his head in response. "Work is still work. You can''tpare it to a trip or something like that, can you?"

    "Well, you''re not wrong¡­"

    I mean, from an adult''s perspective, working part-time somewhere is still pretty much like ying around, right? Adults love to talk about things with this kind of nuance, right? Apparently the same can''t be said of my old man, though.

    "Once you be third-years, you''ll be busy with entrance exams, so having a bit of fun right now while you can shouldn''t hurt, right?"

    "Indeed. I''m worried that Saki is just watching her life pass her by."

    Both my old man and Akiko-san started worrying about their children in a very different way than you would normally expect from a parent. Yet again I''m reminded that these two are actually pretty simr to each other.

    "Also, your friends might be lonely if you don''t give them some attention."

    Friends, huh? When my old man said this, the first person who came to mind was a muscr guy with sses.

    "I don''t have many friends to begin with, and the few ones I do have are devoting their lives to their club¡­" I internally gave a wry smile as I answered my old man.

    My friend Maru Tomokazu is a second-year yer like I am, and a regr attendee to the baseball club. Even during summer break, there''s no day without practice. On the contrary, there''s training camps, practice games in different prefectures, and that sort of thing. Even if I have time to hang out, he''s way too busy.

    "I''m d for the long break! It allows me to practice more than during normal school days!" He told me with a grin, so that''s probably how he became a regr. While thinking about what Maru said, I nced over at Ayase-san.

    "Myself aside, I feel like Ayase-san''s friends probably invited her somey."

    "No ns." She bluntly denied any assumptions I might have had.

    Ayase-san''s only friend that I know of is Narasaka Maaya, but unlike Maru, I haven''t heard anything about her being in a club. Not to mention that she generally cares a lot about other people, so I figured that, knowing how close she is to Ayase-san, she wouldn''t let this summer break pass without inviting her somewhere. Since Ayase-san had denied anything of the sort, I was unable to ask for details and was forced to drop the subject.

    Later, I was in my room preparing to head off to work when someone knocked on my door. When I opened it, Ayase-san was there.

    "If you''re wondering about Maaya, then don''t worry about it. We don''t have the kind of rtionship where we would hang out during summer break. Just to let you know."

    I was at a loss for words. She was so blunt about it that I wondered for a moment if I had spoiled her mood.

    "Wait, Ayase-san."

    "¡­What?"

    Ayase-san was about to head back to her own room, and I instinctively called out to her. But I didn''t even know what to say. I couldn''t properly put it into words, but I felt like something was off, and that her attitude just now felt dangerous. My intuition generally is pretty good, so leaving this subject untouched coulde back and bite me in the long run. All misunderstandings should be resolved as quickly as possible.

    After spending these past three months with Ayase-san, I now somewhat understand how she thinks and how she values her time, so I can see how she wouldn''t want to spend time with her friends outside school much, especially during holidays. That being said, she won''t even interact with any strangers¡ªisn''t exactly correct, either. She brought Narasaka-san with her after school, and we yed a game together, Narasaka-san taught her here, and she even helped with dinner. When you look at the distance these two are suddenly putting between themselves, it might seem like they suddenly got into a fight or something.

    "Sorry."

    "Huh?" I quickly raised my head, my thoughts interrupted before I coulde up with anything to say.

    With a somewhat troubled expression, Ayase-san continued to speak.

    "I''m not angry or in a bad mood, okay? I''m sorry if I made you worry. But Maaya and I really don''t hang out that often."

    "Didn''t shee over several times, though?"

    "That''s because she was interested to find out what kind of person you are. The other time I invited her was because she''s good at looking after others, right?"

    Oh yeah, Narasaka-san mentioned she had a lot of younger brothers. Unlike Ayase-san and I, both of whom are only children, she was taught from a young age how to be mindful of others and their troubles.

    "Basically, without either of us inviting the other, generally nothing will happen."

    "Ahh, well. I understand. I''m not the type of person who really hangs out with other people myself."

    "Do you prefer staying alone?"

    "More than going out, I guess."

    I''d say I''m pretty good at entertaining myself. I can spend time by myself for as long as I want, and I don''t find it boring or a waste. If anything, spending time with others can be kind of exhausting for me. When I was younger, my mother was always in a bad mood, so I had to always be careful to not anger her unnecessarily when I was at home. It always made me feel tired and tense. To me, a home wasn''t a ce where I could feelfortable. That was probably why I developed this reclusive bookworm type of personality. It''s not that I''m fine on my own. It''s more that being alone just makes things easier for me.

    "So you''re the same, then. I guess that means this topic is resolved?"

    "Yep." I agreed.

    "Alright, I have to prepare for work. Also, I''m going to take a detour on the way there, so I''ll probably leave early."

    "Got it." I nodded, but my sense of difort did not go away.

    I didn''t want to think that she was lying, but something about what Ayase-san said sounded off. After she left and went back to her own room, I kept pondering this odd feeling that was guing me, and I realized one thing. Why did Ayase-san go out of her way toe to my room and emphasize that she didn''t have any ns to go out with Narasaka-san over summer break?

    I stepped out of the house a bit before noon. My shift for the day wouldst from early afternoon all the way until night. After parking my bike in the corner of the parking lot, I checked the time. I realized that I still had about thirty minutes until my shift started.

    "Then again, that''s not much time to step outside again¡­"

    I decided to spend a bit of time inside the store, so I entered through the normal customer entrance. Just inside, I saw new releases and popr books on the shelves and on the front disy. It''s probably the most eye-catching location of the entire bookstore, but because of that, it was always a bit of a battle to get anything there depending on the time of day. Right now, a sryman I guessed was in his 40s gave the new stuff a nce before he walked towards the corner with the sports magazines.

    Although I don''t have much time, it''s always worth checking out what''s new. Since there''s only one entrance to the store, the cash register was close by. It makes sense, of course. For the people who have finished their purchases, the most important thing is to immediately move to a different location, and walking around inside the store any more than necessary after their purchase would just be a bother to them.

    If you walk past this corner with the new and popr stuff, past several bookshelves, you''ll reach an area with books that aren''t exactly current top sellers. Everyone knows you should put popr books in a ce where a lot of eyes find them. In every bookstore, there''s a certain system and arrangement to how you disy books in the store. Although I was only taught about ours by a senior at work, it made a whole lot of sense to me. Oh yeah, this takes me back to when I first started working here.

    "Yomiuri-senpai, don''t bookstores change their disys a lot?"

    Around once to twice a year, bookstores would change the location of this popr corner, which baffled me. Even bigger stores couldn''t seem to leave it in the same ce. I can''t imagine a library doing that.

    "It''s a lot of trouble, isn''t it? Not knowing where all the books are." I brought up something that every regr bookstore customer must feel at least once in their life.

    "Yup, that''s exactly why," was Yomiuri-senpai''s puzzling reply.

    "What?"

    "We do this precisely because you remember where things are."

    "What do you mean?"

    "To be more technically correct, it''s because you think you remember. Humans actually don''t remember the tiny details despite remembering the bigger picture. Do you remember what book was right here before?" Senpai asked, tapping one corner of the bookshelf she was standing next to.

    It seemed to have not been sold out for too long, but the space was empty. Since this was the light novel corner, I came here pretty often, yet I still couldn''t remember exactly what book had been in this location just before.

    "Here''s your answer."

    She showed me the cover of a book we had just received today. It''s a pretty well-known book, and the novel is from an author who''s known for their short stories. Of course, I had read some of their books before, and when I looked around the bookshelf, I should have realized that it was filled with books from the same author. Although it''s not part of any longer series.

    "Ah, it was that one?"

    "But when you looked at the bookshelf, you didn''t think that anything was different from usual, did you?"

    "That¡­ is true."

    "Basically, you don''t remember what''s inside the shelves. However, your brain thinks that the shelves are the same as ever. Humans are still just animals, so if they don''t think something is off or different, their attentiveness drops."

    I couldn''t help but groan when Senpai said that. Despite her using me as an example, I could still tell that what she said made perfect sense. Of course, I didn''t miss her faint grin at the end. She might look like a beautiful Japanese woman, but she''s pretty rotten on the inside. At least that''s what I was already thinking back then.

    "So that''s why we do it?"

    "Yup, that''s why we go through all of that. If nothing changes, then you''ll be able to shop without having to actually look. We basically destroy that reality, changing the location of bookshelves and such from time to time. Then you have to walk around for a bit trying to find what you''re looking for, and you''ll pay more attention to your surroundings. Unlike a library, we''re actively trying to sell books here. If we just put the new and popr releases on the special disy, the rest of the store will be practically useless, because people don''t check out other books aside from what they''re looking for. A bookstore can''t survive without moving the shelves around from time to time. I know of bookstores that vanished over time because their shelves were basically rotting in ce!"

    "Thank you very much for the philosophical and profound exnation, Senpai."

    "I was pretty cool, right?"

    "You were like an old and shriveled man from an RPG."

    "Hmph, that doesn''t sound cool at all." She pouted.

    While thinking about what Senpai said back then, I looked away from the lineup of new stuff and looked towards the inside of the store. A bookstore is pretty much a showcase of humanity''s knowledge. In addition, new releases reflect the current flow of the world''s information for the current generation. I can feel it on my skin by simply looking at the titles and covers. It''s a great way to spend time, to be honest.

    I passed by the disy and started my round inside the store. I checked the new releases, running my eyes along the bindings of the books on the shelves. When I do this, I can check how the store is doing, and I''ll be able to help customers better once my shift actually starts. After a bit of time passed, I started figuring I should probably change into my uniform when someone suddenly tapped me on the shoulder.

    "Yo, Junior-kun."

    When I turned around, Yomiuri-senpai stood there in casual dress.

    "Senpai, don''t surprise me like that. I almost had a heart attack."

    "Have you always had such a fragile heart?"

    "It might not look like it, but I have."

    "If you show me, I might just be willing to believe you."

    "If you put it back where it belongs afterwards, I don''t mind showing you."

    Upon hearing my response, Senpai smiled happily.

    "Who are you, Shakespeare? Even I know that you can''t take out your heart without shedding any blood. I guess I''ll just have to believe you without evidence."

    "I appreciate it."

    Today, Yomiuri-senpai was wearing slim-fit denim jeans with a sleeveless blouse, her long hair tied up behind her back in twintails. Her choice of clothes lookedfortable and rxing, even refreshing for the current season.

    "Also, aren''t you here pretty early?"

    "Right back at you, Senpai."

    Isn''t she supposed to start her shift at the same time as Ayase-san and I?

    "Loitering around at home is boring. The A/C is on here, so I figured I''d check out the store before starting my shift."

    "Are you that bored?"

    "That''s what it means to be a university student."

    "What about your seminars, your circles, and your research?"

    "Ahhhh, I can''t heeeear youuuu, can''t hear you at allllll."

    "Don''t react like a grade school student would. How old are you?"

    "Remember the saying ''Better too big than too small'', Junior-kun?"

    "Your cheap logic makes you sound like a middle school student."

    "No matter how old I grow, what''s inside won''t change."

    "You''re trying to sound clever, but this is just a half-baked attempt at dodging my question about you cking off, right?"

    "You''ll understand how I feel once you start attending university, Junior-kun. University students aren''t as mature as you high school students might think." Yomiuri-senpai tried to talk herself out of it as she smiled.

    Her credibility when saying that was different than before.

    "By the way, where''s your little sis?"

    "Who knows? Is she not here yet? She left the house before me, so I''d assume she should be here soon."

    Even all during this past month, Ayase-san and I never walked to work together. She said something about how we should draw a line like how we were with our rtionship at school, and I agreed. It''s not like anything bad would happen if the store found out that we were siblings, and since Ayase-san had to turn in her job application, I''m fairly certain the store manager already knows that we''re siblings. He''s just not spreading this information to the other employees from what I can tell.

    On top of that, I usually travel here by bike, whereas Ayase-san walks, so I would have to slow down and she''d have to speed up to keep pace with each other if we wanted toe here together, and neither Ayase-san nor I enjoy this kind of showy form of consideration.

    "Still, I never thought that your little sis woulde to work here~ Eh, what''s that face for?"

    "Well¡­ I just had a simr conversation at home."

    Why does everyone think it''s a surprise that Ayase-san would work part-time at a bookstore? When I asked Yomiuri-senpai this question, she thought about it for a moment.

    "It''s not a rare thing to see someone working part-time at a bookstore. However, that goes for high school students who just want to y around a bit. Your little sis is as diligent and serious about her work as you are, Junior-kun."

    "Maybe¡­ Oh yeah, Senpai, are you going anywhere this summer?"

    "Hmmm? Me? Of course. I''m going to wear a seductive swimsuit and have guys try to pick me up at the beach."

    She said this while puffing out her chest in confidence. Should you really be acting this arrogant, though? Not to mention a seductive swimsuit? A what swimsuit? Well, from an objective point of view, Yomiuri-senpai is quite beautiful and good-looking. If only she''d stay silent, she would look like the perfect example of a Japanese beauty, especially with her alluring long ck hair. Then again, on the inside she''s an old man.

    "The sea, huh?"

    "What''s that bothered face about?"

    "Well¡­ I can only picture it as a stampede of people."

    You''d have to swim off the coast of Honshuu to avoid the crowd. Not to mention that for an introvert like me, going to a crowded beach is a bit too much to handle.

    "I''m not going there to swim, so it''s totally fine."

    "You''re going there to get hit on?"

    "Yup, yup."

    "Is being hit on that good of a thing?"

    "I can eat for free thanks to it."

    "You''re not even poor¡­"

    I mean, I know that the pay from a bookstore doesn''t amount to much. Fundamentally, bookstores don''t exactly have crazy good profit margins, so the sry isn''t anything to boast about. Even if you''re an actual full-time bookstore employee. Much more so if you''re just a part-time jobber.

    "Oh my, do you dislike this practice of obtaining free food?"

    "Not exactly, I just don''t like the idea of creating debts with other people. Also, constantly being treated like that is basically akin to confessing you don''t earn any money, which leaves a bitter aftertaste."

    I like to live my life with the principles of give & take, so always being treated to free things, or only being on the receiving end of other people''s kindness, just doesn''t sit right with me. There''s nothing more expensive than something that''s free of charge. Not to mention that food I bought with the money I''ve earned tastes ten times better.

    "Well, that''s very much like you, Junior-kun. But I''m offering them a beautiful university girl''s smexy swimsuit appearance, so it''s not like I''m eating for free, don''t you think?"

    "Smexy¡­? You already sound like an old man. Are you sure that appearance hasn''t already withered away?"

    "So you''re calling me a dried up university girl?"

    "I never said that."

    I was just thinking it, is all.

    "I can tell what you''re thinking!"

    "I''m sorry."

    "By the way," Senpai put her index finger to her lip and smiled like a teasing cat. "Everything I told you just now was a lie."

    "¡­Everything?"

    "Yup, everything."

    "So what were those lies for, then?"

    "There''s no deeper meaning to it!" Senpai insisted.

    Then again, as I looked at Yomiuri-senpai now knowing it was all a lie, I probably should have seen through it from the very beginning. I reflected on my mistake. After all, her arms showing from beneath her sleeveless blouse showed no signs of any tan or sunburns. She was still as snow-white as ever.

    "Well, jokes and fun aside, we should probably change into our uniforms now."

    We walked to the back area of the bookstore and split up. I changed in the empty men''s changing room, putting on my uniform. Right as I stepped out to head into the office, Yomiuri-senpai and Ayase-san stepped out of the women''s changing room. It seems like she was perfectly on time.

    She was wearing the same apron above her uniform as Senpai was. Unlike at school or at home, she now had her long hair tied up together with a ribbon, probably to help her work more efficiently. Her glittery blonde hair looked like the tail of a prideful and renowned horse. The gap between her employee uniform and shy hairstyle caused her to stand out in the store, and my eyes would asionally drift towards her.

    It felt like our eyes met for a second. However, this onlysted for a moment, and she averted her gaze again. This isn''t good. I need to get used to this already. Or so I told myself as I fixed my posture. I doubt Ayase-san likes it when I sneak nces at her.

    The store was fairly crowded. Maybe because it was a Saturday, but it was probably mostly because we''re in the middle of summer break. Even so, there was a short stretch of time when the flood of customers calmed down. I think it was around 3pm in the afternoon. After finishing a purchase at the register, Ayase-san let out a polite "Thank you very much!" to a customer as they left. Since no more people were lining up in front, Ayase-san, Yomiuri-senpai, and I all lined up behind the cash register, sighing in relief.

    "You''re doing great for only working here for one month, Ayase-san!"

    "Really?"

    "Yup. I thought we got a clever kid when Junior-kun applied here, but you might even beat him."

    Her tone sounded like she was serious. Personally, I had to agree. Everything she did was perfect, from dealing with the cash register to helping customers. I didn''t even need to step in and help her. Not to mention that this had already been the case about a week after she started working here. She was already remembering all the small details about this job, fitting in much faster than I did back when I started.

    That reminds me, Yomiuri-senpai calls Ayase-san ''Little sis'' when she''s in front of me, but when she''s talking directly to her, especially inside the store, she also calls her ''Ayase-san'' from time to time. These kinds of things make her seem really mature. Mentally, of course. Not physically.

    "Thank you very much." Ayase-san returned a warm smile.

    She''s been acting more dry and cool at home recently, so seeing a smile like that was refreshing. Then again, it was close to the fabricated smile she first gave me at the family restaurant.

    "But that just shows how good you are at teaching me, Senpai."

    "That response really shows just how amazing you are."

    "No no, it''s the truth."

    "Um¡­"

    "Ah, yes!"

    A customer spoke up on the other side of the cash register, and Ayase-san turned around and started helping them with another perfect smile. It was an elderly woman who seemed to be searching for a manga.

    "Should I take care of the cash register?"

    "Please do." Ayase-san nodded and stepped out into the main store.

    I figured she woulde back soon enough, but after around ten minutes, Ayase-san showed no signs of returning. In the meantime, more customers lined up in front of the cash register, leaving me without a chance to go search for her. Books aside, Ayase-san doesn''t read any manga. She might have gotten lost trying to help the customer.

    "Leave the cash register to me. You help her." Senpai must have seen my worried expression, since she tapped me on the back.

    I left the rest to her and stepped out into the main store. When I walked towards the manga corner, I quickly spotted Ayase-san walking along the bookshelves with the customer behind her.

    "Is everything okay, Ayase-san?"

    "Asamura-san¡­" Ayase-san turned around with a troubled expression on her face, her eyebrows hanging low.

    From what she exined, the elderly woman was looking to buy a manga for her grandson. In other words, she didn''t know much about manga herself, and she had a rather perplexed expression as well. She said she was looking for a new release from this month. It had just gotten an anime adaptation announced, and it had fairly good sales. Considering how many copies we get of popr series, I can''t imagine it would be sold out. But Ayase-san couldn''t find it.

    "Judging from the publisher, it should be on this shelf¡­"

    "Have you looked it up?" I nced over at the machine in the corner of the bookstore.

    We should be able to figure out if it''s avable thanks to the machine''s search function.

    "It says we still have five copies, but¡­"

    "It''s not in the front disy, is it?"

    "No, I already checked that."

    After confirming the situation thanks to Ayase-san''s input, I started thinking. It''s odd to be unable to find the series despite it having just been released. We have copies of it left over despite how popr it is, too. However, since it''s not in the popr items disy, I was forced to look through the covers on the shelf. This shelf was filled from head to toe with manga from that publishingbel. Going down the lines of authors with the A i u e o principle, I saw older series from them, but not the newest release. It seems like the ones we put on the shelves were sold out.

    "Not here¡­"

    "Yeah. I know it should be here, but¡­"

    "That means¡­ Hmm, maybe over here¡­"

    I pushed the books that wereying t on the disy beneath the shelf aside. Then another manga, and apletely different one at that, appeared. It was the exact new release we were looking for.

    "Ah!"

    "Here. This is it, right?"

    In bookstores, customers often take books out from the shelves to look at them but don''t put them back in their original ce. This is yet another example of that. If the book had been put away randomly somewhere else, it might have stood out more, and thus been easier for Ayase-san to find, but since they put another manga down on top of the one we were looking for, they effectively and identally hid it. The number of copies underneath the initial one also matched the number our search machine said we had in stock.

    "Amazing¡­! How did you know?"

    "Well¡­ intuition, I guess? More importantly, the customer is waiting."

    "Ah, yeah. Um¡­ is this what you wanted?" Ayase-san turned towards the customer, checking if that was the one she wanted.

    When she did so, thedy gave her a happy smile back.

    "Yes, yes, this seems to be it."

    "Great! Would this be all you need?"

    Thedy nodded in response and we escorted her to the cash register and finished the payment. The woman seemed very happy to have seeded with her shopping trip, and she tightly embraced the manga and chatted a bit, then left. As she did, Ayase-san and I sighed in relief.

    "I''m d we found it in the end. So how did you even know to look there? It''s almost like some kind of superpower."

    "No, that''s really not it."

    On the card on the disy, it said ''Releasing 2nd of August!'', but thebel on the book on top of the pile was one that should normally not be released on that day. Basically that book shouldn''t have been in that pile to begin with, which stood out to me.

    "I had no idea¡­"

    I don''t me Ayase-san for not being familiar with manga releases. Unlike me, she doesn''t regrly check new releases.

    "It''s hard to notice that sort of stuff if you don''t have a feel for it. I just have a bit of experience, that''s all."

    ¡ªIf animals don''t think something is off or different, their attentiveness decreases.

    These words Senpai told me a long time ago now came back to mind. When your brain thinks ''it''s not there'', then your eyes won''t register either.

    "Even so, I think that''s pretty amazing."

    "I''m sure Yomiuri-senpai would have found it even quicker."

    Yomiuri-senpai had switched with us, and was now patrolling inside the store. While thinking about her, Ayase-san muttered an indifferent ''I see'' and stood behind the cash register again. More and more customers appeared to buy something, so things got busy again.

    I could see the moon starting to rise between the valley of buildings. There were around ten days left in August, so the wind was still warm, and a bit of the leftover heat started to rise from the asphalt. The time of day was fast approaching 10pm, and it''s actually already been fifteen minutes since my shift ended. A high school student is only allowed to work until 10pm, but we''re basically being allowed to leave at 9:50pm instead. Even so, changing clothes and saying goodbye took the full ten minutes.

    Ayase-san and I left together, walking next to each other. Since we both prefer to not be overly considerate of each other, we''re both perfectly fine with leaving for work at different times. Yet we walk home together. The reason for this has to do with Akiko-san''s conditions for letting Ayase-san work part-time. Namely, she asked us to walk home together when our shifts endte. She doesn''t want a girl walking home alone in a big city like Shibuya. It just goes to show how loving of a parent she is.

    Ayase-san had been against it in the beginning. She argued that having her older brother act as her bodyguard was taking things too far. ording to her, she often had to make her way all alone to the bar where Akiko-san worked, and she was safe every time. Oh yeah, a lot of students had at one time spread rumors that Ayase-san was into some kind of shady paid dating deal, but in reality some students just spotted her as she was making her way to meet Akiko-san, and they got the wrong idea. That exined a lot of things.

    And there''s probably another reason why Ayase-san originally tried to turn down the idea of me tagging along. Since I was travelling by bike on the way to our job, I can make it home much faster. So she doesn''t want to slow me down. If our positions were reversed, I''d probably feel the same way. Since Ayase-san prefers to be more on the giving side than the taking side, she didn''t want to ept this condition.

    Even so, she eventually agreed. She didn''t want to burden her mother unnecessarily when she was busy with her work already. To be honest, I was relieved in that regard myself. Even if she herself said she was fine, I really don''t want Ayase-san to walk down the night streets of Shibuya all alone. One time would be fine enough, but since we work almost every day, there was bound to be trouble that would happen eventually.

    When I brought that up, Ayase-san gave a nonchnt ''I guess you''re right''. After going through this several times, we''ve gotten used to walking home together. I wiped away the sweat on my cheek, hoping that it would cool down soon.

    "It''s a hot summer, huh?"

    "So it''s fall already, huh¡­?"

    "Eh?"

    "What?"

    We both stopped walking. Ayase-san gave me a baffled expression, and I gave her an equally baffled reaction. After Ayase-san closely investigated my face, she nodded faintly.

    "Are you talking about the heat?"

    "Yeah. What about you?"

    "That." Ayase-san pointed her chin in the direction of a boutique''s¡­ shop window?

    I could see mannequins standing behind the ss window.

    "That''s supposed to be fall?"

    "It is fall, right? What else would it be?"

    Ayase-san''s disappointment seemed to only grow when she saw that I remained confused.

    "Eh, are you being serious now?"

    "Sorry, I see no difference between the style of clothes on that mannequin and what you''re wearing right now, Ayase-san."

    I mean, I could tell that those weren''t midsummer clothes thanks to her pointing it out. The sleeves were also a bit longer¡­ I guess? But Ayase-san is wearing a checkered jacket over her knitted tanktop, so¡­

    "That''s not really the problem here. When you look at the color of the clothes and the minor details, you can tell what''s in fashion this fall. Also, most mannequins are no longer wearing summer clothes, at least not those that you''d put in the front windows of a store. Not to mention that they''re wearing different clothes than they were yesterday, right?"

    "Are they?"

    "You''re joking¡­"

    "Ah, no, I don''t doubt you or anything. I''m sure you''re right. So please don''t make a face like you''ve run into a zombie or a Santa in the middle of town."

    "Personally, I feel like I''ve encountered something even rarer than that. I wouldn''t even be surprised to see a zombie or a Santa at this point."

    "That''s a bit cruel, don''t you think?"

    She''s treating me like some kind of Area 51 inhabitant or a SCP. Maybe my consciousness is just so narrow that I don''t even remember what the mannequins on my daily route are wearing.

    "Asamura-kun, are you the kind of person who''s not that interested in fashion?"

    "Have you ever seen me reading a fashion magazine?"

    If I had money to waste on clothes, I''d much rather spend it on books. Also, who would I, a loner and a bookworm, want to show these clothes off to? Ayase-san nodded, seeming to follow my reasoning.

    "I see. I guess you really don''t realize it at all if you have no interest."

    "It seems like it."

    "Well, I guess there''s no problem if you''re not working part-time for the clothes¡­"

    "¡­Hm? What''s that about?"

    "Don''t mind me~" Ayase-san started walking ahead.

    I don''t know what exactly she had just been talking to herself about, but I pushed my bike and followed after her. For some reason, though, from then on Ayase-san seemed to be in a better moodpared to before our conversation.

 Chapter 27 - 2

    <h4>Chapter 27: Chapter 2</h4>

    23rd of August (Sunday)

    I woke up to the feeling of oppressive heat. Turning over, I looked at the rm clock next to my pillow. It was 10am right now, and three¡­ no, just four minutes. Even though there was barely one week left in August, the heat showed no signs of leaving us alone.

    "You''ll get heatstroke even in your room," Akiko-san once told me, so I quickly turned on my room''s air conditioning. Since I had been sweating quite a bit in my sleep, I changed into some clean clothes. Upon opening the door leading to the living room, I was hit by a strong heat wave that gave me trouble breathing for a second.

    When I looked up, I saw my old man standing on adder, fiddling around with the A/C, as Akiko-san looked up at him with a somewhat worried gaze. Although it was just another Sunday, it felt weird to see both of them in the living room together, but then I realized that maybe this was the reason.

    "Ah, Yuuta. Morning." My old man met my gaze.

    "Yuuta-kun, good morning."

    "Good morning. So, uhh, is it not working?"

    "We haven''t gotten any cold air from it for a bit now. Akiko-san woke me up, saying that it was rattling a lot."

    "Should I help you?"

    "Ah, no, I''m still looking into it. I don''t know what to fix, either. Not to mention that recent A/Cs aren''t even made to be fixed by an amateur anymore."

    That makes sense, I guess. He seemed to be checking the error message while going through the user manual, sometimes turning it off and on again, even cycling through the different modes. However, the unit seemed to have no intention of blowing out cold air anytime soon.

    "That A/C unit is pretty old, you know. If it''s not showing any signs of being kind to me, we might have to go and buy a new unit altogether."

    "We just bought one for Saki''s room, too¡­ I''m sorry about this."

    "No, no. Don''t be. Saki-chan''s room had always been a storage room, which is why it wasn''t equipped with an A/C unit to begin with. Studying in her room without A/C would just be suffocating, right?"

    "Thank you, Taichi-san."

    As the two of them started talking about Ayase-san, I realized she wasn''t with us in the living room.

    "Is Ayase-san in her room right now?"

    "Yes, I just saw her. But with the heat and all¡­ She''s not very good at handling it, see."

    "Is that so?"

    "She always gave me a lot of trouble about it when she was a child. As soon as summer rolled around, she would constantly beg me for ice cream, ask me to take her to the pool, that sort of thing. She was so persistent about it, too."

    When she mentioned Ayase-san as a small child, I was reminded of the picture my old man showed me before the marriage. If I had to guess, she was probably in gradeschool back then, and she did seem fairly energetic. Comparing that to now, she''s a lot more secluded and calm. I really can''t imagine her as a child who would constantly bother her mother like that.

    "Over the years, she started getting a lot calmer about it, which is a bit lonely in a different way."

    "I guess this is just what happens when teenagers reach their adolescence. It''s embarrassing to have your parents around all the time. Yuuta was the same way."

    When my old man said that, Akiko-san lowered her head a bit and let out a sigh.

    "In her case, I don''t think it was simply her growing up¡­ Back in middle school, she was already the way she is now." Akiko-san chose her words carefully, which caused me to guess what she was referring to.

    Things weren''t working out in her family anymore, her father wouldn''t evene home anymore, and Akiko-san was always out working. I think that was the time period she mentioned. Ayase-san must have noticed her family''s wretched condition and started begging for things all the time.

    "I see, I shouldn''t have said that."

    "It''s fine." Akiko-san smiled faintly.

    I feel like Akiko-san didn''t even mind that much, but my old man seemed terrified. Listen, even if you hole up on thatdder, you''re not helping anybody. So when she was younger, Ayase-san really liked the pool, huh¡­? To be honest, I can''t really imagine an innocent and young Ayase-san swimming like that. So if someone told her that she could act the same now without any cares in the world, would she do the same?

    For an introverted and inactive person like myself, simply moving around and exercising sounds like it''d be exhausting, let alone joining anyrge crowds of people, so I''d rather not.

    "Hmm, it doesn''t seem like I can fix it. Calling someone over to repair it would probably be the best choice, but considering how busy they are this time of year, I can''t even hazard a guess as to when this can be fixed."

    "I see. How troublesome. Ah, be careful whening down, Taichi-san."

    "Yuuta, I think it''d be best if you stayed in your room today."

    "I don''t really mind."

    I only had work in the evening today, so that was fine by me. When I asked the two of them what they would be doing about it, Akiko-san mentioned that she wanted to go shopping, and my old man would join her to carry all the stuff. Yeah, doing anything outside at all is also an option¡­

    "I''ll go tell Saki," Akiko-san said and headed towards the kitchen. She called out to me on the way. "Yuuta-kun, would you like to eat something? I haven''t made anything for myself yet."

    "Ah, yes please."

    My old man and Ayase-san seemed to have already finished their breakfast, so Akiko-san and I warmed up the leftovers and enjoyed them. My old man opened the door to their bedroom, which caused a cool breeze to pass through the living room, but it didn''t take long for me to start sweating like I was sitting in a sauna. At times like these, I really would love a fan.

    After finishing the meal and cleaning up the table, I took a page from Ayase-san''s book by grabbing some cool drinks from the fridge and hiding from the heat in my room. Now then, what should I do today? That reminds me, I wonder what Ayase-san is up to in her room? This thought came to mind as I was flipping through a page in a book I was reading, but I was interrupted by a sudden phone call from Maru.

    He asked me about my afternoon ns, and when I told him I was basically free, he told me to tag along for a shopping trip. At first, I nearly declined because I couldn''t be bothered to head outside in this heat, but then I remembered that I was in a prison of heat in my own apartment, so I agreed.

    The area in front of Shibuya''s train station was even more noisy and filled with people than any other weekday, despite it only being early in the afternoon. When I looked out at this crowd, it felt like the heat had only grown even more intense.

    I parked my bike at the usual parking lot. Since I have work in the evening today, it''ll make going home a lot easierter. Maru had invited me to a store that sold anime-rted goods. Since it also sold manga and light novels, it was pretty much a directpetitor to the store where I worked. Well, constantly worrying about that sort of thing won''t benefit me at all, and the bookstore I work at doesn''t sell any anime merch, either.

    After making my way from the front of the train station down north Jingu-dori street, I turned West after running into Inokashira-dori street. The path then split, and I headed on to Udagawa-dori street. That''s probably a somewhat easy exnation to follow. To people who don''t know Shibuya''syout, this might seem like quite a long distance, but with the city that never sleeps and is always brimming, it was more like a walk than a chore.

    There were new types of canned juices in open areas on the street, and youngdies were hawking a popr product in front of stores. You could find yourself quickly reaching your destination here just as you looked around. Around five minutes before we were supposed to meet, I reached the store in question.

    "Yo, sorry to call you all the way out here." My friend Maru Tomokazu approached me, his face a bit more tan than before.

    "It''s been a while. So you didn''t have any practice today, huh?"

    "Yeah. We only had morning practice today. Nowadays, endless training isn''t exactly popr or in style. In this heat, it''s more likely that you''ll just end up exhausted or even injured, so you have to take some proper breaks from time to time. That''s how we''re doing it, anyway."

    "I see, I see."

    Well, I still consider it to be pretty harsh training overall, but I''m sure they want to avoid any injuries or other health-rted problems.

    "Anyway, my bad that I had youe here on my behalf."

    "Well, about that¡­"

    I told Maru about the whole A/C fiasco at home, and how I figured I''d at least have fun in some way if I was forced to endure the heat anyway. It''s not like I particrly fancied telling him about my living situation, but I figured he wouldn''t feel as bad if I gave him the general gist.

    "That sounds rough. So I''d like to get my main goal done first. I''d be bad if they sold out before I got to it."

    "Sure."

    Normally, Maru isn''t the type of person to force his interests on other people, but when he actually asks for help, he always has a good reason. Such as when a product is a limited purchase for one person only. Unless you check out several stores, you often won''t get what you want. In times like these, Maru can be quite merciless. Then again, since the release was on Friday, he must be worried about it being sold out.

    Now that I promised to help out, I was prepared to help out until the bitter end¡­ Oh yeah, I didn''t even ask him what goods we were after.

    "After we finish the mission, let''s grab something to eat."

    "OK."

    Although I had gone to a manga and light novel corner many times before, since I''m not too interested in the actual goods, I had Maru show me around.

    "So, what are we getting?"

    Maru answered as we kept walking. It seems like we''re after goods for a spring anime. The season already ended a few months back, but depending on how sales go, they start selling the goods even after that. I remembered the name of the anime when Maru mentioned it. It''s a show with five girls. It''s some kind of slice of life series.

    "And there''s a robot."

    "What?"

    For a second, I failed to understand what he said. If my memories served me right, the setting was in a rural town, and it was like any other average adolescent story¡­ right?

    "The light novel the protagonist read in episode 5 was a science fiction work, right?"

    "Yeah¡­"

    I remember now. Recently, the existence of otaku and their interests has started to turn more into general knowledge, with even normie protagonists and side characters are interested in the world of otaku, but¡­ Oh yeah, I think he liked science fiction stuff, but it never really went anywhere in the main series.

    "So wait, are you¡­?"

    "Yeah, I''m getting that robot the protagonist really liked."

    "What does that have to do with the anime?!"

    "I can''t help it. That robot is just awesome." Maru said. He told me the name of the illustrator who was responsible for drawing said robot, but I''m sorry, I don''t recognize them.

    When I told him as much, Maru looked at me in shock and disgust and started telling me about how famous of an individual that illustrator is.

    "So basically you want a toy version of this robot, right?"

    "That''s the sum of it."

    Once we reached the actual marketce, they luckily had some of the aforementioned robot toys left. They had enough for Maru and I, but I think those were thest ones, so we cut it fairly close. We both carried one as we walked to the cash register. There were a lot of customers even though it was Sunday, so the line was fairly long. We kept talking as we slowly progressed through the line.

    "I see. This robot is pretty awesome."

    "Right?"

    I''m really not familiar with this kind of thing, but its appearance was pretty cool. The robot was inside a box around 50cm in height. It seemed to be some kind of airbat robot the likes of which would never exist in reality. The anime''s logo was drawn on one corner of the box in a small font, which really made it hard to guess what the genre of the series was. It really looked like it was straight out of a mecha anime.

    "It has a lot of movable parts, too. You can really y around with this."

    "y with it¡­?"

    "Oh? Don''t tell me. Didn''t you y with robot or monster toys when you were younger, Asamura?"

    "I might have, but definitely not much."

    I understand collecting them as a kind of hobby, but I don''t understand the point of actually ying with them. I''ve always been focused on manga and novels more than anime, after all. When I was young, my old man had a hobby of buying stic models of battleships, but my blood-rted mother got angry at him because they were always in the way, which was why he decided to never get into it again. I feel like it would be an enjoyable hobby if your family and lifestyle allowed for it.

    With manga and novels, I could fill my room, and they would never get in the way if you simply put them on shelves.

    "Oh yeah, Asamura, Narasaka and Ayase invited you to the pool, right?" Maru suddenly changed the subject.

    Upon hearing this, my brain froze up for a moment. Who''s going to the pool with who? Maru, for his part, didn''t even notice my confusion.

    "Seriously, you''ve turned into one hell of a yboy while I wasn''t looking."

    "What are you talking about?"

    "What do you¡­? I''m talking about you and Ayase going to the pool with Narasaka."

    "First I''ve heard of it."

    The hell is he talking about? Since I showed no signs of understanding what Maru was referring to, he told me what he heard through his connections at the baseball club. ording to these rumors, Narasaka-san was getting together a group of boys and girls to meet at the pool, and the members apparently included Ayase Saki and Asamura Yuuta.

    "Were you not invited?"

    "Nope. Heck, I haven''t even talked to Narasaka-san since summer break started."

    "Hmm, then you''ll probably get invited here pretty soon."

    "August is about over, remember?"

    "It''s still as hot as ever, so no problems there."

    "Well¡­ I guess so."

    So a n like this was put in motion without my knowledge, huh? Also, am I even close enough with Narasaka-san that she would invite me like that? I can still count on a hand or two the number of times the two of us have talked to each other. I knew that Narasaka Maaya was very strong when it came to rtionships and how she treated other people, but this is way more than I expected. Well, I guess that still doesn''t mean anything is set in stone. The information source is pretty much still just second-hand rumors, after all.

    While we were talking about that, we reached the front of the line. We finished paying, returned to the train station the same way I came, and entered a cafe nearby the bookstore I was working part-time at.

    Both Maru and I ordered an iced coffee, and he added a club sandwich to his. That''s a sports club member for you. He sure can eat a lot. Compared to the coffee from family restaurants, this one is about twice as expensive, but at least it allows you to have afortable seat and not be rushed. I called it a cafe, but it pretty much is just a bit more stylish than an average family restaurant.

    Though it''s an establishment where regrs put in ordersplicated enough to sound like they''re chanting a spell, we seeded in ordering something normal at least. Well,pared to a high-ss coffee restaurant, this one is much more suitable for high school students. There was once a time when I entered a random establishment near the Shibuya train station without looking at the menu first, and left immediately after seeing how expensive everything was. A cup of coffee with four digits for a price is definitely too much for high school students.

    Maru and I put our trays down on the table and let out a sigh.

    "So spill the beans. Why did you need two of the goods?" I asked, ncing at the stic bags with us.

    "One for personal use, of course, and one for preservation."

    "I see. So no missionary work."

    "...You knew from the very start and you still asked me, didn''t you? Bad taste, my friend."

    "I actually didn''t, I just felt like asking. You mentioned someone you wanted to give a present to before, so it was a guess."

    I know that some people buy several copies of something they like. However, when I thought that maybe Maru had bought this for someone else, and needed my help to secure it, it sure didn''t sound too unrealistic.

    "I was actually asked to do this."

    "Someone asked you?"

    "Yep, a friend online. They really wanted it, but the current situation won''t allow it, you know. So I went and bought it. I''m gonna send it to themter."

    "Huh."

    I didn''t know Maru had a friend like that. When I asked him for details, they apparently got to know each other on an online forum when they were talking about their favorite anime. Their tastes lined up pretty well, and they got close enough to send each other this stuff. That being the case, they probably knew each other''s addresses too. Even so, they only know each other by their online names, but they seem to be good friends nheless. Maru knew that they lived in the same town, but they had never met.

    "But if you''re such good friends, you might as well meet up in real life, right? Also, I feel like you''d be the type of person who''d organize that yourself."

    Although they could technically meet online whenever, humans really love meeting others in person, face to face. Since Maru knows how to organize and he has the ability to put a n together, I was a bit confused as to why he hadn''t done so already. Then again, he''s constantly busy with his club, even on Saturdays, so maybe their chances are limited.

    "That won''t do at all."

    "Why not?"

    "Naturally, not everyone is like that, but there''s a small group of guys who would use this as a chance to hit on girls, you feel me? If there''s not a whole lot of trust involved, it''ll only end badly. At the very least, that''s what I think."

    "Yeah, being this cautious is a lot like you¡­ Hm? Hitting on girls? Is the other person a female?"

    "From what she told me, yeah. A university student, even."

    "A university student¡­ so she''s older than you, huh?"

    For a second, Yomiuri-senpai came to mind. She''s the only university girl I can think of that I know. Normally it''d be a rare thing for high school students like us to run across university students, so it''s rare that both Maru and I have had experiences like this. Well, I guess for online friendships it''d be more rare if they were the same age.

    "Judging from her messages, she''s pretty clever. She''s knowledgeable and kind, and doesn''t have any prejudices against me. The conversations we have are actually pretty meaningful. Then again, the fact that she''s so positive sure helps a lot, I guess."

    "Huh, yeah she does sound like someone you could get along with. I bet there''s a lot of other people who feel the same way as you¡­ Ahh, that''s why."

    "Yeah, she''s pretty popr in the chat."

    I see. So an offline gathering would bring in guys who would try to hit on her.

    "I''m surprised you got close enough to send each other stuff like this."

    "Yup, it was a crazy coincidence. I''ll tell you the whole story sometime if I get the chance."

    "I''d love to hear it. So have you fallen in love with her?"

    Maru apparently didn''t expect me to say this, and he seemed to panic for a moment.

    "No, I don''t really¡­ or anything."

    Oh, what a rare reaction. Well, normally he would act all assertive, so I have to pay him back from time to time.

    "Really now?"

    When I didn''t let up my questioning, Maru seemed to get flustered for real, and grew quiet. Eventually, he said "I''m going to the restroom real quick" and got up from his seat.

    It''s surprising that Maru of all people is acting like this¡­ Oh yeah, the person receiving Maru''s present, and the person receiving the goods from him¡­ Are they the same person? That''s another side of Maru I''ve never seen, and it made me realize that I still didn''t know everything about him, which of course makes total sense. Though I have to admit that I didn''t expect him to experience romantic feelings like this. I guess we''re pretty different after all.

    As far as romantic feelings go, I''m quite fond of romance novels, but I don''t really picture myself in those kinds of situations. I''d much rather watch over these kinds of events involving other people. I would never expect to experience some kind of ro-like event myself. After all, this is reality. Something as convenient as getting to know a cute girl and eventually going out¡­

    Well, I did end up living with a girl my age because of my old man''s remarriage, but it''s not like she''s¡ªActually, she is cute. Very cute, objectively speaking. Also, why am I even picturing her while thinking about this? It''s true that Ayase-san is cute, but she''s my little sister.

    "Asamura-kun?"

    That''s right, even her voice is cute, but a little sister is still a little¡­ Wait, what? When I turned around, I was greeted with a blonde-haired girl looking at my face right from the street next to our seat. Of course, it wasn''t a hallucination. It was the real deal, Ayase-san.

    "What are you doing here?"

    "This is the closest cafe to our part-time job."

    "Ah¡­ That makes sense."

    There was nothing weird about this. Since both our part-time jobs and even our shifts ovepped, it''s not odd of her to spend her time in a simr way, especially considering the situation at home right now. That entire thing is the main reason why I rmended this cafe to Maru. This was more than a coincidence, it was obvious enough to practically be expected. However, that doesn''t mean I wasn''t surprised to meet her here, and thus I didn''t even know how to continue the conversation.

    "Anyway, I''ll be going now."

    "Eh?"

    All my thoughts and ideas suddenly rebooted. Before I realized it, I was already looking at Ayase-san''s back as she walked away. She was wearing a one-shoulder top worthy of the heat, along with blue shorts. She''s got such high hips, almost like a model. Ah, she''s even wearing sneakers today, maybe to match her current outfit. As she walked away with light steps, the door to the store opened and closed.

    eyebrows.

    It seems like she really did get an invitation.

    "Nope. It''s not like she has any way of contacting me in the first ce."

    "Then how did you find out?"

    Oh man, she''s really suspicious now.

    "Simple hearsay. I had no idea about it, either."

    I exined about how there was talk going around about Narasaka-san inviting her friends to the pool.

    "Do you want to go, Asamura-kun?"

    For a brief moment, it almost sounded like she was asking if I wanted to go with her. But that was impossible. She was just asking me if I was interested in going to the pool in general. That''s the only way Ayase-san would even pose this question. She hates being misunderstood after all. She''s being as t as always, simply asking if I want to go, which was why I decided to reply with the first words that came to mind when the question was phrased in that context.

    "Honestly, going to the pool with all those outgoing guys sounds like a pain." I shed a wry smile as I responded.

    For a moment, I felt like I saw a sad expression sh up on Ayase-san''s face underneath the streetmps, but her usual expression returned just as quickly as it was gone.

    "I see. Then you don''t have to force yourself to go, right?"

    Something felt off about the way she phrased that, almost like she was bothered by my response. I couldn''t guess what she truly felt. I sensed a bit of anger, a bit of sadness, but also a bit of relief.

    "Are you not going to the pool?" I asked.

    "I''m not going." Ayase-san responded.

    "Why not?"

    "...¡­"

    I took the extra mile and stepped into her territory, but Ayase-san stayed quiet and did not give me a response. A car passed us by at that exact moment. I thought that maybe she couldn''t hear it, but in the event that she did, I didn''t want to bother her any further by prodding her with questions. However, something did feel off.

    ¡ªI''m not going.

    I wonder what kind of emotion Ayase-san said that with? As we made our way home, I saw the lights shining out of our t. I parked my bike in the parking lot and let Ayase-san go on ahead without me. But until I opened the door of our apartment, I kept thinking about Ayase-san.

 Chapter 28 - 3

    <h4>Chapter 28: Chapter 3</h4>

    24th of August (Monday)

    When I woke up early in the morning, nobody was in the living room. I knew that my old man and Akiko-san wouldn''t be there. My old man is off to work, and Akiko-san has yet toe home from work. She contacted us saying that she''d be homete (or I guess early in the morning in this case?).

    However, not even Ayase-san, who would normally be awake at this point, was around. Maybe she''s in her room? It''s not like there''s any reason to do so, since the living room was a perfectlyfortable temperature¡­ Wait, afortable temperature? Only then did I realize that the A/C in the living room was blowing out cool air. It''s fixed, huh? Since I got home sote, and pretty much stayed in my room without eating dinner, I didn''t even notice. I guess my old man got a hold of someone who could repair it. Maybe he prioritized that over their shopping trip.

    Since it was running, he probably knew that I''d wake up not long after he left. I looked over at the dining table and saw breakfast prepared for me. I suddenly got a hunch and checked my messages, and I found a LINE from Ayase-san.

    ''I prepared breakfast, so you can eat it whenever. I already finished mine.''

    I guess Ayase-san is awake already after all. Maybe she''s sitting in her room, studying or cleaning or something. I sent her a thank-you message over LINE and sat down at the dining table.

    "Today it''s Japanese style, huh?"

    On the pale blue te was grilled salmon, along with radish cut up into a small mountain in the corner, and small Japanese plums. On the te next to it was a cluster of seasoned seaweed, and sd on anotherrge te. It was like a breakfast you''d see at an inn. It looked like there was a lot of effort put into this.

    After confirming the food I was dealing with, I picked up my empty rice bowl and miso soup bowl and stood up. While warming up the miso soup, I put some rice into my bowl, and after filling it up with miso soup, I returned to my seat.

    "Time to dig in." After putting my hands together in thankfulness for the food, I started eating the precious breakfast Ayase-san prepared for me.

    I poured some soy sauce onto the radish to let it soak in and put it on top of the salmon, eating the pieces of salmon along with the radish. The sweetness of the fish and bitterness of the radish mixed on my tongue. The fish is as delicious as well, a different kind of taste from meat. Thanks to the radish, the aftertaste was non-existent, and I found myself able to eat several refills of rice.

    While admiring the fact that such a simple breakfast could still be so delicious, I reached for the miso soup next. The miso soup base this morning was nameko mushroom. It was easy to drink, going right down my throat. As always, Ayase-san''s miso soup couldn''t get any better. I really felt like sending her another LINE message telling her exactly that, but I didn''t want to bother her, and that''s about all I could tell her anyway. So I just sent her an imaginary message of gratitude instead. Thank you for the delicious miso soup as always, Ayase-san.

    After finishing my breakfast, I washed the dishes and cleaned everything up a bit more leisurely, since I had some more time until my part-time job started. While thinking about what to do until then, I decided to clean up the living room a bit. The dining table had a thin tablecloth on it so it wouldn''t get dusty. I thought maybe I should clean the fridge, and since Akiko-san should being home soon, I figured she might prefer her grilled fish not being too cold. If she doesn''t feel like eating it, I can always put it in the fridgeter.

    I cleaned from top to bottom, since the dirt would fall to the lowestyer. I wiped everything clean that I could, and after sweeping the floor, I mopped it as well. Whenever I''m doing something that I''m fairly used to, it really gives my head time to think about something else in the meantime. For example, about how Ayase-san has been acting weird as ofte. I think it basically started two days ago.

    ''If you''re wondering about Maaya, then don''t worry about it. We don''t have the kind of rtionship where we would hang out during summer break. Just to let you know.''

    No matter how much I thought about it, I failed to see a reason why she woulde over to my room just to say that. Even more so if it''s Ayase-san, considering how this is clearly unlike how she usually acts.

    "Hmmm¡­"

    My hand stopped mid-cleaning, and I let out a sigh as I rested my chin on the wooden grip of the mop. Oh yeah, I remembered something else. ording to Maru, the whole pool n that Narasaka-san put together was supposed to include me as well. But I hadn''t heard anything about it. Of course, this makes total sense, since Narasaka-san doesn''t know my LINE address or any other way to contact me.

    If so, what would Narasaka-san do? She would most likely get Ayase-san to ry her invitation to me. Of course, if Ayase-san herself doesn''t want to go, then that''s her own decision. However, it''s not natural and easily exinable why she would keep silent about the invitation that was directed at me.

    What would I do if I was in Ayase-san''s position? For example, what if Maru came up with a simr pool n, and told me to invite Ayase-san? Well, I probably would tell Ayase-san, even if I didn''t n on going. Something along the lines of ''Maru told me to invite you''. If not, I would basically be stealing a chance for her to enjoy herself. Since we''re so clear about being fair in our rtionship, it would be going against the rules.

    So why did Ayase-san keep quiet? Something is off. But when I reached this thought, I realized that I had stopped cleaning entirely.

    "Not good, not good."

    I redoubled my cleaning efforts in the living room, but Ayase-san''s irregr actions wouldn''t leave my mind. I had finished scrubbing the floor when the front door opened and Akiko-san came staggering towards me in a wobbly and sleepy manner.

    "Ahhh¡­ Yuuta-kun¡­ morning¡­"

    "Wee back, and good morning. Would you like something to eat?"

    "Yeah¡­ I''ll eat some ice cream and then get some sleep." She spoke with her eyes half-closed.

    I opened up the fridge and took out the ice cream (which was Akiko-san''s favorite, thus my old man always kept the fridge stocked full of it). It was a strawberry vored ice cream stick.

    "Oh yeah, you fixed the A/C yesterday, didn''t you?"

    "Mmm¡­ Ahh, right. Taichi-san called a technician¡­" She must have been exceptionally sleepy. Her words came out slowly and with a lot of pauses between them.

    From what I understood after Akiko-san sat on the chair and started licking her ice cream, the reason our A/C malfunctioned was dirt in the filter, and my old man trying to fix things on his own apparently only made things worse. Then again, I imagine he really just wanted to show off to Akiko-san.

    "It was running perfectly fine with a cool face up until yesterday, and then it suddenly broke down. Machines sure are weird." Akiko-san said.

    Upon hearing these words, my heart skipped a beat out of shock. Running perfectly fine with a cool face¡­ and then it suddenly broke down. These words reminded me of what Yomiuri-senpai told me about a diligent person suddenly breaking down from stress and pressure. Maybe humans are fairly simr to machines in that respect.

    ¡ªBeing too diligent makes them unable to stop.

    One day, their heart might break. If I see that someone needs to stop, I should force them to by telling them¡­ However, would she really ept this?

    "Hey, does Ayase-san hate people who force others to be honest with their desires?"

    For starters, I need to understand Ayase-san''s personality further. With this in mind, I decided to ask Ayase-san''s mother, Akiko-san, about it. Upon hearing my question, Akiko-san stopped licking her ice cream and looked up at the ceiling.

    "Hmmm? Are you asking if she hates people who force themselves on her?"

    "F-Forced¡­"

    Well, I guess it''s something like that. However, I feel like the nuance in what she said is different from what I was initially talking about.

    "I was thinking more along the lines ofing up with ns and making her tag along."

    "So you''re asking if she would hate someone strong-arming her out on a date? Let me think¡­ Judging from her personality, she would probably dislike that. But things would be different if you actually set up a n with her and everything."

    "So she would dislike that¡­ I figured."

    Even just as far as I could tell, Ayase-san''s personality was fairly close to how Akiko-san described. If so, then what could even be done to stop her¡­?

    "Hm, do you want to invite her out on a date? Say, Yuuta-kun¡­ Have you fallen in love with her by any chance?"

    This suddenment from Akiko-san interrupted my thought process entirely. What? Um, what did she say just now? I frantically tried to recall the conversation leading up to this point. Is Akiko-san actually having a terrible misunderstanding by any chance?

    "N-No, of course not! I wasn''t talking about it in that kind of way. I just felt like Ayase-san has this personality where she goes too far at times."

    I need to exin the circumstances properly, so I told Akiko-san about my conversation with Yomiuri-senpai yesterday. As a result, Akiko-san gave a smile like she finally understood what I was talking about, which allowed me to sigh in relief.

    "So that''s what you meant. I totally thought you came to like Saki as a girl."

    "That''s not¡ª"

    ¡ªgoing to happen. After all, Ayase-san is my little sister. That''s just impossible. It''s not allowed to happen.

    "You''re right, though, Saki really can be like that." When Akiko-san said this, I felt more tense. "Around the time she moved up to middle school, and I ended up getting busy myself, Saki started to grow up really rapidly, and she tried her best to be considerate of me and not increase my workload. She was far more mature than her peers."

    "That¡­ I can picture."

    "Indeed. And it might seem like a good thing, but considering that all of that happened because I wasn''t there for her¡­ you know. I''m reflecting on it, and the fact that I couldn''t spoil her as much as she deserved. I wanted her to be able to stay a bit more selfish, you know, allow her to stay a child for longer." Akiko-san''s words stabbed me right in the heart.

    I remembered Ayase-san in the picture I was shown. The Ayase-san who would beg for ice cream or beg to go to the pool that she had told me about. However, Ayase-san forced herself to stop acting like a child and decided to live independently more than everyone else. At first, it was probably just her trying to take some of the weight from her mother''s shoulders, but that probably isn''t the only reason anymore.

    "Yuuta-kun." Akiko-san called out to me. I raised my head and found her giving me a serious gaze. "I know this isn''t something I should ask my step-son for, but I want you to help her and make sure she doesn''t work herself into a corner too much. If she says that she doesn''t want to, then I think you should be more pushy about it, just like how you asked me before."

    I hesitated for a moment, but still nodded inpliance with Akiko-san''s request. So far, I''ve lived my life without trying to overstep my boundaries with other people. I don''t take responsibility for how other people live their lives, nor do I want to. After all, I don''t like it when people step into my own territory. Trying to carry each other''s burdens just sounds like so much of a pain that I couldn''t be bothered. I remembered what Ayase-san told me when we first met¡­

    "I won''t have any great expectations of you, so I want you to do the same for me."

    These words gave me great relief and reassurance. This clearly was the best way of going about things in order to form a rtionship that wasn''t too intrusive. However, I also can''t ignore the fact that Ayase-san might break down in the near future¡­ Even if she hates me for it.

    "It''s fine. Even if she starts to dislike you for it, I''ll tell you something she really loves."

    "What she loves, huh? You mean something that will cheer her up?"

    "Of course!" Akiko-san looked at me with a bright smile.

    Naturally, I was a bit doubtful that such a convenient thing existed, but I still asked Akiko-san to help me if need be. I really don''t want Ayase-san to hate me. We''re living together after all, and she''s my little sister.

    The faint sound of the A/C running filled the living room.

    "Thanks for that." Akiko-san said, throwing the popsicle stick into the triangr corner of the sink.

    She must have been pretty tired, since she staggered her way back to her bedroom. I just hope she doesn''t fall over. Good work today, and good night, Akiko-san. Now then, as for me¡­ I put the grilled fish back into the fridge and made my way to Ayase-san''s room, knocking on the door.

    "What?"

    The door opened slightly, and I could see Ayase-san''s desk. On it were workbooks and notes, and in her hands she was holding her usual headphones. This time, she was wearing over-ear instead of in-ear headphones. Maybe she''s studying while listening to lofi music. The A/C was turned on, creating an even more cool atmosphere inside the room. I think Akiko-san mentioned that Ayase-san was weak to the heat.

    "Listen, about the whole pool thing with Narasaka-san."

    "I''m not going."

    I wasn''t given any time to finish my sentence. Ayase-san must have seen me at a loss, as she quickly made something of an excuse.

    "I don''t have the time to waste at the pool after all."

    That''s exactly what I''m worried about. It''s not that Ayase-san is trying to make me angry or anything. She still has this mindset that any time spent ying or fooling around should be avoided like the gue. She doesn''t think she needs time to just rx and focus on something else. Her heart is like green bamboo, endlessly growing but only straight up. There was an old saying that I faintly remember that said something like that. So I started thinking. If I try to follow her lead, she''ll just get even more stubborn.

    "Alright, that''s totally fine. I was just thinking that maybe I wanted to go after all. So could you tell me Narasaka-san''s contact information?"

    For now, I started acting interested in this event, so I gave Ayase-san a chance to let down her guard and maybe rethink her choice. Ayase-san then finally looked me in the eyes.

    "Don''t wanna."

    "Eh? ¡­Um, what?" I was shocked to say the least.

    After all, I didn''t expect to get denied sp forcefully and directly. Ayase-san dislikes acting ording to emotions with no logic behind them. I didn''t expect her to have such a grumpy response just because I asked for Narasaka-san''s contact information. Not to mention that Narasaka-san was probably nning on contacting me in the first ce. Also, despite being the one who said it, Ayase-san seemed shocked by what she herself had said.

    "Um, wait, no. Giving other people someone''s contact information¡­ is bad manners after all."

    "Ahhh¡­"

    That does make sense. That would exin her reaction. You''ve gotta protect personal information after all. That''s very much like Ayase-san. Yep.

    "Let me ask Maaya for you. I''ll let you know if I get a response."

    "Got it."

    She must be using LINE or email, I guess. If so, then I didn''t expect it to take too much time. And since she said she wanted to study some more, I left her alone. Since we''ll see each otherter for our part-time job shift, I could wait. I closed the door and headed back to my own room. The current problem is that I don''t think I can even drag Ayase-san to the pool. Right now, Ayase-san is like an immovable mountain focused only on the giant amount of studying and part-time work in front of her. Judging from that, she must be under a lot of mental pressure.

    It''s not a problem to make her go to the pool. I just want her to take a breather before she breaks down entirely. That''s all I was thinking about, and all I honestly wished for. So I decided to ask herter during our part-time job.

    Once afternoon rolled around, I left the house. I pedalled my bike through the steaming heat rising from the boiling concrete. I took several breaks on the road up the hill, and had put several water bottles in a bag in my bike''s basket, so I was protected against possible heatstrokes. I felt the sweat building up on my body, but suppressed my desire to stop and wipe it. It''s not like I disliked this exercise, though.

    In the midst of Omotesando where you could watch university students bustling around, I found a single formal building that didn''t seem well-suited to the location. It''s a famous prep school targeted at people attempting to pass the entrance exams at Todai1. Whenever I stopped my bike and entered this building, I felt relieved. Rather than all the ces full of normies and party-goers in Shibuya, this ce filled with diligent students made me feel much more at peace. Near the prep school were also popr boutiques and a pancake store that was popr on Insta, which attracted a lot of female university students.

    I entered the ssroom and took a seat in the corner of the room. Unlike at school, the seats at prep school aren''t assigned or anything, but I guess it''s just in my nature to seek out an open spot. By the way, I''m not a prep school student or anything, I''m just here for the special summer sses. A lot of students around me were the same in that regard, and didn''t even talk much with each other, simply focusing on their workbooks and the questions in them.

    Although Suisei High is known as a high-level school, it''s not like everyone in it is that much of a diligent student, so the difference in atmosphere between stiff and rxing doesn''te as much from grades or personalities, but rather simply the human rtionships going on inside the ssroom. Speaking about the students, they generally have ck hair, don''t wear any shy essories or makeup, and don''t attempt to stand out in any weird way. Here, it''s all people who would be regarded as diligent from a general point of view. They''re different from the students at school, especially in how they are constantly looking at their workbooks.

    They''re more like Ayase-san, at least in my opinion. Her fashion, color of hair, and outer appearancepletely contradicts this, but her diligent nature and seriousness of intention were very simr. She goes at life full-force, seeming to possess no time to rx. She''s different from someone like me who''s just trying to get somewhat okay-ish grades in order to get into a university I find passable. She has the eyes of someone who''s fighting.

    However, Ayase-san''s way of pushing herself is still quite different from the people here. After all, she wants financial sess and she wants to be able to stand on her own two feet, which is why she isn''t even participating in these summer supplementary sses, since she would want to pay for them herself. If the average run-of-the-mill examinee tried to make do with self-study, they''d be just ridiculed and seen as arrogant and someone who''s trying to buck the trend, but when you see Ayase-san getting all the highest grades in almost every subject and memorizing everything rted to it, you can only stay quiet with a wry smile.

    Even her weakness with Modern Japanese has somehow ttened out sincest month, and she''s slowly turning into a perfect examinee student¡­ Well, for someone like me who isn''t a madman who thrives off effort, slowly but steadily increasing my knowledge is about the best I can hope for. It''s important to know your own skills, after all.

    "Um¡­"

    "Eh? Ah, yes?"

    A faint voice suddenly called out to me, and I gave a bted response. Since this was the first time another student had spoken to me during summer supplementary sses, it took me a second to notice. The owner of this voice was a girl sitting next to me. It hasn''t been every time, but I feel like I''ve seen her sitting next to me a few times before. Her looks and fashion didn''t particrly make her stand out, and you might even call her in, but there was one part that really stuck with me¡ªHer height.

    I would assume she was about 180cm tall. A girl taller than me was talking to me, and I felt an odd pressure for some reason. And yet her voice was devoid of any confidence.

    "You dropped something."

    "A-Ah, thank you very much." I must have dropped my bookmark when I opened my workbook.

    I thanked the girl and picked it up, then I met eyes with her again.

    "That''s a bookmark from the summer fair, right? The one you get from the bookstore near the train station."

    "Y-Yes, that''s right."

    I couldn''t tell her I worked there part-time. Something inside of me prevents me from telling random people personal information about myself.

    "I pass by there pretty often. What a coincidence."

    "It''s pretty much the only ce you can buy books in the area, after all."

    "You''re right, ahaha." The tall girl let out a lightugh.

    That''s where our conversation ended. It''s not that she necessarily wanted to talk with me or anything, but she rather spoke to me because of the bookmark, and found amon topic of conversation for a brief moment. It was an average type of conversation with no particr meaning behind it. I nced at the girl, who had already turned back towards her own desk, but then felt like something was off.

    ¡­Has she evere into the bookstore? Since we''re both high school students, our current daily lives should almost be the same, but I''ve never seen her at the cash register. I don''t think I would forget someone who had the stature of a model like her. Well, it''s not like I work there 24/7 either, and she might not be a faithful regr or anything. We might have just missed each other. With that thought, I turned towards my own desk.

    That was about the only notable eventpared to my usual summer sses. I didn''t exchange any further words with the girl, either. I just spent my time the same as ever.

    From the afternoon until the evening, I focused on my exam studies. After the final time block ended and I checked the time, I still had about 40 minutes until my shift would start. The bookstore was about ten minutes from there on my bike. Naturally, that''s something I kept in mind when I chose this prep school.

    I stuffed my workbooks into my bag and quickly stepped out of the prep school. I grabbed my bike and was about to ride off. Since this flow of action had repeated over the course of summer break, bing something like a routine, my brain executed these actions automatically. However, something different happened today.

    "Huh?"

    I subconsciously blinked in confusion. Right as I was bedalling on my bike, I spotted someone sitting at the window seat of the pancake store right in front of the prep school. Her long ck hair was kept up tidy with a katyusha headband, and she was wearing what looked to be a stylish re skirt. Of course, this person who gave off the air of a prim and proper youngdy was none other than my senior at work, Yomiuri-senpai.

    The people with her must be friends from her university. They were seated at a seat for four inside the store, having a serious discussion while munching their pancakes. Since I was fairly close to them, and because they were talking with quite loud voices, I could make out pieces of their conversation. Two of them seemed to be Yomiuri-senpai''s age, and were probably university students, but the third woman had a much different air about her, which stood out in his heat.

    After all,pared to the other girls who were wearing clothes befitting the hot summer weather, she was d in a long-sleeved cardigan, observing the faces of Yomiuri-senpai and the other two.

    "Now, who can disagree? Our humanities research is beingpared with other natural sciences and being called a soft science because it can''t contribute to society. We''re even having our existence questioned. At this rate, all your research and its validity will be nullified."

    The university students seemed to be unable to say anything in the face of this harsh statement. They just shrunk in ce while exchanging helpless gazes. At the same time, the knowledgeable woman smiled without a care in the world, picking up another piece of pancake and lifting it to her mouth. No matter how you looked at it, this wasn''t a conversation to have in a popr pancake store, but the other customers around them either had no idea what they were talking about and thus didn''t intervene, or just ignored it as another piece of background noise. Amidst this heavy atmosphere, one person finally opened their mouth. It was Yomiuri-senpai.

    "If we were to define natural sciences with the act of proving reproducibility ofws through experiments, as far as the inventions gained from natural sciences go, they clearly have a higher contribution towards human society. As long as this is a generally epted fact, there is no room for us to deny the natural sciences from our point of view."

    "Clever. It seems like you''ve epted the fact that twisting the truth to disagree with a statement is just foul y."

    "Yes, and I say that there is a meaning behind humanities research."

    "For example? Researching literature or historical facts is but a simple fool''s errand. I disagree with the idea of the royal family offering resources towards research that provides us with no benefits."

    "Discovering the truths behind the history our ancestors took is a primitive and essential question on how human beings should behave."

    "Is that so? Literature and history are nothing more than memories passed down to the present from people in the past. Even if you grasp this concept, it won''t allow you to understand the tendencies of a modern and average human being."

    "Know the past, and you shall know the future. Should we not search the past to find hints for how to solve modern problems?"

    "You''re saying that history will repeat itself?"

    "Yes. We can see that there are reasons for social conflict that have repeated themselves over and over in the past. So would it not be fair to say that learning from the past will open a path to find adequate answers in the present?"

    "Ahh, that''s quite illogical, Yomiuri-kun."

    "Huh?"

    "The very maxim that history will repeat itself is nothing but an impression from a person in the past. With no substantial data that exists from the past, it is impossible to prove any reproducibility no matter how much you research it."

    "Urk¡­"

    Yomiuri-senpai must have been stabbed where it hurt, and she lost her ability to make a counterpoint. The knowledgeable woman, for her part, held a piece of pancake on her fork and twirled it around.

    "The present age has made it possible to observe data from any event you could imagine. The acquisition and gathering of this has been done quite easily, and this brings the truths of people who supposedly were unable to be substantiated to the foreground. Whether or not the people of the future can learn a lot from the past or not, this is the present day for us right now. If one wants to gain hints from the past to solve a problem, it should be your first priority to do so with the help of natural sciences, correct? Are there any objections?" The woman jerked her chin as she asked this, and Yomiuri-senpai responded immediately.

    "Yes. The values of people in our present day have remained unbroken and exist atop our culture. By learning about literature, you learn of the past, learn of their religion, learn of their manners, which then allows you to gain an adaptable and urate observation as to how we ended up the way we are right now. For example, a certain country''s artist creates a music video which looks down on another country''s religion, which then creates an outbreak of anger from these citizens. Is there any scientific way to prove the reason for this anger? Can youe up with any estimation or form for how to quell their anger? A researcher of humanities would surelye up with several different tentative theories."

    "Hmm, quite the aggressive objection, but your reasoning is not wrong."

    In fact, her actions showed that it must have been quite a strong argument. For the first time, the woman stopped ying with her fork and started to think about what Yomiuri-senpai had said. However, it took her a mere few seconds to speak up again.

    "How can you even prove the causality that this anger is rted to and originated from that country''s history and religion?"

    "Eh?"

    "Did this anger arise solely because their culture had been looked down upon? Maybe the music might have made the inhabitants ufortable, and the format of the video aided in amplifying this anger?"

    "That corrtion could be revealed with thorough investigation and social experiments with the people involved."

    "Checkmate, I''d say."

    "Eh? ¡­Ah."

    Yomiuri-senpai froze up, and the woman stole a piece of her pancake with a smile. Unbefitting of her mature and knowledgeable age, the woman started chewing on the slice she stole like an innocent child.

    "You can''t defend against that. Basically, you just admitted yourself that looking through past literature was meaningless, and that we should focus on research about what is urring in the present. What a shame, prepare a better logic next time, Yomiuri-kun."

    "Urk¡­" Yomiuri-senpai held her head in frustration and defeat.

    After that, she stabbed her fork into her pancake and stuffed it into her cheek. Seeing her aggressively chew on it while still pouting made her seem much more childish, which honestly surprised me. The whole question and answer spiel, and even the sight of her right now, waspletely different from how I knew her at work. Since she always shows nothing but leisure and superiority towards me, seeing her at a loss for words and beaten into a corner was oddly refreshing.

    "Kudou-sensei, how can you make so many objections for the opposing side? You''re also part of the faculty for humanities." Yomiuri-senpai asked.

    It seems like this knowledgeable woman was named Kudou. Judging from the fact that Yomiuri-senpai called her ''Sensei,'' she must be a professor, or rather an associate professor. I read in a book once that you can''t be a professor without reaching a certain age, and this woman didn''t look that old to begin with.

    "It''s simple, really. I understand that true feelings and lip service are two different things."

    "I see¡­ So then, what argument would you have made, Sensei?"

    "I would have started by asking ''What''s wrong with being a soft science''?."

    "¡­Eh?"

    "It''s true that humanities is categorized as a soft science, but you can still argue against the premise that it doesn''t posit any contribution to humanity. It''s true that the natural sciences'' research and progress will directly impact and influence humanity''s well-being as a whole, but sadly the happiness of humanity is not something that has a direct value associated with it. Righteousness and happiness sadly don''t share anymon tendencies across all of humanity. For example, I personally see this time of eating sweet and delicious pancakes as the greatest happiness there could be, but what percentage of people in this world would agree with me?"

    "Isn''t leaving behind children in this world generally seen as a shared happiness between humans?"

    "So are you saying those who don''t want to have children can never be truly happy?"

    "¡­A valid point. There are a lot more people in today''s age who do not want children."

    "Exactly. As things stand, the thesis of humanity''s happiness¡ªor how humanity should continue to exist¡ªis exceptionally vague. Even the results and inventions of natural sciences can only achieve things that are superficial. Precisely because we are part of the soft sciences, and a practical science, you should ept our studies if you do not want society and this world to fall to ruin. That''s probably what my answer would have been."

    "Ahh, when you put it that way¡­"

    "Bringing attention tomunication with other countries wasn''t a bad attempt. If you had epted the fact that we are a soft science, but then showed the value we offered, it might have been a better attempt."

    "Very interesting¡­ Thank you very much, Kudou-sensei." Yomiuri-senpai lowered her head towards the woman slightly and let out a sigh. "Man, I really can''t beat you."

    "No. You''re amazing, Yomiuri-san, I couldn''t follow at all from the very beginning."

    "Right, right~"

    "Hey, you two. Don''t act like this doesn''t have anything to do with you. I''m treating you to some expensive pancakes, so you have to entertain me. Now, for the next topic of our debate¡­"

    "Ehh, there''s no way we can win against Yomiuri-san!"

    The university girls raised groans of despair. As for Yomiuri-senpai, right when a new topic of conversation came up, she averted her gaze from her friends, probably to hide her frustration. In doing so, she coincidentally looked over in my direction¡­ or maybe not so coincidentally, judging from the circumstances. She then met eyes with me as I stood next to the street. Crap, I thought.

    I might have identally picked up parts of their conversation, but if you think about it objectively, I was pretty much just eavesdropping. I can''t really say I was doing anything above-board there. However, Yomiuri-senpai looked away from me immediately and nced down at her wristwatch.

    "I''m sorry, Kudou-sensei, I need to head to my part-time job."

    "Yes, feel free. Don''t worry about the payment."

    "Thank you very much for treating me." Yomiuri-senpai gave a polite bow, put her bag over her shoulder, and left the store.

    When she passed by me, she gave me a faint nce that looked more like a message than anything, so I followed after her. A few minutester, when the pancake store wasn''t in sight anymore, I spoke up to Yomiuri-senpai.

    "I''m sorry about what happened before."

    "Since you''ve apologized, you basically admit to your guilt, correct?"

    "Okay, hold on. That''s a misunderstanding. I didn''t do it on purpose."

    "So you''re a criminal who doesn''t know when to give up, I see. ¡­Well, I don''t think you were stalking me or anything."

    "I''m d to have received your good faith."

    "Since you''re pretty clever, you''d probably use an even more sick method if you were stalking someone."

    "I really didn''t want that kind of good faith, okay?" In the face of such harsh criticism, I opened my bag and showed her my reference books. "I just came from my summer sses. I''m taking them at the prep school nearby."

    "Ahh. I see, my friend."

    "Waah, so much trust and reassurance in your weird choice of words."

    "Basically, you weren''t just waiting for me, but were also listening in on our conversation?"

    "That''s¡­"

    She set me up. I walked right into her guided question, leaving me unable to say anything. Seeing this, Yomiuri-senpai burst outughing.

    "I was just joking. Just paying you back a bit since you saw me in such an embarrassing situation. Come on, let''s go."

    "Ah, yes."

    I hurriedly got off my bike and started walking next to Yomiuri-senpai, pushing it as I went. I briefly nced over at her. With her beautiful ck hair, her prim and proper clothes, she gave off the air of a noblewoman as she was bathed in the white sunlight. Although it was already getting close to evening, it seemed as bright and sunny as noontime. It was nighttimest month when we went to the movie theater, but these clothes made her seem even more neat and tidy than usual.

    "I didn''t think you''d be there to see me have my logic destroyed and frustrated like that. My pride as a senior was greatly injured."

    "No, that''s not¡­"

    I never had any respect for you to begin with¡ªI forced myself to stop before I said these words. However, the nuance in what I had said before then seemed to have been conveyed, as Yomiuri-senpai gave me a sharp re. Feeling like I was being stabbed by a million needles, I quickly changed the subject.

    "By the way, who was that person just now?"

    "Are you talking about Kudou-sensei?"

    "Yeah, her."

    "That''s Junior-kun for you. You had three young university students at your disposal, but you looked at the ripe woman instead."

    "Aren''t you being the rude one for talking about her age?"

    "Those kinds of things are allowed if it''s between women, Junior-kun."

    I wonder if she learned about that from this Kudou-sensei as well. Of course I didn''t even dare to ask. I don''t want any more trouble than I''ve already gotten myself into today.

    "Kudou-sensei is an associate professor at my university. I imagine you must have guessed as much from her age, right?"

    "Yes, vaguely. But aren''t you on summer break right now? Do you usually eat pancakes with your professors like that?"

    "She sometimes invites us out like that. Well, not many people actually join her."

    "So you are different. Is that what you''re saying, Mr. Self-conscious?"

    "50 points for that remark."

    "Are you displeased now? Normally you''d always tease me like that."

    "At least call me Ms. Self-conscious. I am a woman after all."

    "That''s what you''re displeased about?"

    Apparently she didn''t have anyints about being called self-conscious.

    "At my university, I''m actually in the group of diligent people. I doubt you can even imagine how I must be, since I act sopletely differently around you."

    "I know that you''re clever, so it''s not that much of an image breaker¡­ I was just impressed that there''s always a higher ce, huh."

    "Kudou-sensei seems like she''s living in a different world, yeah."

    "I can''t really tell much with just that one scene I saw."

    "She''s pretty much always like that. Like she''s bottomless, and it''s often hard to tell what she''s even thinking~"

    "Well that''s pretty much how you seem to me, Yomiuri-senpai."

    She''s a girl older than me who seems to always have some kind of trick up her sleeve, not allowing me to understand anything about her. With how knowledgeable and quick-witted she is, it always feels like she''s got me dancing on top of her palm. Maybe the age gap between us is something I subconsciously became aware of, which then causes me to react like that. Maybe this is something totallymon. If I were to stand on the same stage as Yomiuri-senpai, would I be able to fully understand her? While I was thinking that, Yomiuri-senpai made a frank expression.

    "Ehh, I don''t want that."

    "Don''t want what exactly?"

    "You''re thinking about how you''ll push me down one day, right?"

    "Huh?"

    Unable to progress what I had just been told, I let out a dumbfounded voice.

    "It''s frustrating if youck knowledge and wits, okay? One day I''ll tell you."

    "Was education always a battle like this?"

    "That''s how I enjoy it. Did you not expect that?"

    "No, it makes total sense."

    Judging from her looks alone, she''s a prim and proper book reader, and a literary girl who tries to gain knowledge by reading books. However, she also has the rebellious heart of a young girl. That is how Yomiuri Shiori works.

    "But holding such a long and serious debate must be exhausting, right?"

    "Of course it is. You always have to be on edge so that your logic doesn''t fall apart, and you can''t rx either. Not to mention that Kudou-sensei is the type of person who immediately pries apart any kind of gap or contradiction with your logic. It''s so stressful and exhausting that I really don''t want to go through that kind of thing before my part-time job."

    "Despite that, you were quite proactive."

    "If I''m doing something, I go at it full strength. Although it''s annoying. Well, if I''m exhausted, I can just recharge my energy in a different way."

    "In what way?"

    "By teasing you. I get a lot of energy and HP back. Ahh, talking with you is so rxing, Junior-kun."

    "Aren''t you just preying on the innocence of other people?"

    "Thanks for being the back of my chair,d~" She sounded like an olddy, putting one hand on my bike''s basket and pretending to stagger.

    "Um." I was about to ask her to quit using me like some kind of walking cane, but I stopped myself.

    I see. This is the biggest difference between Ayase-san and Yomiuri-senpai. After we made it through the small alley and reached the main street, the bookstore was right in front of us, with both of us walking here together. Yomiuri-senpai is unable to decline Kudou-sensei''s invitation to eat out no matter how bothersome it is, and she still participates in the discussion. Of course, she probably sees merits in itrge enough for her to pull through all of it, but normally you would want to avoid physical and mental exhaustion as much as possible. Even so, she manages to keep both sides in bnce, which is pretty amazing.

    In my case, it makes me want to forgive her for anything she does for the sake of her own convenience. Even if shees up with contrived nonsensical logic at times, the conversation is enjoyable enough for me to ignore it. When you have someone who you can be rxed around and use to your convenience in the good sense of the word, you can bnce your diligent side with your not-so diligent side. Maybe everything would be resolved if Ayase-san had someone like that?

    "Ah¡­"

    Right as I was thinking about that, Yomiuri-senpai and I walked into the bookstore, running into Ayase-san who seemed to have just arrived herself. It felt like another coincidence that happened today, but then again, we were in the same shift so it wasn''t anything out of the ordinary.

    "Yaho, Saki-chan!"

    "Mm. Ah, yes, hello. You two were together?"

    It appeared that this encounter was quite unexpected for Ayase-san, and she showed a cool reaction simr to how she would act at home, but quickly shed a friendly smile. The only one who didn''t notice that anything was off was Yomiuri-senpai.

    "We just happened to meet near the prep school he''s attending, right, Junior-kun?"

    "Um¡­ yes, that''s right." My response came out a bitte.

    Whether it was by coincidence or not, I started to feel awkward with Ayase-san actually in front of it. Maybe it''s because I''ve been thinking about her constantly. I felt pathetic, even though I hadn''t done anything wrong.

    "Just so happened to? I see." Ayase-san slowly repeated what Yomiuri-senpai had said like she was chewing on the words, then she smiled. "Well, even if you were close enough to meet up outside of work, I, as his family, would be relieved to know that Asamura-kun is with someone as wonderful as Yomiuri-san."

    "Ehhh? You''re a good teaser, Saki-chan."

    "I am merely gifted with good guidance from you Senpai, fufu." Ayase-san''s shoulders gently moved up and down as she giggled.

    I guess that''s about to be expected from her high adaptability. She seems to have already mastered her ability to converse with Yomiuri-senpai. However, something felt off to me. Did Ayase-san ever do something like this? Namely, to banter about the rtionships of a stranger she wasn''t all too close with?

    With that thought guing me, and also with the conversation about the pool in mind, I had a mountain of things I wanted to talk about with Ayase-san, so I decided to bring them up during work. However, as it had been before, the timing today was unbelievably awful.

    Just when I had a tiny bit of time on my hands, Ayase-san was busy at the cash register, and when I was folding some book covers forter, Ayase-san left to apparently check the condition of the bookshelves. Even when break time arrived and I asked ''Did you get a response from Narasaka-san?'' Ayase-san simply shook her head and left the room to buy some drinks outside. It felt like she was avoiding me.

    Time passed until it was alreadyte enough for us to leave. I finished my preparations to leave and waited for Ayase-san like I always would. However, only Yomiuri-senpai came out of the changing room.

    "Ah, Junior-kun. Saki-chan asked me to tell you something. Apparently she wants to stop by somewhere, so you can go home without her."

    "Eh?" I blinked in confusion.

    I didn''t hear anything about that, though? I panicked a bit and checked my phone, but I hadn''t received any kind of message or email from Ayase-san. Right as I was in a baffled daze, my phone vibrated. I panicked and looked down at the screen, and saw a single line on there.

    ''I''ll be shopping for something, so you can go home without me.''

    That was the only sentence I received over LINE. ''Got it'', I responded. It''s not like there aren''t any stores that are open after 10pm of course. Maybe she''s buying something that''d be too awkward to purchase with me around? That being said, this is all so abrupt that I can''t help but be curious about it. Yet again, it felt like she was avoiding me. No, no, no. There''s no way, right?

    While thinking about all of this, I pedaled my bike and quickly reached our t. I was yet again reminded how quickly I could make it home if I was riding my bike normally. However, when I asked myself if I really wanted to get home that badly, then the answer was an obvious no. It seems like I''ve gotten used toing home with Ayase-san over the past few weeks.

    I parked my bike in the usual parking lot for the t and made my way up to our apartment. Since it was Monday, my old man was already home, and probably asleep since he had to get up early tomorrow. As for Akiko-san, she must be working right now. I quietly muttered ''I''m home'' so that I wouldn''t wake up my old man and headed to the living room. Normally, this would be when Ayase-san would start making dinner for us, but¡­ I can''t always rely on her, huh?

    I opened up the fridge and spotted some sd. Beside I spotted a small pot covered with stic wrap.

    "Miso soup, huh?"

    Figuring that Ayase-san would be home soon as well, I prepared two bowls for the miso soup and another two for the rice, one for each of us. I took out the sd, wondering what I should make for the main dish. When I checked through the freezer and fridge again, I found some small stic packs in the freezer.

    "What are these?"

    When I took them out, they turned out to be cooked rice with added ingredients, but frozen. There was rice colored brown from the soup stock, as well as sliced shiitake mushrooms, carrots, and other ingredients mixed in there.

    "I''m home."

    I turned around and saw Ayase-san enter the front door.

    "What? Ah, dinner¡­ Sorry, I''ll get to it right away." She said.

    "Ah, no, don''t worry about it. I was thinking I might as well do it myself today. What am I supposed to do with this, by the way?" I showed her the stic container with the cooked rice.

    Since I had lived most of my life without the concept of cooking rice, I never came up with the idea of putting cooked rice in the freezer.

    "Ah, well. I made that in advance, so you just have to warm it up in the microwave."

    "¡­How many minutes?"

    "It says on the microwave."

    When she said that, I actually had no clue what she meant, so I checked the microwave. On it, there were different rmended times for cooking different kinds of things that you''d want.

    "Ah, this?"

    There was an illustration there with rice inside a bowl that said ''Heat up'' on it. We''ve been using this microwave for a solid five years, and I''d never noticed that icon. I put the frozen container into the microwave and went to press the start button.

    "Ah, wait. Take the lid off."

    I was confused. "Why is that?"

    "If you leave the lid on, the ice inside will melt, and the rice will get all sticky. I don''t like it like that."

    "I¡­ see?"

    I actually had no idea what she was talking about, but if that made it better, I decided I might as well listen to her. As I was warming up the cooked rice, Ayase-san took care of preparing the miso soup she took out from the fridge. Along with the special rice, we also had the tofu miso soup and sd. Ayase-san also took out some tomatoes from the fridge, cut them into small pieces, and put them on top of the sd. It felt fairly luxurious to see the green color of the lettuce, cabbage, and cut radish and the white color of the sd mixed with the red color of the tomatoes.

    "It looks really good."

    "When cooking a Japanese-themed meal for a family, it always ends up looking a bit brownish, so if you add tomatoes or paprikas, it gives it a bit more color."

    Paprikas are basically colorful bell peppers thate in a variety of red, orange, and even yellow or green. I''d looked them up online once. Also, they''re not as bitter as bell peppers, so with a bit of washing, you can even eat them raw. Ever since Ayase-san became responsible for the cooking in our family, more and more weird dishes and ideas for cooking started to pop up. Or maybe my and my old man''s cooking knowledge is just super outdated. But, leaving aside broli or cauliflower, I don''t think you''d usually run into stuff like Romanesco or other excotic vegetables.

    "There''s a lot of inventing going on, huh?" I started to feel apologetic for always eating everything and never thinking about it.

    "It''s not that big of a deal if you ask me."

    "No no, I''m always thankful. Really. I already gave up on searching for that high-pay part-time job, so I just feel guilty for always being on the receiving end."

    "I''m already thankful that you looked for some studying-oriented BGM. So we''re even." Ayase-san gave me a calm smile.

    Only in times like these did it feel like all the awkward atmosphere from the past few days had vanished. After that, Ayase-san put some tea leaves into the small teapot. I saw her doing this and took out two teacups from the tableware shelf, putting them in front of Ayase-san. After she finished brewing the tea, she poured it into both the cups so we would have something to drink with our dinner.

    The warmed-up rice went perfectly with the soup stock, and it was delicious. Not to mention that, just as Ayase-san had said, the rice didn''t stick together too much, which made it even better.

    "If that''s not enough, you can warm up another pack from the freezer."

    "No, it''s prettyte already. This is enough."

    When I looked at the clock on the wall, I saw that it was getting close to 11pm. Now that I''ve eaten, I should take a bath and then head to bed. Not to mention that Ayase-san would always take her bath after me, so the longer I took, the longer she''d have to stay awake. However, it was indeed afortable dinner. I''m hesitating now. I almost felt like ending the day without cleaning up the whole thing we had gone through this afternoon. With a sigh, I forced myself to speak up again.

    "So¡­ about the whole pool thing with Narasaka-san."

    "We''re still talking about that?"

    "I mean, I still haven''t gotten her contact information. If she''s waiting for my response, then I figured it would be rude to make her wait."

    "¡­Alright, I''ll tell you." Ayase-san sounded a bit annoyed. She grabbed her smartphone from the dining table and started searching for Narasaka-san''s contact address.

    "Wait." I put up my palm, gesturing to her to stop.

    Ayase-san gave me a somewhat puzzled expression.

    "I actually don''t care about Narasaka-san''s contact address at all."

    "¡­What?"

    "To be more urate, I''m not all that interested in going to the pool with Narasaka-san."

    Ayase-san''s somewhat suspicious expression now turned into one of confusion. She was making the kind of face that basically read ''What is he talking about?'' Or maybe I''m just saying something she didn''t expect me to. And she''s not wrong, because I''m going to say something that would go against anything she would have anticipated me to say.

    I don''t mind the fact that Ayase-san doesn''t want to go to the pool. And if I wanted to respect her freedom of choice, I should wait for her to change her mind. People who willfully disregard other people''s opinions are just egoists deluded by their own stories. Reality is not some kind of story, which is why this kind of action is something toxic, something that could only hurt others. I know that, but that doesn''t mean I''m not allowed to worry about her.

    "I want to go to the pool with you, Ayase-san."

    "I don''t get it." Ayase-san looked like she had seen an alien¡ªor rather, I had never met an alien, so I have no way of knowing what they look like¡ªbut she gave me that kind of look.

    I, however, ignored this and continued.

    "The reason I said I wanted to go is because I thought maybe you were interested in going yourself. The reason I wanted to know Narasaka-san''s contact info was because I was hoping that maybe you''d be jealous about me being the only person having fun."

    "Me?"

    "You."

    "Why would I be jealous?" Ayase-san looked like she had lost all context for the current conversation.

    If only this had ovepped with the feelings she simply hadn''t realized yet, I might have just been able to have a bit more relief.

    "You want to go to the pool, right?"

    Ayase-san''s mouth closed, and it seemed like she purposefully puckered her lips close so that no words coulde out.

    "I heard about it from Akiko-san. You''re bad with the heat, so you''d always ask for ice cream, or beg her to visit the pool with her when you were younger, right? And even right now, you can''t handle heat all too well, right?"

    "That''s¡­"

    "It''s true, right? I mean, when the A/C broke down, you immediately stayed in your room. Knowing that you work like that, you at least would be a bit interested to visit the pool with your friends, right?"

    "Why are you so dead-set on getting me to go to the pool?"

    "Remember what my old man said? Once we''re third-year students, we have to focus on university entrance exams, so we should have some fun now while we can."

    "Yeah, he did¡­"

    "I understand that you want to be independent as quickly as possible. But if you keep stressing and pressuring yourself like this every single day, you''ll copse before you even reach your goal. I''m worried about that, okay?"

    "You''re worried¡­?"

    "That''s right. I want you to take a step back, Ayase-san. I figure it would be best for you to spread your wings and get a bit of rest."

    I had said everything I wanted to, so all I could do was wait for Ayase-san''s response.

    "You can''t¡­ say that for sure." Ayase-san''s gaze dropped to the table, her eyebrows narrowed downwards. "I don''t have the time to go to the pool. I really don''t."

    "Ayase-san¡­"

    With her lips tightly pursed together, she reached for a sticky note on the table, scribbled down something that she was reading from her phone, and put it in front of me with such force that it felt like she was pping it down on the table.

    "I''m going to study now." She said. She put her dishes in the sink and went to her room.

    "No good, huh¡­?" I let out a sigh and dropped my gaze down to the sticky note.

    It was a phone number, with a handwritten, albeit not-very-neatly-written, ''Maaya'' below it, so this must be Narasaka-san''s phone number.

    "Why would I go there all on my own¡­?" I slumped my shoulders in defeat and returned to my room after cleaning up the dishes.

    ©¤©¤©¤

    1 The University of Tokyo, probably one of the most difficult universities to get into.

 Chapter 29 - 4

    <h4>Chapter 29: Chapter 4</h4>

    25th of August (Tuesday)

    After waking up, I remained in my bed, thinking to myself. Did I mess up yesterday?

    "I probably did, huh?"

    The voice I let out to my room''s ceiling didn''t reach anybody''s ears, and came back down to me again. I turned my head to the side and checked the time of day. It was already noon, but I was still sleepy. Because of all that had happened yesterday, and myself pondering about it all night, I didn''t get much sleep. Just how can I break Ayase-san''s stiff and thick-skinned consciousness? After all, Ayase-san''s mentality feels sharp and sturdy at the same time. Yet it was frail all the same.

    After living with Ayase-san for the past two months, I''ve at least learned a lot about her. Even more so since we''ve been working together each day at our part-time job. If I had to guess, Ayase-san''s thought process probably went something like this.

    Being a child means you get things given to you for free. Basically, you''re much more on the taking side than the giving side. When she was a child, she was as normal as any other child, asking her mother for ice cream, or that she would take her to the pool. She was always asking to take. Of course, that made perfect sense, and that''s how things are meant to be. However, Ayase-san doesn''t feel that way. That''s what''s so crucial about this.

    Because of her family''s circumstances, Ayase-san stopped her childish days early in her upper years of grade school. She couldn''t allow herself to stay a child anymore. The world works on give & take rtionships, but she chose to live more on the giving end of the spectrum. This was probably her own way of making up for her days as a child when she lived on the take side, under the wrong impression that she had troubled her mother by it.

    She wanted to grow up as quickly as possible and ease her burden on her mother. Being given something for free probably reminds her of her dark past when she was a child. She would think that as soon as she was a bit selfish, she would only increase the burden on her mother. What irony. After all, Akiko-san herself told me the opposite is true.

    ''I wanted her to be able to stay a child for longer.''

    I felt my chest grow heavy just thinking about this. Even though they both care about each other, they want the wrong things. The mother wants her daughter to stay a child for a bit longer, whereas the child wants to be an adult as quickly as possible. Making both parties happy is impossible. They contradict each other, after all. Not even adjusting worked. Ayase-san was still a child after all.

    Maybe the current Ayase-san might have been able toe to terms with Akiko-san if they had talked it out and tried adjusting to each other. However, Ayase-san swallowed all of that and climbed the stairs to adulthood. She tried to carry her own burdens as early as possible, which resulted in this twisted thought process of self-reproach. That''s why she can''t obtain anyposure, can''t y around with an innocent heart. She can''t forgive herself for the honest desire of simply going to the pool.

    ''I don''t have the time to go to the pool. I really don''t.''

    Ayase-san''s expression was as dry as ever when she said those words, but her voice sounded like she was putting on an act. But I''m the one at fault for not being able to say anything. If I were some kind of protagonist out of a story and chose a more dramatic sequence of events to attempt to persuade Ayase-san, maybe she would have changed her thought process about this¡­

    No, that''s not right. I shouldn''t be running away from reality like this. If I want to save her, then I need toe up with an even sturdier n. While I was thinking that, my rm rang. It really was time for me to get up. So, after turning off the rm, I slowly lifted myself out of bed.

    I got up roughly between breakfast and lunch. I stood in the living room, wondering what to make. What should I eat? Or should I just wait until lunchtime rolls around? Normally, Ayase-san would be awake to make breakfast before my old man even left for his work, but she seemed to still be asleep. The proof of that was the dining table. Times like these happen. We can''t always count on Ayase-san to make breakfast for us after all. Even back when we were in our end-of-term exam period, both my old man and Akiko-san didn''t let Ayase-san make breakfast.

    Anyway, as for my own stomach, I''m hungry. Maybe I should toast some bread. Right when I was considering what to do, the living room door opened.

    "¡­Ah."

    "Good morning, Ayase-san."

    "¡­Morning."

    She looked awfully sleepy. Her eyelids didn''t even look like they were fully open. Even her usual dignified atmosphere she would keep up at home had vanished elsewhere. She was even wearing her clothes not nearly as neatly as usual. Both her attack and defense powers had gone down drastically.

    "Did you not get much sleep?"

    "I did get a bit¡­ after 6am."

    I don''t think you could really call that ''sleeping.'' It must have been light outside by that point already. That''s all-nighter territory.

    "Why not get a bit more sleep? We don''t have work until the evening."

    "I''m fine. ¡­What time is it right now?" She said, turning her head to look at the clock on the wall.

    Her eyes had looked drowsy, but they suddenly opened wide in shock.

    "Eh¡­? It''s thiste¡­?" Saying this, she looked at the dining table.

    Naturally, nothing was there.

    "Oh no, did he even have anything to eat?"

    "No worries, it looks like he had some bread."

    A te with toast crumbs on it was in the sink, although it didn''t seem like he had time to put it in the dishwasher. He at least put away the butter or jam or whatever he had used back into the fridge. Well, before Ayase-san and Akiko-san came to live here, our breakfasts were usually like this. If we even ate anything, that is. So there''s no reason for Ayase-san to feel guilty.

    I tried to reassure Ayase-san, but she didn''t seem to hear what I said. She bit her lip in frustration at her own mistake.

    "This is the first time I''ve overslept like this."

    "Maybe the exhaustion just built up? You can get some more rest, it''s fine."

    "That''s¡­ I''m really sorry! You haven''t eaten anything yet, Asamura-kun. I''ll make something right away."

    Ayase-san was clearly out of the loop. Not to mention she hadrge bags beneath her eyes.

    "Ayase-san." I called out to her with a strong voice.

    "Y-Ye¡­ s¡­?"

    "I want you to hear me out without running away."

    "Eh¡­ um, what is it?"

    "Listen. When you first moved in here, do you remember what you told me?"

    She let out a surprised voice. I guess she still does remember.

    "¡­It really helps that we can ''adjust'' so easily¡­?"

    I nodded. That''s exactly it. That was the first time we had shown our cards to each other. We exchanged information and decided to adjust to each other''s wishes and desires. That''s why I continued speaking.

    "Right now, I''ve judged that you''re clearly sleep-deprived, Ayase-san. You can try and argue against it, make up counterarguments against me, but just look at yourself in the mirror. I don''t want you to make food in that kind of state. I''m worried that you''ll actually harm yourself. You can take a seat on a chair, but I''ll make the food. That is my honest opinion."

    "Urk¡­ But I said I would be the one who makes the food."

    "Principle is principle. You''ve gotta adjust to the situation and live with the ad hoc approach. Today, your mission isn''t to make food, but to get some proper rest."

    "B-But¡­"

    "I normally wouldn''t say this to you either, Ayase-san. You said so yourself, right? You''ve never overslept like this before, have you?"

    "...No."

    "So this is an irregr situation. You don''t need to force yourself to do the same as always. Come on, just have a seat. Of course, you can also go back and get some more sleep." I said. I pulled out the chair Ayase-san always sat on.

    The floor made a faint screeching sound in response.

    "I''m just missing a bit of sleep, okay?"

    "I know, but a sleep-deprived Ayase-san has the right to sit on this chair, soe on."

    "¡­Okay." Ayase-san seemed to have resigned herself to her fate. She sat down on the chair.

    This might be the first time I''ve seen Ayase-san act this weak. But more importantly¡­

    "Do you want a slice of toast?"

    She replied with a nod, so I took out one slice for her and one for me and stuffed them into the toaster. I also took out butter and jam from the fridge and ced them in front of Ayase-san. Along with the butter knife and spoon, of course. I also spotted some leftover ham and took it out of the fridge as well.

    "Do you want me to fry the ham? I feel like you''re always doing that."

    "I like it that way, yeah."

    "You also like it a bit crispy, right?"

    "¡­I like it that way, yeah."

    "I understand. It''s really good that way."

    Since we were in mutual agreement, I took out a frying pan, put some oil in it, and turned on the heat to gently sear the ham. A sizzling sound rang out, and it made me feel even more hungry. Why is it that the sizzling sound of a frying pan makes you feel that way? I put the golden-brown bread on a te and brought it to the dining table. I did the same with the finished ham, which was slightly burnt on the corners, adding some ck pepper on top of it. This is what Ayase-san always does. Huh? Does she do that before grilling it? I don''t know. Just then something else came to mind, and I opened up the fridge. We still had some milk left.

    "Do you want some hot milk?"

    "Hot milk in this heat¡­?"

    "The A/C''s working, so it''s pretty cool in this room, right? If you''re going to take another nap, drinking something warm should helpter." I said, and Ayase-san grew quiet in response.

    "¡­I''ll take some, then."

    "Gotcha."

    I poured some milk in a cup, warmed it in the microwave, and set it down in front of her. I made some barley tea for myself and put it in front of myself. I put my hands together.

    "Then, let''s eat. Some vegetables added to the menu might be better, though."

    "It''s more than enough¡­ Thanks for the food." Ayase-san muttered. She put some butter on her bread, and ham on top, biting into it.

    I did the same thing. For a while, the two of us just continued to eat, not saying a word. However, that one slice of bread was eaten fairly quickly, so Ayase-san next focused on her cup of hot milk. I looked at my own empty cup and considered getting another one. While I was thinking that, a sigh escaped Ayase-san''s lips. She put down the cup, which made a quiet clink.

    "I''ve been thinking¡­" She said, and took another sip from her hot milk, almost like it was a special item she required in order to muster up her courage to speak.

    "¡­I don''t mind going to the pool." I had been reaching to pour myself another ss of barley tea, but my hand stopped halfway.

    Slightly surprised, I turned towards Ayase-san again.

    "You suddenly felt like going?"

    Right now. Before going to bed, I was really against the idea of going, but¡­ No, that''s not right. I was wavering."

    "Until 6am?"

    "Until 6am."

    "But now you feel like going?"

    Ayase-san nodded.

    "When I woke up this morning¡­ I thought that maybe it wouldn''t hurt. But I couldn''t really say it."

    While I listened to Ayase-san, I felt all strength vanish from my body. I was close to turning into a jellyfish on my chair. I didn''t need any dramatic developments after all. In the end, Ayase-san just slept on it for one night and changed her mind. That''s all it took.

    I guess¡­ this is just much more realistic after all. It made sense to me at least. What you need in reality isn''t some guy who''d move mountains, but simply a small event like that. I read in a book before that the smallest trigger can change a person''s fundamental thought process.

    "But there''s one problem."

    Huh?

    "And it''s a very crucial problem that also involves you, Asamura-kun."

    "You can''t swim? I don''t think I''m good enough to teach you."

    "No, I can swim, okay?"

    "Figures~"

    I half-expected that not to be the reason. In reality, the real problem was indeed much more grave than I anticipated, and most certainly involved me.

    "Since I didn''t n to go to the pool that day, I have a shift then. I think you do as well, Asamura-kun."

    "What''s the day for the pool trip?"

    "The day after tomorrow, the 27th."

    "Woah¡­ seriously?"

    "Yup, dead serious."

    We have tomorrow, the 26th, off, and our next shift is on the 27th. That''s a bit troublesome. Just when I got Ayase-san to agree, we can''t even go to the pool in the first ce. After I pondered about it for a bit, I put forth to Ayase-san several ways of dealing with this problem.

    "Since you really want to go, let''s do something about it."

    "Can we?"

    "Well, this happens a lot, so we should be fine."

    "So it happens a lot¡­"

    "Yeah, we''ll just ask for a change in shifts. Simple, right?" I said in a way that was supposed to make me sound confident.

    Although it was a simple idea, it could prove very difficult to execute in reality, and I was fully aware of that.

    The time of day had progressed to the point where the boiling and sizzling heat started to cool down a bit. More urately, it was your average 4pm afternoon in Shibuya. A burnt smell drifted upwards from the asphalt, and Ayase-san and I walked next to each other as we made our way to work. We decided to head to work early so that we could ask the manager for a change of shifts.

    I mentioned this before, but when it came to us travelling together, we had to adjust to each other either with the bike or by foot. Naturally, neither Ayase-san nor I enjoyed showing such consideration, but now we had a proper reason to. Though I never expected that we''d go to work together because of such a reason.

    "It''s gotten more cloudy, huh? Thank goodness." Ayase-san looked up at the sky as she muttered to herself.

    Just as she had said, half of the sky was covered with clouds. Then again, there was still blue sky visible, so it hasn''t gotten darker or anything, but at least it cooled down a bit. It was a tad bit morefortable outside thanks to that. After Ayase-san looked up at the sky while covering half her face with her hand, she adjusted the bag she had over her shoulder. It was a fairly big bag, but it contained the uniform she was taking home with her every day after all.

    Today, Ayase-san gave a different impressionpared to usual. She was wearing a brightly-colored top that had both sleeves and cor attached, not showing much skin at all. Where you''d wear a necktie, she had something like a small ribbon. In Ayase-san''s terms, it didn''t have much attack damage, but a lot of defense at least. Mind your manners when attempting negotiation. Maybe what I said is the reason she''s wearing these clothes.

    Well, she did give off the impression that she was reliable and hardworking. However, she still kept her ear piercings in, almost like they were a honeybee''s stinger, warning anyone who dared to attack, which was also very much like Ayase-san. Also, I feel like her clothes would be getting really hot right about now.

    "Aren''t you hot dressed like that? You won''t get a heatstroke, right?"

    "It just got more cloudy, so I''m fine."

    "Did you get some sleep?"

    "Sure did. Two whole hours."

    I feel like that''s still not nearly enough, but pressing that matter any further would posit no benefit at all, and it would make it seem like I was treating Ayase-san like a child. I don''t want her to go back to being a child by any means. As I was thinking that, our conversation ended, and there was nothing more to really talk about, so the two of us walked next to each other without saying a word.

    With the ambient noise of the cars stuck in traffic, and the trucks driving around through town ying advertisements at a volume loud enough to bother the neighborhood, I once again realized that this indeed was Shibuya. Almost like Ayase-san had waited for a change of atmosphere, she suddenly spoke up.

    "Sorry about yesterday."

    "About the whole pool thing?"

    "That too, but one more thing. When you came in to work with Yomiuri-senpai, I might have said something rude."

    "Ahh¡­"

    That conversation felt a bit off, yeah. She mentioned that, as a family, she could be reassured if I was that close with Yomiuri-senpai, and although the person in questionughed it off as a joke, I did indeed feel like this wasn''t exactly Ayase-san''s usual style. When a man and woman walk around outside together, they usually are regarded as a couple. This kind of stereotype might appear in your head, but isn''t really something to direct at others, which was probably her train of thought.

    "It''s against our promise to hide any of these feelings, right? It''s fine, I can disclose that, surely." Ayase-san almost sounded like she was telling herself, and continued with an uneasy tone. "If anything, I''d like you to be honest if you were dating."

    "I see. Why is that?"

    "I don''t know¡­ Let me leave it at that."

    I thought it sounded weird. Like she knew, but couldn''t answer. First she pries into my rtionship with Yomiuri-senpai, and now she''s not even looking me in the eyes. Both of these felt so profound in meaning that I found my heart beating harder as if I were expecting something.

    ¡ªExpecting something? Get a grip already, Asamura Yuuta.

    I forced my heart that was about to leap ahead to calm down and carefully waited for what Ayase-san would say next.

    "After working together with her, I realized just how good of a person she is."

    "Yeah, you''re right."

    "She''s kind, considerate, and a beauty to boot. She''s clever and knows pretty much everything, and you won''t even get tired from talking with her because of her unique humor."

    "Though she''s a bit of a cker. And you can''t forget her dirty jokes."

    "That''s not a defect, you''d call it charm, okay? ¡­Well, maybe I''m just not too familiar with her yet. You''ve been working with her much longer than I have after all. Why am I holding a presentation about Yomiuri-san?" Ayase-san made a wry smile.

    I wanted to ask the same thing. Just what is she trying to say?

    "I just thought that she wouldn''t be too bad as an ''Older sister'', you know. I really shouldn''t have said something that would restrict your freedom, so I''m sorry." Ayase-san went to exin her odd reaction from yesterday.

    It''s almost like she had prepared a note beforehand with the contents of what she wanted to talk about, and was just reading it word by word from memory inside her brain. Hey, are those your true feelings? Doubt filled my mind, but I ignored it. She said that she would properly exin what unsure and hazy feelings she had, and had revealed her hand. If I were to doubt any part of that and assume that there was a lie mixed in there, it would destroy the entire premise of our rtionship. So really my only viable response is to nod.

    "Okay, that''s fine. There''s no need to apologize anymore."

    "Got it."

    That''s enough. We''ll forget about this incident and let grass grow over it. This is our rtionship, one that''s the mostfortable for both Ayase-san and I. However, for some reason I can''t exin, it felt like something was stuck inside my throat, leaving a bitter aftertaste and feeling of difort I couldn''t exin.

    As we approached the train station, the number of people around us grew. Even though it wasn''t even time for the srymen to check out from work, there were men wearing neckties and suits, and the cking sound of high heels everywhere. There were even some students mixed in the mass. I realized something when I stopped my bike in the parking lot. I audibly clicked my tongue, and Ayase-san looked at me in shock.

    "What''s wrong?"

    "Say, Ayase-san."

    "What?"

    "If we''re going home together as well, why did I even bring my bike with me?"

    Couldn''t I have just left it at home if we went to work and woulde home from work together?

    "Eh?" Ayase-san looked at me like I just said something weird. "Because you had a reason to do so, right?"

    "No, not at all. It was just out of habit."

    "W-Well, that happens from time to time¡­ Pfft."

    "Habits are terrifying things, huh?"

    "I''ll leave it at that."

    Her eyes were smiling. She made fun of my failure. Well¡­ recently, she''s always been a bit tense, so I''d much prefer her to smile at my expense than not to at all. Either way, I parked my bike in the parking lot, walked back to where Ayase-san was waiting for me, and entered the employee area. There, we ran into a senior of ours and asked where the store manager was. When we opened the door to the office, the store manager was sitting at the window side of the room, at a number of desks forming an ind.

    "Oh¡­ Asamura-kun and Asamura-san¡­ Ah, no, Ayase-san, was it? Hello, you two."

    I can''t me him for saying the wrong name. On our family register and on paper, Ayase-san''s real name was now Asamura Saki. Our parents didn''t go through amonw marriage, but simply put their names together on the family register, which is why our entire family is Asamura now. However, at school or at work, where convenience demands it, Ayase-san goes by her old name. It''s also not like our family is anything special. With recent marriages, the names register, family names, and even used email ounts of the adults stay the same for convenience''s sake, or so I''ve heard.

    For Ayase-san, this work was a ce with new rtionships to form, so she considered calling herself ''Asamura Saki,'' but she apparently didn''t want to receive any kind of special treatment because she''s my little sister, or something like that. In the end, she started working with her name remaining ''Ayase.'' Since I always call her ''Ayase-san,'' none of the other employees had found out.

    "Hello store manager. I was hoping to bother you for a second¡­"

    "Hm?"

    Realizing that we hadn''t ended the conversation with just a greeting, the store manager raised his head. Although he was barely in histe thirties, he managed to rise up to be a store manager, which showed his skill hidden behind his kindness.

    "What''s up?"

    "I''m sorry to suddenly bring this up¡­ The two of us, Ayase-san and I, have the day off tomorrow the 26th, and have a shift the day after tomorrow on the 27th, but we were wondering if we could switch those shifts."

    "Switch the shifts¡­? That sure is abrupt. Did something happen?"

    "Umm."

    If we came up with any half-baked lie, it would only risk everything, and I really didn''t want to lose this job. What''s important is that we weren''t lying, but that we also didn''t exin anything that wasn''t absolutely necessary. That''s why I said the following.

    "A friend suddenly invited us somewhere."

    The store manager knows that Ayase-san and I attend the same school. That''s why we told him that amon friend of ours invited us. Narasaka-san might be closer to Ayase-san, but she also treats me somewhat like a friend, or that''s the feeling I get at least from our interactions. Ayase-san continued.

    "Yesterday, she came back from a trip."

    That''s also not a lie. Narasaka-san just returned from a trip yesterday. That also exined the reason why she didn''t try to contact me until now. It makes sense. She wouldn''t contact some random guy like me when she''s out enjoying her vacation. But she did tell Ayase-san about it. However, the fact that it was ''suddenly'' wasn''t entirely true. Ayase-san had known about this for a while, but I didn''t. That''s why I mentioned that, whereas Ayase-sanmented on the whole trip thing.

    Even without lying, you can hide the truth in some way. Though it doesn''t feel veryfortable to use this kind of negotiation method. This is where things are important, so we need to put our all into it.

    "I know that we''re being selfish here, but is there any chance we can switch shifts?" I bowed deeply, and Ayase-san followed suit.

    "Hmm, give me a moment." The store manager said, typing away on hisputer.

    He must be looking at the shift schedule right now.

    "Both of you two, huh¡­?"

    As he was doing so, I nced over at Ayase-san''s expression, filled with worry. Now then, how will things go from here on out? If he rejects our request, then we have toe up with something else. Of course, we can''t just disagree or skip work, but I also don''t want to force any negotiations and ruin the good rtionship we have.

    "The 27th is a Thursday, right?" The store manager said. He picked up the phone and called someone.

    It must have been another staff member who was a candidate to trade their shift with us. After exchanging a few words, he hung up. That happened two times.

    "It should be fine. Both people working tomorrow are veterans who have no problem having their shifts changed, so switching with you should work."

    "Really!?"

    "Yeah." The store manager continued with a grin. "So because of that, I expect you to work a whole lot tomorrow."

    It was a perfect example of a candy and whip. Well, there''s no way a high school student could win against an adult. Maybe he saw right through our excuse immediately. However, that doesn''t matter as long as we get to go to the pool that day. That''s plenty enough of a sess for us. For now, we thanked the store manager.

    "Yes, we''ll do our best!"

    "Y-Yes, we will!"

    We both lowered our heads deeply and stepped out of the office. After we closed the door, Ayase-san let out a sigh.

    "Thank goodness."

    "d it all worked out, right?"

    "I think I might have been the most nervous I''ve been in my entire life there."

    "I seriously doubt that."

    We changed into our uniforms and began our shift. Today, our job was to put the newly-delivered books on the bookshelves. With a trolley in hand, we walked around the forest of bookshelves.

    "Ayase-san, next is¡­ Over there. It''s a technical book."

    "Understood, Asamura-san." She said, taking several books out of the cardboard box on the trolley and walking ahead to the next shelf, as pushing the trolley over there would just be a waste of time.

    She put the books into the empty spaces of the bookshelf and I pulled the trolley after her a moment afterwards. After that, I helped her.

    "Saving time like this is great."

    "You''re even more amazing, Asamura-san. Knowing the locations of the shelves really helps our overall efficiency a lot."

    "I don''t remember where everything is or anything."

    Today''s new arrivals were more of the genres I was interested in, which was why I knew at a first nce which shelf they belonged to. It was just a lucky case today, nothing more. In the end, the cardboard box ended up empty a solid 15 minutes before we anticipated.

    "Alright, then let''s take a break."

    "Yeah."

    We returned the trolley to the back storage and then headed to the break room together. We poured some cold tea into two stic cups and sat down.

    "Say, Asamura-kun." Ayase-san suddenly spoke up.

    Since it was just the two of us in the break room, she switched back to calling me how she would at home. After she gulped down the contents of her cup, she stood up to get another fill. She let out a sigh, and continued.

    "It''s not that you don''t have any friends, but rather that you don''t try to make any, right?"

    "I''m not actively avoiding it or anything."

    "But are you conscious of that fact? You''re not, are you?"

    "Yeah, I don''t really care all that much."

    "I see."

    "Well, you''re not wrong. It''s not that I''m desperate for friends."

    It''s not that I don''t want any, I just don''t go around actively searching.

    "To be perfectly honest, I never thought that we could change shifts so easily¡­ No, that''s not it. I was just scared of negotiating for it. Since I didn''t want to, I subconsciously made myself think that it was impossible."

    "I''m just used to it. I''ve switched my shift several times before."

    "Doesn''t that just show you have much more experience inmunication than I do?"

    I had never thought about it that way.

    "¡­I guess you could say that."

    "When we entered the bookstore today, you went to ask a senior where the store manager was, and even when we were negotiating with him, you were always resolute and confident, saying exactly what you wanted and needed to¡­ So I thought you don''t seem like someone who struggles withmunication."

    "You''re just overestimating me."

    I''m not that skilled or anything. I''ve just been working here long enough that I can talk with everybody easily enough.

    "When it''s a ce that expects earnestness from you, it''s just much easier. That''s the reason you think that it''s some kind of insanemunication skill."

    "I can''t do that."

    "You can. Once you get used to this kind of work, you can. Also, you''re already doing plenty of it. From how I see it, being able to indulge in friendships where no concrete and shared rules exist is far more difficult. I¡­ I''m not good at that at all. So to me, you''re much more skilled atmunication than I am."

    "¡­That''s not¡­"

    It is true. She might not have said it out loud, but the reason she found her ce easily in the family is because she decided on the rules with me from the very beginning. Now that she finally feels motivated to go to the pool, I definitely can''t tell her this, but I''m the one who''s far more anxious now. After all, we''re going to the pool. Together. Honestly speaking, I can probably hold a proper conversation with Ayase-san, and maybe Narasaka-san, but I don''t have the confidence that I can have fun with our other ssmates around. Even though the day I would be doing so was approaching rapidly.

 Chapter 30 - 5

    <h4>Chapter 30: Chapter 5</h4>

    26th of August (Wednesday)

    It was like any other Wednesday morning, with the end of summer break slowly but steadily approaching. I matched my rm clock with the time Ayase-san would usually wake up, and seeded in getting up in time. It was barely 6:30am, and I was as tired as could be.

    When I walked into the living room, Ayase-san was already preparing breakfast. Upon seeing Ayase-san working like that, I was entranced for a moment.

    "Good morning. Ayase-san."

    "Asamura-kun. You''re up early today, huh?" She turned around for a moment and gave me a brief response.

    "I figured today would be busy after all." I said and sat down in my seat.

    Tap tap¡­ tap. Ayase-san''s hand cutting the carrots suddenly stopped, and she turned around with a somewhat worried tone of voice.

    "Busy? We only switched shifts, right? Or did you have other ns today, Asamura-kun?"

    "Ah. No, no, no."

    She must have been worried that I actually had different ns today but ignored them all for the sake of going to the pool with her, I guess.

    "Really?"

    "I swear. I had no ns whatsoever today. If I hadn''t finished my homework yet, this would have been the day for me to work on it, but I''ve already gotten that over and done with."

    "So then¡­"

    Why are you up?¡ªShe probably meant to ask as she looked at me quizzically. Well, it made sense that she wouldn''t know. This is a problem only a loner guy like me would have.

    "I don''t have a swimsuit."

    "¡­What about the one for gym ss?"

    "I chose baseball over swimming, since my friend preferred that."

    "Ahh, I see."

    "He went on and on about some kind of morals that it would be a waste if we always agreed with each other." I remembered the face Maru had made back then and sighed.

    Summer gym sses are generally chosen by the students, and I had to choose between pool swimming lessons or a ball game. Still, even if I had taken swimming sses and bought the swimsuit for that, it would have been prettyme to wear that outside of school. You might think I''m being a little too picky about it, but there has to be some kind of dress code when going to the pool with popr people in my ss, right?

    "Ahaha, you''re exaggerating too much. So you''re going to buy er, huh?"

    "Yeah, I need to buy one. Luckily, our shift ends at 6pm, so I have plenty of time to buy er."

    Normally I would have a full shift ending only at night, but today it''s only half of a usual shift, because this would have been my shift tomorrow.

    "So you''re going after work?"

    "I have to. When I looked into it, I saw that the store selling swimsuits only opens up at 11am, and that''s the earliest."

    "I see¡­ so you couldn''t fit it in between."

    "It would be cutting it too close, and I want to avoid that."

    The store manager told us to do our work properly today after all, so I definitely do not want to end upte today of all days. If I walked into a store at 11am, I might be able to make it out at 12 if I don''t hesitate much or lose my way¡­ which I don''t have any confidence in.

    "Is it that confusing to buy a swimsuit? ¡­Oh yeah, you don''t really have much interest in fashion, do you?"

    I nodded with a sour expression. That''s absolutely correct. Fashion and all that surrounds it just don''t jive with me. I don''t know any basics about how to choose clothes. Why do they have so many different types of them? How are they different? Are they like book genres? I can already see myself being absolutely lost with a wide arrangement in front of me. How am I even supposed to ask for help?

    I bet I''d just waste my time being lost or hesitating, so I at least want to take my time instead of rushing myself in order to not bete. Not to mention that I also need to prepare for tomorrow. Going with fellow ssmates to the pool during summer break might not seem like that big of a deal, but it''d be troublesome if I realized I was missing things once I was there.

    Also, I told Ayase-san that I didn''t have any ns for the day, but since I didn''t think I would have any shift today, I also need to get someundry done in the morning.

    "I see, got it. Ah, that reminds me. I got the schedule for tomorrow from Maaya."

    "Alright."

    "I''ll send it to youter."

    "Thanks."

    Of course, Narasaka-san contacted me and invited me yesterday. I just waited to confirm it because of the possibility that the whole shift changing wouldn''t work out. I can''t say no right after agreeing after all. Right after we got the permission from the store manager, Ayase-san contacted her, and it took around a minute to get a response. That''s Narasaka-san for you.

    As we made small talk back and forth like that, my old man woke up at around 7am. He took a detour to the bathroom and then came to greet us in the living room.

    "Morning, Saki-chan. Oh, Yuuta as well? Now that''s a rare sight."

    "Morning."

    "Yeah, morning."

    He made his way to his seat. I stood up and prepared a rice bowl and served him some rice, but my old man made a dejected expression. Yeah, yeah. You must have wanted Ayase-san to serve you the rice. I get it. She''s taking care of the miso soup, so put up with it for now.

    "Here you go."

    "Thanks a lot, Saki-chan."

    "You''re wee."

    In most cases, Ayase-san''s morning menu is a simple recipe that doesn''t take much time to make. Today it was tofu with spinach and boiled greens. The tofu was at the top, with ginger and ked bonito below it and some cut onion sprinkled on top. So she adds soy sauce to that, huh? I had no idea about this until recently, but apparently there are a lot of onion varieties to season the tofu with. Ayase-san told me these are called green onions.

    When I looked up onions you''d put on tofu online, I found tons of onion types, including green onions, welsh onions, small onions, chives, and even thin green onion shoots. I was left confused as to what I would even use if I made tofu on my own. Anyway, today it seems to be green onions. Along with that were three grilled potatoes, which she put on a blue te and put in front of my old man.

    "I''ll get your share done in a second, Asamura-kun."

    "No need to rush. My old man has to leave soon after all."

    If we had school today, Ayase-san and I should be getting ready to leave soon as well, but thankfully that''s not the case.

    "Sorry about that." My old manmented while munching on the food. He quickly finished his breakfast.

    At around half past 7am, he left the house, and I put his dishes into the dishwasher. Almost like they had switched on purpose, Akiko-san came home at around 8am. Since she had her breakfast beforeing home, she went straight to the bedroom. It was the same usual morning routine ever since Akiko-san and Ayase-san moved in together with us. It reminded me of the routine back when we were in the middle of our school term.

    Since summer break is about to end, I should start getting back into the groove that I had going before. After I helped clean up the dining room, I went back to my room and checked over our ns for tomorrow, namely Narasaka-san''s LINE message that Ayase-san ryed to me. It was onerge paragraph with the detailed ns, almost like she was a grade school teacher making sure the children knew the program. Maybe she wrote all of this when she was on the trip that Ayase-san mentioned? I guess Narasaka-san goes all out even when she''s ying, huh"

    ''Since Maaya went out of her way to n all of this, make sure to read it carefully.''

    That was the message she added at the very end. Despite not wanting to go at first, now that she''s decided on it, she''s sure being positive about it. It''s exactly as Akiko-san said.

    ¡ªShe was a troublesome child. Begging for ice cream, wanting to go to the pool,ining if I didn''tply¡­

    Feeling that maybe Ayase-san finally had regained some of her old desire to have fun, I found myself bing happy as well.

    A bit before noon, we stepped out of the house and arrived at our work with enough time left before the shift would start.

    "Alright! Let''s rock this today, Ayase-san."

    "Yes, let''s do our best, Asamura-san."

    The second we walked inside, Ayase-san changed the way she addressed me. It seems like she''s even more motivated now to not betray the store manager''s trust. Right after starting our shift, Ayase-san and I were tasked with the cash register. That''s probably the most stressful job when working at a bookstore. Especially for people like me who are more on the asocial side of things, and aren''t toofortable with speaking with random people. But it''s my job, so I have to do it.

    Once I had a bit of time free from the cash register, I used it to fold some book covers. I used cardboard as backing paper to cut it, folded it from top to bottom, and left an opening for the book. Since every book is of a different thickness, I have to be mindful that it still fits inside depending on how I fold it. On top of that, I can''t give a customer a book with book covers that I have to redo.

    There was a time where I folded both the right and left side, and because the book was limited, I had to use a lot of covers, and it took a lot of time. I got scolded for it in the end. Ayase-san never went through that. Just as Yomiuri-senpai said, she''s far more talented than I.

    That day, we also had to clean the office and changing rooms. And oddly enough, now that it''s a day with a lot of work, Yomiuri-senpai is taking the day off. She''s not doing this on purpose, is she? I mean, I originally had the day off today as well, so I can''tin.

    "I guess all that''s left is to throw out the trash."

    "I''ll do that."

    "No, I''ve got some trash myself, so I''ll do it."

    Right as I tried to step out of the office, the manager came in.

    "Ohh, it''s all clean now. Yup, good work today, you two." He praised us.

    I knew that it was just proper manners on his end, but that didn''t mean I didn''t enjoy it. It was the candy to the previous whip. As I figured, this store manager knows how to move people.

    "Thank you very much." Ayase-san showed a grin.

    At 6pm t, Ayase-san and I stepped out of the bookstore.

    "Alright, I''ll be buying a swimsuit now. Sadly, I can''t walk you home today."

    "It''s still only 6pm, so there''s no need for that."

    "Right, then you go home without me."

    "Asamura-kun, where are you nning on buying your swimsuit?"

    I told her the name of the department store where I was nning to go.

    "Over there, huh? Let me go with you." She said, which confused me.

    "Why?"

    "It''s a store that sells clothes for women as well, so I''m buying one myself. I tried mine on yesterday, but it didn''t quite fit me anymore, so I thought I might as well get a new one." She said and started walking on ahead.

    I hurried and followed after her. Are we going to buy swimsuits together? My inexperienced and fragile imagination caused me to only picture a man and a woman shopping for swimsuits together if they''re an actual couple. I know that this is nothing but total prejudice, but what other reason would there be to go there together? I can''t think of any.

    We''d feel tense as we talk with each other about swimsuits and such across the cubicle, only to fall victim to an odd trouble you''d only find in novels or manga. Nah, there''s no way that''d happen. However, what if I was misinformed, and it was totally normal and epted that siblings like us would shop for swimsuits together? When I looked at Ayase-san''s sideways profile, which looked as calm as ever, I felt like that conclusion might not be too far from the truth.

    If we actually go shopping for swimsuits together, what kind of face should I make, and what sort of attitude should I keep up? We''re not too far from the department store, so I''m not sure if I can actually prepare my heart and mind before then¡­

    In the end, everything I just said was all for nothing. As was the case for most department stores, the area for women''s clothes was on the lower floor, and the area for men''s clothes was up above. By the esctor, Ayase-san stepped on with one foot and turned towards me.

    "Anyway, let''s split up here. If we finish shopping at the same time, we can meet up at the entrance. If not, we''ll just go home separately."

    "¡­Understood."

    Yeah, that makes sense. That''s how things in the real world work. Let me state it right here. A brother has no need to tag along for his little sister''s swimsuit shopping trip¡­ I think. And, of course, it took me more than an hour to pick out my swimsuit. As I thought, going here after work was the correct choice.

 Chapter 31 - 6

    <h4>Chapter 31: Chapter 6</h4>

    27th of August (Thursday)

    I gazed up at the clear blue sky amidst the unfamiliar scenery around me as the moving train shook me left and right. How long has it been since I''ve taken the train like this? Since I was born and raised here in Shibuya, and I live an indoor life, I rarely take the train anywhere. Since I have the mentality that ''as long as I have manga and books, I can keep living'', Shibuya is like heaven to me. Now that the small streets have disappeared into the distance, and their even smaller bookstores, now only the towering buildings remain.

    On weekends and holidays, I would always spend my time walking from bookstore to bookstore, so I never had any need to travel very far. I never thought the day woulde when I would use the train to travel to a pool in order to y with others. The inside of the train wasn''t very crowded. We had around five days of summer vacation left, counting today. It''s the perfect time for most summer activities to end, and for people to start panicking because their summer break is drifting away.

    I took out my phone and checked the time. It was currently 9:18am. Since we were supposed to meet up at the ticket gate in front of Shinjuku train station at 9:30am, I still had plenty of time. However, after we did so, it would be another 30 minute train ride, and then another 30 minutes by bus. This pool is unexpectedly far away. It didn''t take long for me to start having second thoughts.

    No. I''ve just gotta man up. I can''t just go home after doing my best to get Ayase-san toe with us. Also, speaking of Ayase-san, we decided to go our separate ways until we reached the destination for us to group up, so she left home 15 minutes before me. Since there will be other people from our school year with us today, we can''t risk anything that would lead to them finding out.

    That being said, Narasaka-san already knows. I guess it''s not that big of a deal even if people found out, so we didn''t try to tell her to keep quiet about it or anything. If people find out, we''ll just exin it then. It''s not like we''re doing anything illegal. I was gazing at the scenery outside when an announcement came over the train''s loudspeakers, stating the name of the next station.

    A faint breeze washed over me as the doors opened and I got off the train. After I went past the ticket gate, I saw a group of around ten people. The number of boys and girls in this group were about equal, and all of them were wearing Suisei High''s uniform. Since they were all carrying bags as well, it almost seemed like they were on a school trip.

    "Weird." I muttered.

    I was also wearing Suisei High''s uniform. That''s right, Narasaka-san mentioned in a message she sentter that I definitely had to wear my school uniform, and to bring my student bag and student ID with me. Apparently it''s for a student discount, but don''t you usually only need your student ID for that? I had some doubts, but if everyone is wearing the uniform, then it''s not that big of a deal I guess. I''m good at following directions.

    When I looked at all the people gathered together, I saw some familiar faces in the crowd.

    "Again, huh¡­?"

    I spotted Ayase-san keeping a safe distance from them. She was also wearing her uniform. When she nced over in my direction and saw me, she let out a relieved sigh. Well, I guess Narasaka-san is her only real friend in this group. And said Narasaka-san was in the middle of the group, talking to some people. That''s Suisei High''s number 1munication monster (my own personal opinion). When she saw me, she waved her hand, stretching her body like a puppy seeing its owner. Considering how cute she is, I can totally see her being popr with the guys.

    "Good morning good day good evening, Asamura-kun!"

    "Good morn¡­ Wait, isn''t a simple ''Morning'' enough?"

    "We do it like that in this industry."

    "What industry?"

    "Suisei High Industry."

    "I see?"

    So our school is an industry. It makes no sense if you ask me. Anyway, some more Suisi High people slowly trickled in from the ticket gate and joined our group, and we started introducing each other. Normally a short introduction wouldn''t be that much of a problem, but every time a person said their name, Narasaka-san added some kind of weird introduction to it, which made it take way longer.

    "My name''s Asamura Yuuta¡­ Please treat me well."

    "Alright, and this is Asamura-kun! He might have a calm atmosphere to him, but he''s secretly a super-popr guy!"

    "Choose between secret and popr!" One of the guys retorted.

    "Basically, now''s your only chance to get along with him!" She said andughed.

    I guess this was her own way of breaking the ice, namely with a well-mannered joke.

    "Right, Asamura-kun!"

    "I feel like you''re wrong about a lot of stuff, but¡­ We can leave it at that."

    "Nice to meet ya, Asamura!"

    Suddenly, a well-built and tanned guy, probably part of the rugby club, came to ask for a handshake. I froze up in surprise, not expecting such a sudden development from a random person I had just met. Maybe that''s thanks to the atmosphere Narasaka-san created.

    "Likewise¡­"

    I saw no other option, so I epted the handshake. He got really close, though. He really seems like the kind of normie who''d win prizes at every sports festival. But I somehow managed to get through this first meeting. Although the atmosphere was something I really couldn''t get used to. However, my goal today was to make Ayase-san enjoy herself, so I couldn''t ke out this early.

    The self-introductions continued. As before, Narasaka-san added some sidements with every person who introduced themselves, or even made up a joke with their name. It worked so well that even I, who had no intentions of remembering anybody from here, found myself at least connecting lines to some of the people, probably even remembering some of their names. I see. So that''s why she''s doing all of this. Narasaka Maaya sure is one hell of amunication monster.

    "Ayase Saki."

    "I''m sure you all know Saki, but¡­ it''s fine. She might look a bit scary, but she don''t bite."

    "Something like that."

    "Just call her Ayasshii!"

    What kind ofedy character is that?

    "Ayase is fine." Ayase-san didn''t even try to go along with the momentum of the conversation.

    Even so, possibly because she showed a wry smile without actually getting angry, several of the girls gave her an unexpected look. I see. So they really thought Ayase-san was some kind of scary person.

    "So, Narasaka, why are we wearing our uniforms?" One of the guys spoke up about the subject I had been wondering about this entire time.

    "Didn''t I tell you in the message? It''s for the student discount~"

    "Isn''t a student ID enough for that?"

    "That was only the first part. If you''re wearing your uniform, your parents won''t be as strict when you leave the house, right?"

    "That makes no sense!"

    "Don''t bother with the details! We can only y around in our uniforms for so long, so we have to use as much time as we can~"

    It didn''t seem like the person''s question was answered with that, but he also showed no interest in trying to pursue it any further. When I heard her response, however, I found myself understanding a bit more. It seems like Narasaka-san is even more considerate than I had originally assumed. She probably had figured that some of the participants'' parents would be quite strict about this, and gave them some kind of lie they could use so that they coulde out to y with everyone else.

    For example, helping a schoolmittee, helping open the school grounds, or some kind of other thing like that. Since she probably knew about these problems, she tried her best to not make anybody stand out in a negative way because they couldn''t participate¡­ Well, that''s just an assumption of mine.

    When I looked around, I couldn''t tell who was wearing the uniform because we were told to, and who was wearing it for convenience. Only Narasaka-san knew, and she''s probably trying to keep it a secret. On top of that, since people know she''s an airhead, any kind of nonsensical condition she came up with would be forgiven, and it didn''t dampen that mood at all. Narasaka Maaya is even more of amunication monster than I initially assumed, huh?

    "Alright, then let''s go!"

    With her voice full of energy, Narasaka-san stepped in front of us and walked to the ticket gate. And with this, myst big event to make memories during this summer break started in earnest.

    After hopping on the private railway, we made our way west from Shinjuku. About halfway there, therge buildings around us started to disappear, and the wide blue sky opened up, visible from the train window. Moving west from the center of town basically meant we were moving further away from Tokyo Bay, and also away from the ocean. It''s a weird thing to go away from the water in order to y in the water. Maybe that''s why there are no pools near home, since you can just go to the sea instead.

    Our group consisted of ten people including Ayase-san, Narasaka-san, and I. We were a group perfectly divided between five boys and five girls. In other words, it was my first time meeting seven of them. While we were travelling, we exchanged a few words, and I realized that I wasn''t as exhausted as I expected myself to be. I was afraid of being unable to keep up with the conversation, and being left behind trying to contribute on a particr subject, but that wasn''t the case. I guess the truemunication monsters knew how to handle themselves without leaving behind the loners and outcasts, huh?

    "So you work part-time at a bookstore, Asamura?"

    "Yeah."

    "Is that actually profitable?"

    "I wonder¡­ I''ve never worked part-time anywhere else, so I wouldn''t know."

    "But you''re going to work and attending summer sses at the same time? That''s so admirable!"

    "Yup yup, I''ve just been sleeping the entire summer break!"

    "I don''t think it''s that crazy¡­"

    Even despite all of that, I was still not the greatest at holding conversations like these. When it came to actual books, I could talk about them for hours, but then I realized that simply telling them about books isn''t exactly what you would call a conversation. Though I do think that a conversation without amon theme is just too hard to follow for me. Either way, as we talked about this and that, the 30 minutes passed, and after that, we were jostled around in the bus for another 30 minutes.

    Finally, we made it to the pool in question. Outside, it was as hot as expected with the mid-summer sun sizzling down, so I had a small bout of dizziness when I got off the bus. Compared to the cool air inside the vehicle, outside is like torture. The white line drawn on the asphalt was almost blinding with the sunlight shining down on it.

    "This is the pool?" I muttered as I looked up at the giant building in front of me.

    When I heard the word ''pool,'' I had pictured something like the pool at school, or maybe the local public pool, but this looked more like a hot spring inn.

    "This is the entrance. On this side is the indoor pool, and they also have a transparent roof. Beyond that is the outdoor pool. See, you can see some attractions over there, right?" Narasaka-san said and I muttered the name of the object I saw.

    "Ahh¡­ a slide, huh?"

    "At least call it a water slide! Asamura-kun, where''s your spirit?!"

    "What does my spirit have to do with anything?"

    "It''ll change your mood. Calling it a water slide will make you more excited. What would you think if we said that high school students were ying on a slide?"

    "I was just wondering why you''d y on a slide."

    "¡­Saki, Yumi, you two say something!" Narasaka-san turned towards Ayase-san and the girl standing next to her.

    "It''s too big for a normal slide, so if you really want to get the feel of it across, you should call it a giant water-rushing slide."

    Ayase-san, you just paraphrased it, right? The person next to Ayase-san, Tabata Yumi (I think that was her name, anyway. Narasaka-san mentioned that she has the same name as the train station on the Yamanote Line), looked at her in surprise.

    "So Ayase-san knows how to tell jokes, huh?"

    "A joke¡­ Ah, yeah."

    Naturally, Ayase-san hadn''t been joking around. She had just said the first thing that came to mind.

    "They even have an amusement park around back. Is this your first timeing to one, Asamura-kun?"

    "Well, I''d say so."

    It''s not that I dislike amusement parks or zoos or things like that. If anything, I like them. I''m just bad at walking around them with other people and checking out attractions. I''d much rather walk around by myself. Though it might only make me sound like more of a loner if I said that. I just hope that some people understand and ept other people''s preferences. Why is everybody Usain Bolt when ites to judging other people?

    "The indoor pool is the heart of our operation today!"

    "Oh yeah."

    That''s what she said in the ns she sent us via LINE. We each bought a 1-day pass and walked inside. After that, I finished changing in the men''s changing room and checked out the swimming trunks I just bought yesterday. It was pretty much the same as changing into my gym clothes at school, and not really that embarrassing, but I felt a bit of anxiety when it came to putting my stuff in the locker. I mean, I have to take a wristband with the key attached to it with me to the pool, so if it gets washed away, what am I supposed to do about it? Also, how is everyone so calm about it? Am I just thinking too deeply into it?

    Either way, I made my way to the pool after I finished changing. Once I stepped into the actual building, I was shocked. It was like a gigantic greenhouse. Of course, the sides weren''t made out of vinyl sheets. They looked like they were either ss or acrylic tes. I can''t even tell how many people would fit in here, and the inside of the facility is like a giant beach with a shallow pool, taking up ? of the entire area. You had your average slide¡­ No, water slide, as well as other attractions I wouldn''t even know how to use.

    Along with that, there was a scent of water drifting through the air, different from the peculiar ocean scent. As for the number of visitors, it wasn''t nearly as filled as I expected, which told you that summer break was about to end and normal everyday life was making its return. At least it''s not as packed as I had feared.

    Finally, we grouped up with the girls again. All five of them were wearing evidently new swimsuits, which reminded me of what Ayase-san had said the day before, and this exined why she had gotten a new swimsuit. As a girl, you really have to be careful about a lot of things. I would only think about buying new clothes if I ran out of them.

    Narasaka-san was wearing a bikini which revealed quite a lot of skin. The lemon-yellow color suited her personality quite a bit. However, possibly because of her small height or gestures, the bikini didn''t look nearly as erotic as you''d think. Rather, ''cuteness'' got the head start when trying to exin the image it gave her.

    Ayase-san was wearing the exact opposite: A tankini that didn''t show too much skin. It showed off her shoulders, and there was also an opening between the upper and lower part of her swimsuit. Maybe it was just because of the summer heat, but it really seemed like she preferred wearing clothing that revealed her shoulders. She seems to wear clothes that do that almost every single day. Even so, seeing Ayase-san in her swimsuit caused my heart to skip a beat. I might be used to her in general, but a different kind of appearance really made me feel more conscious of her.

    Upon seeing the girls in all their glory, the boys raised cheers for a moment, but even I who usually had no feelings about this sort of thing could tell that most of their gazes were directed towards Ayase-san herself, standing in the middle of the group of girls, almost as if she were trying to hide behind them. She just had a different physique and style than the rest. She had wide and high-up hips, with long slender legs. Even without wearing a revealing swimsuit, that was as in as day. I could even hear faint whistling from the guys, but for some reason, it filled me with aplicated emotion.

    "Ayase''s crazy! Hey, you agree right, Asamura!"

    "I mean, well, I don''t think¡­ jeering like that¡­ is very good¡­" I found myself responding.

    In this day and age where a single sentence could be regarded as sexual harassment, you have to be careful of what you say. Of course, that wasn''t the only reason. Some kind of ufortable emotion started to build up inside of me, and that was an even bigger reason. However, that sentiment apparently didn''t get through to these guys.

    "No no no, if you''re a man, then you gotta look, right?! You definitely should!"

    "It can''t be helped, alright?"

    They started whispering to each other. I personally didn''t know if I was able to hide my displeased expression or not. However, right when I was about to interject aint into their conversation, Narasaka-san voiced her own. She put her left hand on her waist, raised her right arm, and pointed her fingers at us.

    "Alright alright, you guys over there! Asamura-kun is right! Any staring eyes will get squished between my fingers!" As she said this, Narasaka-san did a motion with her index and middle finger towards us.

    How violent and aggressive, Narasaka-san. Thanks to that, the boys stopped whispering and calmed down a bit. They must have caught on to the cold gazesing from the girls group. Well, I also am a healthy high school boy, so I understand their feelings. I really do, but I do suggest they take a hint on what to say and what not to say in front of the girl in question. Then again, my words had also already escaped my mouth, so I don''t know what kind of impression I gave off.

    Right when I felt a gaze directed at me, I also caught on to Ayase-san averting her eyes at the exact same time. Was she¡­ looking at me just now? I wasn''t given any response to my question, and Ayase-san immediately joined the ring of girls.

    "Now, let''s get this party started!" Narasaka-san once brought excitement back into the awkward atmosphere. "Let''s all check out the attractions until it''s time for lunch! For starters, let''s see what that slide is about!" She said, pointing towards the water slide.

    But you got angry at me for calling it a slide?

    ording to the n Narasaka-san came up with, which she named ''Creating lots of summer memories'', she set out for us to check out the different attractions around the pool. First, of course, was the water slide. Although it was a bit smaller than therge one we saw from the outside, it still reached up two floors, so it was plenty thrilling. After that, we passed under something like a waterfall, treaded around inside abyrinth for some reason, and went to lots of other attractions that caused us to gasp in astonishment.

    While ying around like that, I remembered the schedule written in the n Narasaka-san sent us, and yet again felt like praising all of Narasaka-san''s careful consideration and nning. She''s showing off all the attractions this ce has to offer quite well, making it very exciting. No matter who participated, everyone had something to gain.

    You can''t forget that this time around, we all weren''t the closest of friends with each other. Narasaka-san''s method to avoid cliques was to make sure it was the first time everyone had met. Then again, Ayase-san and I knew each other quite well beforehand. However, even though all of us were attending the same school, and even if we were in the same year, as long as we were in a different ss and had different personalities, that wouldn''t have allowed us to get along. What you needed was someone open-minded like Narasaka-san who had a lot of contacts, and was also very open, acting as themon ground.

    There are guys from the sports club, literature club, and even some kind ofmittee, going-home club, and other sorts of things. That''s why it should''ve made sense that holding a conversation that goes beyond your average daily fare would be hard to achieve. There''s nomon or shared topics to be had. That''s where Narasaka-san came in.

    First, she walked around the various attractions with everyone and showed them off. This way, everyone could have fun, and everyone could get more used to each other in the morning, finding shared interests and so forth. This will cause conversations to spring up during lunch time. That''s why she ignored the idea of us going solo or in small groups, and instead had everyone move together. Though I do think she also set up some mixed events in the afternoon.

    It might seem simple, but it''s not at all. After all, the events you yourself want to do are always much more interesting than ying around with everyone else. But she can ignore that and move forward. That way, if the group gets too excited, or if you lose track of time, you can just ignore the schedule and have fun (or so said the ns Narasaka-san sent out). If you don''t prioritize other people''s preferences over your own, you can''t achieve something like this.

    12pm passed, and since we spotted some open seats at the food court, we decided to eat lunch. Seeing everyone discuss the events of the morning with smiles on their faces showed me that Narasaka-san''s n was a sess. Personally, I was happy to see Ayase-san smiling and talking with the other girls. And just like that, our lunchtime ended, so we decided to y in the shallow pool.

    Wave pools sometimes make waves like the actual ocean, but because it was the end of summer break, there were barely any people in there, allowing us to have as much fun as we wanted without bothering anybody. Unlike at the actual beach, you can''t y beach volleyball or y in the sand when you visit a pool. So we were a bit limited in what we could do. Despite that, Narasaka-san introduced some ideas in the ns she sent us.

    "So with that being said, let''s all y kickboard othello!"

    "Yeeees!"

    We all cheered in unison like we were gradeschool students. Although it was very quiet, I could even hear Ayase-san''s voice which made me smile. Rather than a ''Yes'', it felt more like a ''Sure~'' kinda response. Narasaka-san called it kickboard othello, but I don''t know the official name. The game might have originated from Narasaka Maaya herself, but it was a game with simple rules. Everyone had their own kickboard, preferably one that had two clearly distinguishable sides. Luckily, the ones avable to borrow here were exactly like that. After that, we split them up so that there was an equal number of front and back ones, split in two groups, and started turning the boards over.

    "We''ll split up the groups with rock and paper! The rock group is over here, and the paper group is over there."

    It was a five versus five activity. The paper side was the front group, and the rock side was the back group. Ayase-san and I coincidentally ended up in the same group, with Narasaka-san against us.

    "I''ll be setting the timer now. The time limit is three minutes. The group that has more kickboards turned to their side wins."

    "Yeah."

    "Okay!"

    "No grabbing or stealing kickboards, alright. They have to be floating, and you can only turn them by pping them on the corners. However, you''re allowed to obstruct the other group from flipping your kickboards over as long as you follow the rules. Everything clear?" Narasaka-san said, demonstrating what she had just exined.

    "Understood!"

    "Boys, no pulling or other forms of violence, okay?!" Tabata-san said.

    "You have no trust in us, do you?!" Myoujin, I think his name was,ined in a sour tone.

    Narasaka-san set the timer on her smartphone, which was protected in a waterproof case, and dered the beginning of the match, and we all sprung into action. This is actually much harder than you''d expect. Also, isn''t this something you would y in a pool with no waves? Even if you don''t do anything, the kickboards end up getting washed away, and since you can''t grab it because of the rules, you have to go and recover your kickboards periodically.

    In the end, the rules between retriever and turner were split up between the groups. It''s yet another example of a beautiful ad hoc approach. Eventually, a melody yed from Narasaka-san''s phone, signaling that the three minutes were over.

    "Okay, stop! No more flipping!"

    When Narasaka-san gave the order, everybody stopped moving. The final score was four to six, with Ayase-san''s and mine team victorious. The winners cheered, and the losers mmed their fists into the water. It seemed like everyone was fighting earnestly. Including me. I was out of breath.

    "Alright, alright. One more battle!" Narasaka-san set another timer.

    Both groups were brimming with motivation. Also I suddenly realized that the melody Narasaka-san was using as an rm¡­ that''s an anime opening, right? The only reason I could tell was because Maru forced me to watch the one-cour anime for that series. It seems like Narasaka-san knows a thing or two about anime, huh? She really has a lot of interests.

    We lost the second round. Since neither Ayase-san or I are sporty types, we didn''t have the strength to continue like we did in the first round. Since the two of us ended up being useless in a group of five, we had no hopes of winning against the sports club members, or people who are always ying around like this.

    "Alright, that concludes today''s event time! After a short break, it''s free time for everyone. We''ll leave at 4pm, soe back here by then!" Narasaka-san said, so I sat down at the poolside.

    I couldn''t even move anymore, probably because I had been using muscles that I usually never use at all. I just wanted to sleep. Unable to find the energy to tag along with the guys who were doingps in the pool or ying elsewhere, I just decided to take a break by myself when Ayase-san approached me. In response, I hurriedly sat up straight, afraid of looking pathetic. Ayase-san brought her face closer to mine, giving me a somewhat worried gaze.

    "Are you okay?"

    "Yeah. A bit exhausted, but otherwise fine. Still, everyone is amazing. So much endurance, and they have great athletic senses as well."

    As we checked out the different attractions, and when we yed minigames, the ones doing the most work were the outgoing boys and girls. Since I was always more of an indoor type, I didn''t stand out at all. It''s not like I wanted to or anything, though.

    "But you were pretty cool just now."

    "Huh?" I was shocked to hear such surprising praise from Ayase-san.

    "During that minigame just now. Asamura-kun, you were bringing back all the kickboards that floated out of our area, right?"

    "Ahhh."

    Well, if nobody else did that, it wouldn''t even have been a proper game. Once other people realized that, they started doing the same as me. When I pointed that out, Ayase-san shook her head.

    "But you were the first one to do it, Asamura-kun. Not to mention that once you returned the boards, you let other people flip them over, even though that''s supposed to be the most entertaining part of the game."

    I was surprised yet again. I didn''t think she''d notice. Whenever I returned the boards to our team, and they turned out to be on the front side, I left them like that. If they happened to be flipped on the back side, I would have had to flip them over, as this was the whole point of the game. Instead of doing so, however, I instead pushed the board to another team member, saying ''Take care of this'', and searched for the next kickboard. In the meantime, that team member did the flipping. Why, you ask? It''s just as Ayase-san stated. The act of flipping the boards is the most entertaining part of the game. I don''t think it would be that much fun if I just flipped over all the boards I brought back. It was supposed to be a team effort, after all.

    "Ahh, well, I just didn''t want to run the risk of messing up right when I was the center of attention."

    I wasn''t lying about that by any means.

    "Really? Well, whatever your reason was, I just wanted to praise you, totally subjectively. I thought you were pretty cool for doing that. Like an assistant working hard and supporting people behind the scenes."

    "Is that really something cool?"

    "Everybody has their own thoughts on things, right?"

    "Well¡­ you''re not wrong. But it''s a bit embarrassing when you put it like that." When I said this, Ayase-san gave a faint smile.

    It wasn''t the kind of dry and forced expression she would make at home towards my old man, but rather¡­ How do I put this? It resembled the kind, innocent smile from the young Ayase-san in the pictures I was shown. When I saw this, I thought to myself Ah, I''m so d I took that step and crossed her boundaries.

    Of course, it''s not that I felt conceited about it, like I was thinking that I saved Ayase-san or anything like that. I even have proof that this wasn''t the case. It''s just that if I had kept my distance like before, I would not have been able to see her making that kind of expression. When I thought that this smile was only mine, only directed at me, a vexing feeling of superiority filled my chest, telling me that maybe I really did do it all for myself.

    "Well, that''s all I wanted to say." Saying this, Ayase-san stood up.

    Like I was a fish caught in her, my gaze wandered up towards her face.

    "Now then."

    Her swimsuit was still drenched with water, the color looking even more vibrant than before. I saw pearls of water on her small amount of exposed skin, glimmering in the light shining down on her. Droplets of water were riddled all through her hair.

    "I guess I''ll go do some more swimming!" She raised both her arms above her head, doing some light stretches.

    "¡­Huh?"

    The moment I saw that, it felt like I suddenly woke up from something. I wonder why. It waspletely natural, yet also abrupt. A certain emotion started to fill my chest.

    Ah, I like her.

    I formed these words mentally first, and only afterwards did I find myself surprised at the emotion that was suddenly born inside of me. Even though there had been countless chances and situations for me to catch on to these feelings, it happened because of such a trivial gesture that I had seen countless times before. She simply put her arms above her head and stretched. That''s all it was.

    I wasn''t being confessed to, and we didn''t make it through a threatening situation that would cause a suspension bridge effect. Up until now, I had only heard and experienced stories about falling in love with someone or confessing to someone from an outsider''s perspective, but now I had found myself in a situation like that.

    Honestly speaking, I''m bad at dealing with women. After watching my old man and Mom interact ever since I was young, I started to think that marriage would never bring any happiness at all, and frowned upon such rtionships. If you stay silent without making assumptions, you''ll beined to, and if you don''t conduct yourself upright like a gentleman, you''ll be regarded useless, but if you try to consider the other person''s feelings, you won''t be considered manly, and that also will cause them to feel displeasure. In the end, your girlfriend will cheat on you with another guy who has more money and is more manly than you.

    All of this I interpreted as the beginning and ultimately the end of rtionships between men and women, which was why I never had any experience with love, nor did I attempt to gather any. So, for what reason did it have to be this person? Why? What exnation is there?

    The change happening inside of me happened all too quickly, all too real, and it left me confused. I don''t get it. To be honest, this kind of emotion is something wonderful and admirable, for sure. I never thought it would be this simple, something that would give me such relief in a single moment, and yet something so transient. Watching Ayase-san leave, as the water on her sparkled even more than ever before, I thought to myself.

    She''s my little sister. But she''s Ayase-san. She is my little step-sister.

    Once 4pm came around, we started our preparations to head back. While changing in the men''s changing room, I realized just how sluggish my body felt. It felt hot, like it was burning up, and heavy. It''s the kind of sluggishness I felt after swimming sses at school.

    The boys were quicker to group up at the pool''s exit. Well, logically speaking, it would take the girls longer to dry their hair and change, so I didn''t expect anything else. Around 5pm when the bus arrived, we bid our farewells to the pool. Just like on our way here, it took us 30 minutes by bus to get back, and another 30 minutes by train. We talked a lot morepared to when we were on our way to the pool, maybe because we had gotten much more acquainted over the course of the day. We made it back to Shinjuku at around 6pm.

    After passing through the ticket gate, we could see the clear sky. Although it was still colored a lighter red, the sun had already started to sink towards the West. Looking at the tall buildings colored by the evening sky really reminded me that we hade back to arge town.

    "Ahhh, that was fun!"

    "You still seem to have more than enough energy, Maaya."

    "I''m too hungry to do anything else!" Narasaka-san gently rubbed her tummy in response to the girl''s retort, and everybody startedughing.

    After that, people split up to take the bus, the Japan Railways, the private railway, and even bike. Ayase-san and I will have to take the train back to Shibuya station and then walk home with me pushing my bike along. Since we had to go back the same way, we decided we might as well go together. Nobody would be suspicious if we went together to Shibuya train station.

    "Then I''ll see you at school!"

    We were about to separate, when¡­

    "Ah, Asamura-kun! Waiteth a momenteth!"

    "Whatnguage is that supposed to be?"

    Narasaka-san beckoned me over, running up to me.

    "I was just wondering if we could exchange LINE contacts. Is that okay?"

    When I heard that question, I nced over at Ayase-san. She immediately averted her gaze, but she wasn''t ring at me or anything, I don''t think. Well, since we''re in the same year at school, it should be fine.

    "Sure."

    We exchanged LINE contacts, and I felt like saying something that had been in the back of my mind for a while.

    "By the way, Narasaka-san, good work on the whole n today."

    "Hmmm? Come on now, you can just call me ''Maaya-chan''!"

    "We''re not that close."

    "We''re not?! We''re like best friends who went to the pool together!"

    That logic doesn''t make any sense.

    "Oh, speaking of which, you did some amazing work with the whole n today. Thanks to you showing off all the attractions first, we had something to talk about during dinnertime. Although it''s a shame that we couldn''t do all the minigames you thought of."

    "Ahhh," Narasaka-san scratched the back of her head, showing a bashful smile. "Mm. Well, we were pressed on time, so it couldn''t be helped."

    "But thanks to that, I had a st, so thanks."

    "Oh my, even if you praise me like that, you''re not getting anything, okay?"

    "I''m not doing this to get anything, I just wanted to thank you. That''s all."

    "Well, I am happy~ Ahaha, I wasn''t hoping for you to feel that way, but I''m happy you caught on and realized."

    "Yeah, I got it."

    You be happy if people look at your actions and understand your kind intentions behind them. I had a simr experience not too long ago.

    "Then I''ll see you again! You too, Saki! I''ll send you a LINEter!"

    "Yeah, yeah."

    The two waved their hands at each other, and Narasaka-san periodically turned around to smile at us.

    "Sorry for the wait."

    "Yup, I wasn''t waiting long."

    We passed through the ticket gate and headed on the train home to Shibuya. In the end, Ayase-san and I stayed silent for almost the entire train ride. After leaving the train station in Shibuya, we made our way back home to our t. I was pushing my bike as usual, which I had grabbed from the parking lot, as I walked next to Ayase-san. This was around the time the orange sky slowly started turning navy blue. Although our surroundings were starting to grow darker, the lights of the buildings kept everything bright all the same. It felt like dusk or daybreak1.

    In modern day and age, using the term ''dusk'' or ''twilight'' would probably be moremon. However, I personally like the idea of ''dawn'', and the idea of living beings that aren''t living beings walking around the streets much more so. I think another way to describe it is the Witching Hour¡ªthe time when you''re most likely to encounter the supernatural. It''s the kind of phrase that makes you worried if the person next to you really is the person you imagine them to be, and you start to lose your grip on reality¡ª

    "You sure have gotten close with Maaya, huh?" Ayase-san suddenly spoke up, pulling my mind back to reality.

    "Ahh, well. I did want to thank her for inviting me after all."

    "Thanks."

    "Eh?"

    "We''re friends, so I''m happy you praised her like that."

    Of course, she must have heard what I had said back then. It''s not like that was anything troublesome, but it did make me feel a bit conflicted inside.

    "More importantly, though, did you manage to spread your wings a little?"

    "Thanks to you, yeah." Ayase-san said. She gently lowered her head towards me, quietly continuing. "Swimming in the pool was fun." She looked at me. "So I''m feeling refreshed now after being able to swim a lot. I''m d I did as you said." A faint smile appeared on her face.

    When I saw that expression, I remembered the emotion that had started to grow inside of me, a feeling I can''t say out loud. This feeling that you could possibly define as romantic affection had been nted deeply inside of me like a seed¡­ at the very least, I''ve started to be aware of her charm as a woman, which now left me agonizing about what to do or say next.

    Looking at Ayase-san in that kind of light was equivalent to breaking her trust, so if I was straightforward with this emotion, I would surely only end up troubling her in the process. However, at the same time, it also felt like Ayase-san thought of me in a pleasant way. What would be the right choice here?

    As I started to grow lost in thebyrinth of my own feelings, I started to speak less in my conversation with Ayase-san, and this silence engulfed her as well, and she stopped talking altogether. The squeaking sound of my bike''s turning wheels and the rhythmic sound of our footsteps were the only sounds we made.

    I can''t look at her face. I can only look at the ground. I didn''t even know where Ayase-san was looking. I felt my heart beating faster and louder. I mean, that makes sense. I''m walking home together with a beautiful girl like her, right now in the twilight.

    No, that''s not it. Last month I went to watch a movie together with Yomiuri-senpai. Back then, I was also nervous, but I can call it different from what I''m feeling right now. Since it didn''t happen too long ago, I can distinguish my feelings in both cases. However, if someone asked me what exactly is different¡­ and I know that this is a pathetic story that makes me want to cover my face¡­ but I can''t put it into words.

    My instincts told me that it was different, but what part of the process was different was a question too difficult for me to answer. It was almost like my feelings were inside a ck box, impossible to be opened. Despite the fact that these were my own feelings, I failed to understand them.

    Lost in thought, I gazed at the tires of my bike moving along the asphalt in a steady rhythm, and the shadows they drew grew longer and thicker. When I looked up at the sky, night had fallen. Just when I was thinking about how short dusk is, another phrase came to mind¡ªAhh, the moon is beautiful.

    "Asamura-kun, you''re really good at finding the good parts of people."

    "Eh?"

    When Ayase-san suddenly spoke up, I looked to my side at her. She was looking up at the sky, possibly at the moon. She turned her gaze towards me.

    "About Maaya. You praised her before, right?"

    "Ah, that."

    "You always look at people around you in such a detailed manner. I can''t help but admire it."

    "I¡­ don''t know."

    "I think so at least. You can see their hard work. I told you this earlier at the pool, but I think that''s something very admirable. I think it''s wonderful of you¡ª"

    Upon receiving so much praise, my heart started beating faster and faster. However, upon hearing her next words, I immediately lost my train of thought.

    "¡ªNii-san."

    I swallowed my breath. My gaze shot towards Ayase-san''s face, and I froze in ce. Even though I should have been familiar with Ayase-san and her facial expressions, she suddenly looked like aplete stranger.

    Nii-san.

    Nii-san.

    Nii-san.

    Even though I knew that repeating the word over and over in my head wouldn''t help me understand its meaning any easier, my brain thought otherwise.

    Nii-san. Basically, older brother. I don''t know why Ayase-san would suddenly call me that despite being so against it before. However, what is even so surprising about it? Ayase-san is the one and only person in this entire world who has an actual right to call me that.

    "Um, did I surprise you by any chance? I just thought that, with how you cared about me and did all of this for me, you were like a reliable older brother¡­ you know? Is it weird of me to think that?"

    When I saw Ayase-san gently tilting her head with a smile, I was unable to stay what I truly felt.

    "No¡­ I''m happy, Ayase-san."

    "¡­Ahaha. Still, it doesn''t feel quite right."

    Honestly speaking, that saved me. Because of her suddenly calling me ''Nii-san'', I finally managed to get back on track. What had I been thinking? This affection Ayase-san shows towards me, and her praise, was all just towards her ''Older Brother''. She''s put this trust in me because she believes that I am someone she can have a t andfortable rtionship with. She wouldn''t want the person she lived with to have weird expectations or gross desires towards her, she simply wants a convenient rtionship for both sides. And yet, I as a man was about to break that rule.

    "I''m a bit tired today, so can I keep dinner simple?"

    "¡­Yeah, sure."

    Even this nonchnt conversation now terrified me. Would I be able to hold a rational conversation with her anymore? Shortly after this exchange, we reached our t. I said I''d park my bike in the parking lot, so I split up with Ayase-san in front of the entrance. After doing so, and locking it with a bike lock, I looked up at the sky.

    The moon was covered by the tall silhouette of the t. I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself down. Ayase-san isn''t with me. If it was just my hormones running wild, then my body should calm down, and my heart should stop racing now that she''s not here. If so, then I could forget this feeling resembling romantic affection and go on with my life.

    "This is not good¡­"

    I knew that this was bad. I knew that I should not harbor such feelings inside of me, but no matter how long I waited, the emotions did not disappear as I wished for them to.

    "How should I even talk to her when I get back?"

    Nobody was around to answer me. Fortunately so, as this question was one that should not be heard by anybody else.

    ©¤©¤©¤

    1 There''s a small paragraph here talking about kanji writing of dawn and dusk, which is pretty much impossible to convey into English, so I decided to skip that, and tried my best to make the part after that understandable.

 Chapter 32 - 7

    <h4>Chapter 32: Chapter 7</h4>

    28th of August (Friday)

    "I messed up¡­"

    How long has it been since I overslept like that? When I woke up, it was already long past noon, and I had even slept through the start of summer sses. Knowing that my old man had gone out of his way to pay the fees for these sses, skipping them like this made me feel like I had betrayed his trust, and it left a bad taste in my mouth.

    I couldn''t sleep at allst night. Although Ayase-san and I ate dinner together at the dining table yesterday, it was rather awkward, and there was a lot of silence between the bits of our conversation. Even after I slipped into my bed, the events of today and memories of Ayase-san kept flickering up in my mind and behind my eyelids, making me restless. Seriously, just what am I doing?

    My throat felt dry, so I decided to get something to drink. I tried to fix my pathetic bed hair with one hand, feeling too bothered to even wash my face. I made my way to the living room where I heard a cheerful woman''s ''Oh'' voice.

    "Yuuta-kun, good morning."

    "Eh, Akiko-san? ¡­And Dad as well?"

    "Yo, sleepyhead."

    My old man seemed to be reading some newspapers on his tablet. He raised his head to greet me with a slight wave of his hand. He and Akiko-san were sitting at the dining table facing each other, cups of iced coffee in front of them. The TV was turned on, ying a popr drama from overseas. It was a peaceful scene that I hadn''t expected.

    "Yuuta-kun?"

    "Ah¡­ I''m sorry. Good morning." Akiko-san gave me a concerned look as I spaced out for a moment, so I hurriedly returned a greeting.

    Like I was trying to run away from the situation, I entered the kitchen and took out some cold barley tea from the fridge. I poured it into a cup and gulped it down like someone who had found a drop of water in the desert. The cool air inside the room and the cold beverage filling my body caused me to start to calm down a bit. My head started feeling a bit more clear.

    "Why are you two at home?"

    "I talked about it with Akiko-san, and we both decided to take a small vacation on Friday, Monday, and Tuesday."

    "Ahh, I see. I didn''t hear anything about that."

    "If I take too much time off, my superiors will get angry at me, and normally I wouldn''t have taken any this time around, but I had no other choice."

    "Sorry for being so selfish like that, Taichi-san. I felt like we could spend some time together with the four of us today."

    "The four of us¡­"

    "I heard it from Saki. You didn''t have work yesterday, and not today either, right?"

    That''s correct. The day after our trip to the pool, today, had originally been a day when neither of us worked. Fridays are the most busy days for a bookstore, so trying to challenge that in an exhausted state would be close to suicide. Myself aside, I really didn''t want Ayase-san to exhaust herself any more after she already used up all of her energy enjoying the pool.

    "At this time of day, you''re probably skipping your summer sses, huh? Haha."

    "Did you realize that and not wake me up on purpose?"

    "You''re way too diligent with your own studies, so skipping a few sses won''t hurt anybody, right?"

    "Well, I''ll give you that¡­"

    "Fufu. I''m d you''re fine with a bit of selfishness on our end."

    Not only did my old man seem to not care, but even Akiko-san made a nonchnt remark.

    "I''ll make some breakfast for you." Akiko-san said and headed into the kitchen.

    I heard the sound of oil sizzling in the frying pan, and Akiko-san suddenly turned towards me.

    "Thank you, Yuuta-kun."

    "Eh?"

    "You took Saki to the pool, right?"

    "Ahh¡­ No, the one who invited her was her friend."

    "But if you hadn''t convinced her, she probably wouldn''t have gone, right?"

    "¡­Possibly."

    "That''s why I wanted to thank you. I can rest assured to have you as her Onii-chan."

    I froze up upon hearing that. I''m sure Akiko-san didn''t intend toe across this way, but the single line ''As her Onii-chan'' sounded almost like she was reproaching me for these wrong feelings of mine.

    "You don''t even have two years until your graduation, after all¡­ Barely two years until she will move out. When I think that we won''t have that many more chances to really be a family together, I start feeling sad and lonely." Akiko-san gave a vague smile, which made me swallow my breath.

    ''Be a family together'', she said. It was such a trivial desire if you thought about it, but I knew just how crucial and important it is to Akiko-san. And the same is probably true for my old man. Both of them lived through a hellish married life and didn''t get a chance to be very happy. Now that they''ve found another marriage to hold onto, even normal days like this are like a treasure to them.

    If they found out that I had romantic feelings for Ayase-san, and saw her as a woman, what would they think? After everything they went through, after all the suffering they experienced, they had finally reached a small ce of happiness. Can I really disrupt this peace with my own selfish, abnormal feelings?

    ¡ªYeah, there''s no way I can do that.

    The face of my real mother came to mind. While my old man worked day and night to earn the money necessary for us to live, she would constantly bombard him with her own selfish desires, and she eventually found another man to run away with. Back in the past, I scorned that woman as an ape who didn''t know what reason andmon sense was.

    It''s not that I have an endless amount of love and respect for my old man, but he never deserved any of that treatment. He''s done nothing that would warrant him constantly being shoved to the side for the sake of someone else''s desires.

    If you asked me if I could immediately put a lid on these growing feelings inside of me, then saying that I could would be a lie. However, if I lock away this emotion deep inside of me and let it rest for a long time, it''ll go away... Will that really be possible? Can I really give up on her? Someone who''s so charming of a woman, and such a wonderful human being?

    "Oh yeah, where''s Ayase-san? Is she still in her room?"

    "I think she should be back soon."

    "She went out? That''s unexpected."

    "Indeed. How many months has it been, I wonder¡­? Ah, speak of the devil."

    I heard the sound of the front door opening, along with footsteps approaching.

    "How many months? What are you¡­"

    Talking about¡ªis what I wanted to ask, but I stopped mid-sentence. After all, the answer appeared right in front of me without having to ask about it.

    "I''m back, Mom, Father." A voice as translucent as water passed through the living room.

    This voice of course belonged to none other than Ayase Saki¡ªor it should have been. The reason I couldn''t say so with confidence was because this wasn''t the Ayase Saki I was used to.

    "Wee back, Saki. Oh my, what a fresh look you have there~"

    "Saki-chan! Ohh, now that''s an atmosphere changer alright."

    Our parents bothplemented Ayase-san in unison. And indeed, she had changed for certain.

    The symbol of Ayase Saki''s armament, her long golden hair shining like a wheat field, had been shortened with a haircut. Where before it reached down her back, it now stopped at her shoulders. It was something like a medium-length haircut.

    Now that her hair stopped hiding her piercings, they stood out even more than before, resembling a snake baring its dangerous but equally alluring fangs. I was reminded that we had known each other for barely three months. When you''re living a normal life, it would make sense that you would get a haircut eventually, or even go through other changes like physique or usage of make-up. However, someone like me, who had only seen one type of appearance, was unable to deal with this change.

    In all the stories I had read, such a big decision or change of appearance was usually the result of a huge event in the person''s life, which was why I couldn''t help but feel ''Why now?'' when I saw this. I''m sure there isn''t any particr meaning behind this decision at all, and yet even so, I felt like something was off, and I was overwhelmed in the process. And at the end of all my hesitating and thinking, the best I coulde up with was a normal line that I had always used.

    "Wee¡­ back, Ayase-san."

    "I''m home, Nii-san."

    With no hesitation whatsoever, she called me ''Nii-san'' in front of our parents.

    "Saki¡­ did you just¡­?"

    "Saki-chan¡­!"

    My parents'' delighted voices ovepped, but they sounded distant and not rted to me at all. They were worried about us staying at a consistent distance, keeping a dry rtionship with each other and not relying on one another, so this single word from Ayase-san probably made them feel like we had all moved a step forward.

    Why did she suddenly cut her hair? Why is she suddenly calling me ''Nii-san''? With no words to work with, I can only make my own deductions and assumptions about this sudden change in behavior. If I had to guess, she''s warning me, saying that we''re siblings, and that we can never be anything else.

    It''s such an ironic story. When there''s a problem like this, it would be so convenient if we could just show each other our hand, and adjust to the other person like we always would. And yet I found myself relieved to realize that I could just deal with this entire situation by simply not revealing what I feel, and instead keep it a secret.

    Right then I just needed time to think about how I coulde to terms with my feelings. I wanted to put a nail in the coffin of these romantic feelings, which would allow us to maintain a healthy rtionship where we would just be siblings. While Ayase-san doesn''t know how I feel, I need to find ways to erase these emotions.

    While I suppressed my awareness that I was very entranced by her new hairstyle, I silently steeled my resolve.

 Chapter 33: Epilogue

    <h4>Chapter 33: Epilogue</h4>

    Ayase Saki''s Diary?

    ¡ªThese are all memories from the past week.

    What should I do?

    Looking up at the ceiling, I''ve been lost in thought for a while now.

    It''s¡­ 4:36am right now.

    Since it''s getting close to 5am at the end of August, it''s still dark outside.

    I could probably still sleep for another hour and a half if I wanted to. Since I fell asleep quickly because I was tired, I woke up earlier than usual.

    In the corner of my view, I could see the curtains in front of the window swaying. I set up the A/C so that it wouldn''t blow on me in my sleep, and I can turn it up or down depending on the heat.

    From between the curtains, I could see the white Shibuya night sky closely right before the night was about to end.

    Once it clears up, it''ll definitely be hot again.

    I started thinking.

    For one month¡ªFor an entire month, I somehow managed to bear with it, albeit with difficulty.

    I felt frustrated just thinking about him creating memories elsewhere without me around. I felt annoyed at the thought that someone might learn more about him than I know.

    No, I wasn''t even aware of my own frustration. All I felt was a gloomy and hazy feeling in my chest, but that was about it.

    What is this?

    I noticed this mysterious emotion, and gave it a name, about a month ago.

    ¡ªJealousy.

    I wrote that in my diary.

    Upon writing it, I realized something.

    He''s always t and frank with other people.

    That''s why he''s willing to adjust to even me, when I have such a bothersome personality. He looks at me without prejudices. He epts and praises my hard work and efforts that I never show to anybody else. He understands me.

    I want to learn more about him. I want to understand more about him.

    Asamura Yuuta.

    I''m attracted to him.

    But when I see Mom and Father so happy together, I can''t risk destroying that happiness, and I''m sure Asamura-kun would be troubled to know about these feelings of mine.

    I''m sure he would.

    That''s what I thought, which is why I decided to treat him like a stranger at work.

    "Asamura-san."

    Everytime I called him like a stranger I had just met, it felt like we drifted further apart, but if not for that, I probably would have be even more greedy.

    I made it through an entire month like that.

    I think it all started to break down ever since then.

    It was like any other morning, and Asamura-kun was on the receiving end of some kind of weird persuasion from Mom. She might not look like it, but Mom is really good at confusing and bewildering people.

    Well, that''s totally fine. It''s not like Asamura-kun can always be in his prime. Though I think he normally would have been a bit more rational.

    But Father''s words right after that were a surprise attack. Not to mention that Mom joined in, talking about how we still call each other by our family names. What do you mean ''Yuuta-niisan'', okay?

    Wait just a second.

    There''s no way I could call him ''Yuuta''. That''s impossible. But would that be normal for siblings to do? Really? Do all little sisters in this world call their older brothers by their given names? That''s hard to believe, honestly.

    And Father joined in as well. He said that he called Mom ''Ayase-san'' before they started dating. Why did he have to go and say that?

    From now on, whenever Asamura-kun calls me ''Ayase-san'', I''ll be reminded of that. ''Before they started dating,'' you know.

    Dating. Dating¡­ is where you go out and y together, right? Just when I was thinking about that, Asamura-kun asked me about my ns for the summer.

    In a roundabout way. He asked if I was doing anything with friends.

    I said ''No'' out of reflex, but in reality, Maaya had invited me to the pool. Not to mention that she told me to ''Bring Asamura-kun with you''. The pool sounds nice. And it would be even better if Asamura-kun was with me. That''s what I thought.

    Ever since Maaya invited me, I was too busy thinking about it to make any progress with my exam studies. I didn''t even finish half of what I set out to do.

    There''s also another thing I realized. Once I start thinking about Asamura-kun, I can''t find any way to stop anymore. It ground my studying to aplete halt.

    I''ve always wanted to be as independent as possible so that I don''t burden Mom anymore. In order to do that, keeping my grades as high as possible is absolutely necessary. Since I''m not as clever as Asamura-kun, I have to catch up with sheer effort.

    That''s why I initially decided to decline her invitation.

    I even went to his room to say simply that.

    I reassured him that Maaya and I aren''t so close that we''d meet up over summer break. I''m d he believed me at least. I wasn''t sure what I would do if he pressured me on the matter.

    But I was still worried that he might have found out. That he might have realized that I was panicking. After all, Asamura-kun is very sharp. He notices these sorts of things right away.

    After all, he managed to find a book I had been searching for a solid ten minutes for in a few seconds.

    He''s really amazing. He made thatdy really happy that day.

    But someone else might have found it even faster, at least that''s what he told me.

    That person¡ªis Yomiuri Shiori-san.

    I really hate myself for being so petty, because I didn''t want to hear any more praise about her.

    But on the way home, I realized that even Asamura-kun can have some things that he''s not conscious about.

    It was fun.

    The day after, the A/C in our living room broke down.

    Since I''m bad with the heat, I stayed in my room pretty much the entire day, at least until I had to head out for work.

    I let the A/C in my room run, put on my favorite lofi hip-hop music while wearing my headphones, and tried to catch up with my studying.

    But I couldn''t make any progress.

    When the heat reached the peak of the day, I left home and headed to a nearby cafe before it was time for my shift.

    I had a half-off coupon for a popr frappino, so I decided to get that and do some reading. In particr, the book Asamura-kun rmended to me. After some time had passed, and I judged that I should head off to work, I happened to spot Asamura-kun sitting in the same cafe.

    On a whim, I called out to him.

    When I looked at his table, I spotted two separate drinks, so I figured he was here with someone else, but¡­

    After a brief conversation, I saw a boy wearing sses walking towards us from the corner of my eyes. Since he was wearing Suisei''s uniform, and because I knew that he was fairly close to Asamura-kun, I decided to end the conversation with him there and walk away.

    Since we act like strangers at school, it''d be silly if we were discovered right there after all.

    But I saw that the person he was there with was another boy.

    I was relieved.

    As for the shift after that, it was just Asamura-kun, Yomiuri-san, and I¡­ as well as a full-time employee.

    Whenever I saw Yomiuri-san, she would praise me. About how fast I''m learning my job, about how I have talent. It''s troublesome because I know she''s serious. She''s a good senior, after all.

    She''s very mature, she''s really beautiful, she''s easy to talk to, and she knows how to look after others.

    When I think about the fact that she''s always been with Asamura-kun¡­

    That night, on the way home, Asamura-kun asked me a question.

    He asked me if Maaya had invited us to the pool.

    My heart skipped a beat in shock.

    How does Asamura-kun know about that?

    I really don''t remember the response I gave back then.

    I was clearly suspicious of him.

    For a moment, I wondered if Maaya had contacted Asamura-kun directly, even though that wasn''t possible since they had nomon interests at all, if you stopped to think about it rationally.

    Does he want to go to the pool?

    He might be angry at me if he knew I declined without even asking him. I mean, I want to go to the pool myself. I haven''t visited the pool for years.

    But¡­ since I''m not making any progress with my studies, I couldn''t allow myself to go.

    "I see. Then you don''t have to force yourself to go, right?" (Because I can''t go out to y).

    "I''m not going." (I can''t go)

    I knew myself that my voice sounded awfully cold, but what I truly thought waspletely different.

    I think that my heart had already reached its limit.

    The following morning, I didn''t want to see Asamura-kun, so I got up early. I made breakfast before he woke up, and immediately locked myself up in my room. As long as I tell him that breakfast is ready, there should be no problem.

    He thanked me via LINE as well. Without adding any emoji, since I don''t use them either. He''s adjusting to me, even with the smallest things.

    But I wonder what he really wants to do? Maybe he actually sends a lot of emotes with other people? If so, then maybe he doesn''t want to bother with me?

    Other people¡­ Maybe Yomiuri Shiori-san?

    Probably because I was lost in thought, it took me a second to hear him knocking on my door.

    In a panic, I took off my headphones and carefully opened it.

    As expected, Asamura-kun was standing on the other side of the door, and once again he was asking me about the pool.

    The reason I had been so sharp and distant before was because I didn''t want to hear any more about that. And even so, for some reason, Asamura-kun was being oddly pushy about it that day.

    He asked me for Maaya''s contact information.

    Why did I respond like that?

    Why did I say such cold and unbelievable things to him?

    I don''t wanna.

    I said it like a child.

    When I saw Asamura-kun''s shocked expression, I felt the blood draining from my body. I realized that I had no right to act the way I did.

    I frantically tried to calm myself down.

    The idea of him asking me for it is more than okay. Maaya invited him, too, after all. It''s not like I can just decline for him. That being said, I also didn''t feelfortable giving him my friend''s contact info without her consent. That''s what I told him, and he epted the excuse.

    I need to ask Maaya if I can give Asamura-kun her contact address.

    But she''s still on a trip.

    I guess I would just be bothering her if I sent her a message in the middle of her own fun.

    Of course, I was pretty much just making excuses at that point.

    That day was really the worst. I''m certain Asamura-kun didn''t do it on purpose, but he kept making my heart tremble in fear and uncertainty. After all, he came to work with Yomiuri-senpai.

    I hated just thinking about it, and started hating myself for even thinking that in the first ce.

    Even though it''s his own freedom who he sees and what he does.

    She has beautiful brown-ck hair, and thanks to her peaceful and mature atmosphere, even I couldn''t help but admire her, epting the fact that she was a good fit for Asamura-kun.

    Maybe Asamura-kun likes long and beautiful hair?

    I mean, I have fairly long hair myself.

    ¡­What am I even thinking about? I feel like an idiot.

    I started to feel scared of running into Asamura-kun, so I said I wanted to buy something after work, and sent him home without me.

    After I finished my shopping trip and got home, Asamura-kun was standing in the kitchen.

    I realized that I had left without even preparing any dinner.

    From the back, he looked a bit dejected for some reason. And when he turned around, he for some reason was holding frozen cooked rice in his hand, giving me a confused expression.

    I don''t know why, but his appearance just made me giggle.

    Asamura-kun has so little knowledge about food that it''s hard to believe at times.

    This is probably because of his real mother.

    From what I heard from Asamura-kun, after his father ended up single, he gave up on homemade cooking altogether. More than not remembering anything, or being unable to cook, he simply avoided it all together. In this day and age, you can get by without having to cook, after all.

    And yet right now, Asamura-kun is trying his hardest to learn. Making dinner together is fun. Having Asamura-kun help me is fun. It made me feel like we were cooking together.

    But once dinner was over, he yet again asked me.

    After letting out a sigh, he asked about the pool.

    What''s that sigh about? I felt myself growing agitated.

    I couldn''t hold back any longer, and took out my smartphone to look for Maaya''s number.

    Even though I didn''t even consult Maaya herself.

    But then Asamura-kun stopped me. He said that he actually didn''t care about Maaya at all.

    If anything, he wanted me to have fun at the pool.

    That made no sense.

    Why would he do that?

    That''s what I asked him.

    He said that he''s worried about me. He said that I should rx a bit, and have some more fun.

    But I have to study. I can''t just y around.

    If not¡­ I''ll end up as a no-good person eventually.

    That day, even after 1am passed, and 2am passed, I couldn''t make any progress with my studies. I just kept thinking about Asamura-kun and what he had said even after Iid down in bed.

    I wondered why Asamura-kun would say such a thing.

    It''s been two months now since I moved in here with Mom. I remembered everything that happened, thought about it, and remembered what he had said once again.

    After I turned off the lights in the room, all my thoughts and feelings flitted through the air like mirages.

    When the sky behind the curtains turned white, I finally fell asleep.

    What shed up behind my eyelids was the appearance of Asamura-kun letting out a sigh.

    Then my own Mom''s face ovepped with his.

    Ah. I know that face. One time when I was in middle school, Mom invited me to the beach. Thinking about the financial situation we were in back then, it didn''t seem like we could afford it, and I didn''t want her to waste her precious time off, so I declined, saying that I had to study.

    That face she made back then looked like she was troubled.

    I was trying to hold back for Mom''s sake, and yet it almost felt like I hurt her, despite not even knowing what that face was about.

    I was tired enough to pretty much pass out.

    My eyes opened, and I fully woke up.

    I changed into some clothes in somewhat of a daze, and realized that my thoughts had stopped entirely.

    Wait, what was I even thinking about?

    Ahh¡­ well, whatever.

    Without thinking about anything, I finished changing, and when I entered the living room, Asamura-kun was already awake. It''s rare to see him up this early, I thought, but when I checked the time, it was crazyte.

    I wanted to hurry up and make breakfast, but Asamura-kun stopped me, prohibiting me from making food.

    I can''t let him.

    This is my mistake. I couldn''t fulfil the promise we made because I overslept.

    However, Asamura-kun started arguing with me like I was a young child.

    Since I was still sleepy and spacing out a lot, I couldn''t argue back well at all, so I just did as I was told, sitting down on a chair.

    He gave me toast with butter and some fried ham.

    When I picked up the scent of bread and meat, my stomach let out a faint growl. I panicked and worried that he might have heard it. Only then did I realize that I was actually hungry.

    While I was waiting for Asamura-kun to sit down himself, he suddenly asked me a question.

    He asked if I wanted hot milk. What an odd question.

    He asked me in this hot summer season if I wanted to drink hot milk.

    He said that it would help me sleep faster. I see.

    So he warmed up this milk just for me.

    While I was munching on the toast, my body slowly started to wake up.

    After we finished eating, I looked at the hot milk Asamura-kun made for me and took a sip.

    Ah, so warm.

    The air from the A/C was cool, but the milk made me feel warm from the inside.

    I let out a sigh, and I felt everything grow lighter. Both my body and my head.

    "I''ve been thinking¡­"

    Well, whatever.

    "¡­I don''t mind going to the pool."

    When I put into words what I was thinking, it felt like a weight fell off my chest.

    There''s only one problem.

    The day of the pool visit that Maaya talked about ovepped with the day Asamura-kun and I had a shift.

    After I slept for about two hours, we headed to work.

    Asamura-kun wanted to negotiate with the store manager in hopes that we could change shifts, and I of course wanted to join him. That being the case, Asamura-kun suggested that we might as well walk to work together, so he walked next to me while pushing his bike.

    Helping Mom at home is pretty much all the social experience I have, so I obviously was worried if we really could switch shifts that easily.

    Asamura-kun taught me some tips and tricks for it.

    Maybe that''s why everything worked out fairly well. The store manager epted our request, and both Asamura-kun and I thanked him.

    Yet again, I''ve realized how amazing Asamura-kun is.

    I could have never done that.

    He''s probably more skillful at holding conversations than he himself thinks.

    When I told him that, he thought I was overestimating him. He argued that they expected a serious attitude, which was what made it easier for him. That''s why thismunication is easy to do.

    When he told me this, it all made sense.

    This is pretty much another way of ''adjusting''.

    When that thought came to mind, I felt relieved. Negotiation isn''t simply forcing your own desires on someone else. Rather, you have to consider both people''s circumstances and adjust to the other person.

    If you want to do something for your own convenience, you need to listen to what others want. It''s like adjusting weights on a scale, trying to find bnce.

    Since I have this habit of giving the other person more, I never had any problems with it.

    I always lean towards the give side in a give & take rtionship. That''s what I always thought. Basically, I see no problems with giving the other person more.

    If that was all that was necessary, I might be able to do things like Asamura-kun as well.

    When our change in shift was epted, the store manager told us to work our best on that day.

    If that''s all he wanted, then I was confident that I could provide.

    Right after getting these results, I contacted Maaya, telling her that Asamura-kun and I would participate.

    It didn''t take long for Maaya to send back ''Yay!'', with a cute cat emote that was pumping its fist in the air. I made a wry smile, and then another long message came in.

    The title was something like this:

    ''Creating lots of summer memories''

    Maaya made something like this while she was travelling? Well, whatever.

    The following morning¡­ or more urately, yesterday morning.

    Asamura-kun said that he only had a swimsuit from gym sses, so he was clearly hesitant to wear that. So he said he''d go buy one after our shift.

    What should I do? I actually had a swimsuit. When I was buying one for the school lessons at Suisei High, I found a cute one on sale, so I bought it.

    When I enrolled at high school, our financial situation had somewhat stabilized (otherwise I probably wouldn''t have been able to even attend Suisei High), but I didn''t want to spend too much.

    Since I bought it during the summer of my first year, it''s been a full year since then.

    But¡­ I had never worn it once since.

    I tried it on the day before when I got Maaya''s message, but it was a bit tight, and it didn''t really suit my current style.

    So I looked up swimsuits online until it was time for work. Since I earn money from work, I can afford a swimsuit just fine.

    After our shift ended, I asked Asamura-kun where he nned to buy the swimsuit.

    Since the department store he chose to visit offered the brand I was nning on buying anyway, I decided to tag along.

    Once we reached the location in question, I was suddenly curious about what swimsuit Asamura-kun might buy, but I quickly shook my head, banning such thoughts from my mind.

    What good would thinking about it do? It''s not like I was going to tag along during his shopping trip.

    There''s no way I could do that.

    So I suggested we split up there. Though I doubt he realized that I was panicking a bit. I thought it wasn''t fair that I was so nervous, and he remained so calm despite everything.

    And now, today.

    It was fun! So much fun! He fun!

    It''s been so long since I''ve gone to the pool that I nearly forgot what it was like!

    There were so many attractions to check out, and I got to swim a lot!

    I even talked a bit with the other people there, and remembered some of their names, but I''m not really the best at making friends like that.

    If anything, I''m bad at reading the mood, and I don''t like putting effort into doing so.

    But everything worked out just fine today.

    I think it''s also thanks to Asamura-kun being with me.

    Just like me, he doesn''t go along with Maaya''s nonsensical jokes, but he''s much better than me at dealing with other people. If he wants to do something, he can.

    But he also clearly states what he dislikes.

    That''s one part of him that I''m attracted to, for sure.

    We split up at the Shinjuku train station.

    Right as we were about to walk away, Maaya called out to him.

    She wanted to exchange LINE details, and for some reason Asamura-kun nced at me.

    I subconsciously averted my gaze.

    Why did he look at me? He can do whatever he wants.

    It''s his freedom of choice after all.

    When I looked back, they had already finished the procedure, and Asamura-kun was thanking Maaya.

    When I heard him saying that, I also realized how well thought-out her n today was.

    Narasaka Maaya truly is a person with a big heart for the people around her, although she herself is small.

    I once again had to acknowledge that she likes people.

    She has a lot of friends, and is liked by many.

    I''m not good enough at all. My likes and dislikes are very strict. If I think ''I don''t want this'', I just flip a switch and cut off any form ofmunication.

    On top of that, when I think of ying with those people again, I really hate myself for not feeling all too interested. I''m too intolerant, to be honest.

    Not to mention that I''m afraid that people will find out that I actually don''t like being dragged around.

    I don''t want to ruin the mood of other people. That wouldn''t be fair at all. It''s not like the other person did anything wrong. I just can''t ept it.

    That''s why I can''t help but admire Asamura-kun.

    When he yed in the minigames Maaya prepared, he focused on the other people having fun more than him standing out. He understands the hard work other people do.

    He''s so cool.

    Although nobody seems to have realized that fact.

    Am I the only one? Now I feel a bit proud about that.

    But I got scared.

    On the way home, Asamura-kun and I walked next to each other.

    The sun had already started to set, and it was harder to see his expression.

    I''m sure he''s not looking at my face either.

    Now''s my time to say it, I thought.

    To me, he looked so dazzling. So cool, and admirable.

    So¡­

    Nii-san.

    I said with as clear of a voice as I could.

    My heart wouldn''t stop racing.

    I just hope he didn''t notice how my fingertips were quivering.

    That''s right, I need to tell myself. We''re siblings.

    However, if I leave some sort of tenuous distance between us, he might be hurt. He''s trying to be a reliable older brother, so this was my decision to help keep an adequate distance between us.

    We made it home to the living room.

    As I watched Asamura-kun eat the dinner I made, I realized why Mom always enjoyed making food for me.

    Did I make that kind of expression when he prepared that hot milk for me?

    But this is simply happiness as his step-sister. That''s what I told myself. I chose my next words carefully so that he wouldn''t notice my inner turmoil.

    "Would you like another serving of miso soup?"

    In response to that, Asamura-kun said:

    "No, I''m fine. It was delicious¡­ Thanks, Ayase-san."

    When he said this, I felt a strong gazeing from him, making me flustered for a moment, wondering if I had messed up.

    He wasn''t talking about the taste of the miso soup.

    I might be a bit too self-conscious. Or it might be a desire which made me go through this.

    However, in Asamura-kun''s gaze, I felt like I saw an odd emotion, almost like he was looking at me like I wasn''t his little sister, but just another girl.

    ¡­Sorry, Asamura-kun. This surely is just a fabricated hallucination inside of my head, and you actually aren''t the kind of person who would make such a mistake.

    However, what if?

    If Asamura-kun really likes me in that way, and if he told me about his feelings, what would happen to me?

    Would I be able to stay righteous, and reject him?

    I''m scared.

    If this is just about me breaking down one-sidedly, then I can swallow these gloomy feelings and act like they don''t exist for as long as they take to vanish.

    However, if he were to take the first step, I probably wouldn''t be able to bear it.

    I would totally break under the pressure.

    The following day, my phone''s rm rang from next to my pillow.

    It was time for me to get up.

    Mom and Dad were already in the living room.

    It seems like they both took the day off today so that we can spend it together as a family, or something like that.

    When I saw Mom smile as she said that, I realized that this was probably the happiest she had ever been for a long time.

    Good for her. I don''t want her to ever go through something like that again. I want her to experience all the happiness she couldn''t before.

    That''s¡­ why.

    I''ll¡ªlock away my own feelings.

    I don''t want to destroy the happiness they have right now. I don''t want to trouble Asamura-kun, either.

    I can only pray that these feelings of mine never get found out.

    I should cut my hair.

    With that decision made, I immediately decided to act.

    Yomiuri Shiori-san''s long and beautiful hair is one important part of her femininity, and I''m sure that Asamura-kun must be attracted to it in some way.

    I know that nothing will be resolved with just this. But if this even helps a tiny bit to secure safety in our rtionship, I need to do everything in my power to do so.

    Honestly, it''sughable.

    All this femininity that I had denied, and yet now I''m being wrapped up in it myself like a stereotype.

    I got a new haircut and came home.

    I took out my diary from the drawer and re-read everything.

    I realized that I had written down everything I felt with almost too much honesty.

    Every single word, every sentence.

    This is just¡­

    My feelings of being attracted to him are far too clear in everything I wrote down.

    But, all these memories of mine for the past week are not written down anywhere.

    That''s right, this is a diary that just exists in my head.

    Why? It''s simple.

    I cannot risk Asamura-kun reading anything I''ve felt over the past week.

    I realized the grave danger in writing a diary with my honest feelings. If I leave behind any written evidence, he might find it.

    I need to get rid of it, and make sure that I never leave behind any more written evidence of my feelings. I''ll only reminisce about my memories inside of my head.

    I need to hide my feelings as a single girl I''m having towards a single boy. What I should be, what life I should live, is not to act towards him as a girl, but as a little sister. I need to interact with him as a step-sister.

    These Days as a Step-sister1 don''t need a diary anymore.

    ©¤©¤©¤

    1 Gimai Seikatsu.

 Chapter 34: Afterword

    <h4>Chapter 34: Afterword</h4>

    Thank you very much for buying the 3rd volume of the novelized version of "Gimai Seikatsu." I am the original creator of the Youtube version, as well as the author of the novel: Mikawa Ghost.

    This volume was about Asamura Yuuta and Ayase Saki both trying their hardest to keep a solid distance between them, as grave changes ur inside of them. My editor and Youtube staff have referred to this as a ''Divine Volume!'', and I hope you feel the same. If I receive such praise from my dear readers as well, that would be my greatest joy.

    Now then, for the people who have read the volume to the very end, you probably have already realized it, but there is another meaning behind this novel''s title "Gimai Seikatsu". From here on out, the tone of the story will shift greatly. Of course, the day by day style we''ve kept so far will remain the same, but their rtionship won''t be able to stay the same any longer¡­ This much is shown in the veryst sentence.

    The new characters that so nonchntly appeared in this volume will be properly tied into future developments as well, so I hope you look forward to reading more. I''ll be happy if you keep watching over these two and how their rtionship evolves.

    Onwards to my thanks.

    First up, to my illustrator Hiten-san. Thank you very much for your wonderful illustrations. I have no words for the gratitude I feel to see these important scenes inside the novel being brought to life like that. I especially liked the cover illustration for this volume. Seeing them walk down the street at night filled me with an odd feeling of nostalgia. Of course, such youthful scenery does not exist anywhere in my personal memories, but after seeing this single illustration, my brain just fabricated these memories. It really brings out the importance of the other scenes in the novel, representing it perfectly. I hope for your continued cooperation in the future.

    To Nakashima Yuki-san as the voice of Ayase Saki, Amasaki Kouhei-san as the voice of Asamura Yuuta, Suzuki Ayu-san as the voice of Narasaka Maaya-san, Hamano Daiki-san as the voice of Maru Tomokazu, and Suzuki Minori-san as the voice of Yomiuri Shiori, thank you very much for lending your voices to the Youtube project. Because you bring life to all these characters, it allows me to envision them much more real and vibrantly, making writing them a lot easier to do.

    Of course, the same goes to the video director Ochiai Yuusuke-san and all the other Youtube staff, as well as everybody else involved. Thank you very much for everything. Thanks to you, we can bring more and more content to the readers and viewers of "Gimai Seikatsu". This is all thanks to your hard and dedicated work. Really, thank you so much.

    Finally, no matter how you twist or turn it, I have to thank the readers and viewers. Thank you very much for supporting us and granting us this chance. I''ll try my best as always to provide the greatest content for you, so I hope for your continued support of "Gimai Seikatsu".

    This has been Mikawa Ghost.

    ©¤©¤©¤

    This is a fan trantion by Cws Trantions,piled together into a file by a fan.

    Please consider buying the official release to support the author, illustrator and their team.

 Chapter 35: Table of Contents

    <h4>Chapter 35: Table of Contents</h4>

    This is a fan trantion by Cws Trantions,piled together into a file by a fan.

    Please consider buying the official release to support the author, illustrator and their team.

    Table of Contents

    Prologue

    Chapter 1

    Chapter 2

    Chapter 3

    Chapter 4

    Chapter 5

    Chapter 6

    Chapter 7

    Chapter 8

    Chapter 9

    Chapter 10

    Chapter 11

    Chapter 12

    Chapter 13

    Afterword

 Chapter 36: Prologue

    <h4>Chapter 36: Prologue</h4>

    The girl had cut off her long hair.

    In a romance novel, something like this would be regarded as a drastic event, but in reality, it wasn''t anything to be shocked or surprised about. Because it was hot. Because it was annoying to deal with. Because the person wanted a change of pace or mood. Considering all these reasons as to why a girl would possibly cut her hair, it was practically meaningless to judge this as a great change in the person''s state of mind or mindset. You might even call such suspicions boorish. Thus, you should ept it as a simple event and just get used to the new hairstyle.

    For myself, Asamura Yuuta, that would be the expected reaction, namely to acknowledge it as something perfectly ordinary and routine. Naturally, since we hadn''t been step-siblings for that long of a time, and since this was the first time I had experienced this in person, I couldn''t say this with abundant confidence. This was one of the times I''d love to ask all older step-brothers in the world for guidance.

    But before that, I never would have imagined that my old man, who is past his forties, would bring home a beautiful olderdy who had taken care of him at a bar he frequented. Nor would I ever expect him to get married to her. When I first heard about this decision, what first came to mind wasn''t happiness and joy, but rather worry and anxiety.

    Will this be okay? What if she''s just deceiving him? These thoughts kept me up at night. I had witnessed the divorce between him and my real mother in person, so for me, I''ve never held high expectations for women in general. Fights thatsted entire nights, a distant and disinterested gaze towards her husband and child, cheating without a second thought¡­ After being raised in an environment where neglect was practically a small break from the terror, when I heard about the divorce, I felt relieved more than sad.

    My image of a woman was my own mother. She acted all-important and always right in both usations and actions, forcing her expectations onto both me and my old man, only to act haughtily disappointed if we couldn''t fulfill them. She was kind of nasty, in my opinion. As a result, I at one point started to abandon any expectations I might have had of other people. Because of this, when my new step-sister told me her own opinions on the matter, I felt more relieved than anything.

    "I won''t have any great expectations from you, so I want you to do the same for me."

    These words sounded like pure desire for an honest and faithful human rtionship. Not demanding anything from the person she''d be living with from now on, but she also wouldn''t hold back more than necessary. In short, we would adjust to each other. A rtionship that would allow us both to be honest with each other was something I gratefully epted. That''s the kind of person Ayase Saki is.

    Things should work like that, so that we can be the kind of step-siblings my old man and Akiko-san want us to be. That is how I truly felt. However, there was one significant difference. I couldn''t be bothered to fight against the immense pressure people brought with them when approaching me. I instead decided to take it in and let it blow past me like a breeze. When ites to mostints and objections from other people, I don''t defy them.

    However, Ayase-san is different from me. She wasn''t happy just yielding to the eyes of the world and the people around her. In addition, she was strong enough of a person to crush anybody who dared to categorize her based on stereotypes. In order to be a person who could live independently by her own strength, she studied extensively to raise her grades, keeping top scores for every exam. On top of that, she took great care in her appearance so that any bystander would call her beautiful.

    "To me, my appearance is an armament."

    Earrings shining brightly on her ears, golden-colored hair shone like the dazzling sun, and yet Ayase-san fought. Witnessing her fight on a daily basis from the front row seats, I eventually started to feel curious about her, as well as fond of her.

    Then, at the end of August, roughly three months after we had started living together, Ayase-san cut her hair. That in itself most likely wasn''t that exceptional of an ordeal. Only in dramas or novels does a woman getting a haircut have any particr meaning. However, another month after that, there was another change that urred.

    "I''m home, Ayase-san."

    "Wee back, Asamura-kun."

    ¡ªThe times we could have this kind of exchange decreased drastically.

    The season had changed to fall. When I opened up our apartment''s door, I announced my return from my part-time job in a quiet voice. I walked down the dimly-lit hallway and entered the living room. Empty. Since my old man is a sryman, he was already asleep at this point, and since Akiko-san worked night shifts, she was out as well. Only Ayase-san should be awake at this point, but she was most likely studying, or already asleep, seeing as there was no response. Instead, I spotted dinner ced on the dining table, wrapped up in stic.

    "Oh, hamburger steak."

    On a small note next to the te was written ''Please warm this up in the microwave''. The rice was still in the rice cooker, and the miso soup inside the pot. I found some sd in the fridge. It was the same as always, and since I had gotten used to this procedure for the past few weeks, I warmed up what I needed to and sat down.

    "Time to dig in."

    I cut the hamburger steak in half with my chopsticks, and cheese appeared from the inside.

    "Nice, cheese filling."

    Ayase-san''s cooking skills continued to improve with each passing day, and since I was only used to store-bought or restaurant hamburger steak, what Ayase-san created for me seemed almost magical. Though if I had told her that, she would probably have just brushed it off with her usual "It''s not anything special."

    I instinctively nced towards Ayase-san''s room. It''s still a bit early for mid-term exams, but recently it seems like she''s always been studying whenever I get home. We''ve barely been eating togethertely. She''s still working part-time at the bookstore same as me, but thanks to a lot of shift changes, we aren''t seeing each other there as frequently either.

    I wonder if she''s avoiding me. I shook my head, erasing that thought from my mind. There''s no way that''s true. Whenever we do run into each other, she treats me the same as she always has, and since we''re both in high school, there''s no reason for us step-siblings to be together 24/7. And yet, the warmed hamburger steak in front of me suddenly felt cold again.

    "''Nii-san,'' huh?"

    Ever since that day, Ayase-san has never called me anything but that.

 Chapter 37 - 1

    <h4>Chapter 37: Chapter 1</h4>

    3rd of September (Thursday) ¨C Asamura Yuuta

    During the final homeroom of the day, our teacher handed out homework at the end of the ss.

    "Alright, make sure to fill out the sheet and give it to your ss representative by Thursday next week."

    These were the teacher''s final words, and the instant they were gone with the door closed behind them, the ssroom instantly erupted in noise. Despite usually picking up their bags and leaving the ssroom, all of my ssmates remained seated.

    "Hey, what about you?"

    "What are you going to write?"

    These types of voices filled the room. While some people took advice from others around them, others simply red at the paper in front of them. Each of them had their own manner of dealing with the situation, yet they all were taking it seriously. After all, the paper we had been given asked us about our future ns after graduation. Our parent-teacher meetings will be held towards the end of the month. In other words, the future course aspiration questionnaire is regarded as part of schoolwork, and the teachers will be discussing it with both us and our parents present.

    "I guess it''s that time of the year again¡­"

    I fiddled with the printout in my hand and spoke to the person in front of me, who happened to be my good friend Maru Tomokazu.

    "We''re second-years now. The severity of the situation ispletely differentpared to how it was before. But judging from yourment just now, you also haven''tpletely made up your mind just yet, huh?" Maru turned around with a scowl on his face.

    "''Also?'' You too, Maru?"

    "Why do you look so surprised?"

    "I mean, I just expected you to tread the path of baseball."

    Our school''s baseball club is fairly strong. And he''s been a catcher, attending regrly for two years now. They might win at Koushien1, and he might be a professional. That might not be how things will go, but considering his skill at the sport, I could see him choosing a future rted to that.

    "You''re totally right, yeah."

    "What? Then why are you making a face like you just swallowed a bug?"

    "A bug, huh? I''ve never had one before, so couldn''t tell you."

    "I don''t think many people have."

    Well, since it''s an idiom, a lot of people probably have, but beyond that¡­

    "Say, Asamura, even you should be able to understand that being part of the baseball club doesn''t immediately corrte to my future job being rted to the sport, no? Naturally I''d be troubled about it. And also, you''re misunderstanding something."

    "What?"

    "I''m not bothered by my ns for the future or anything. I''m more worried about the parent-teacher meeting at the end of the month. Not to mention that they go on for two whole weeks. So what do you think will happen as a result of that?"

    "I''m not too sure, myself."

    I dropped my eyes to the printout in my hands. There were a few lines of information next to the line asking for your future ns. ording to those, sses will be shorter during the parent-teacher meeting times, and sses will be dismissed during the afternoon.

    "It seems like afternoon sses are gone and reced by the meetings, huh?"

    "Asamura, this means that our club training will be longer."

    When I heard thatment from Maru, I finally understood what he was talking about. Still, it surprised me. Despite his motivation for the sport, I guess even he wouldn''t want endless training.

    "Of course I want that. I wee any additional practice I can get."

    "Hmmmm???"

    "However, during the parent-teacher meetings, certain members will be absent, right? There are certain types of training we won''t be able to do as a result. In other words, the training will be a lot simpler than before, making it feel less useful and fulfilling." Maru said. "I do like practicing, but I want to do it efficiently with the amount of time avable."

    It was an answer very much like Maru, someone who enjoyed spending time in video games. It made him seem like an efficiency freak of sorts.

    "Asamura. Efficiency isn''t the only attraction when ites to games."

    "My bad for using games as an example." I put my hands together, creating an apologetic gesture.

    A master of one''s craft is picky about their craft, I guess. Carelessly touching it would just give me a burn.

    "By the way, is your dading to the meeting again? Or will it be your new mom this year?"

    "Huh?"

    It took me until that point to finally realize I not only had my old man at home, and that Akiko-san could possibly participate in the parent-teacher meeting, as well. But even so¡­

    "My old man camest year, so I think it''ll be the same this year."

    When I said that, my mind drifted towards Ayase-san. Will Akiko-sane with her, I wonder?

    Upon entering September, the color of the sky changed ever so slightly. The sunshine was still as strong as ever, but it wasn''t as much of a clear summer blue anymore. It was duller and greyscale like you were looking through one or twoyers of ss. These thoughts came to mind as I made my way towards my apartment''s floor. The elevator stopped, but it took me a moment to start walking. It was all because of the printout I had stored away in my bag. Rather than worrying about my ns for the future, the idea of having a new mother had captured all of my attention. My old man was fairlyissez-faire when it came to my future, so he never expressed any concerns.

    I wonder how Akiko-san would feel about it, though? I opened the front door, announcing my arrival, and made my way towards the living room. My guess from looking at the shoes in the entrance was correct, as I found both Ayase-san and Akiko-san sitting around the table. Akiko-san seemed ready to leave any moment, since she had her makeup finished.

    "Wee home, Nii-san." Ayase-san saw me entering, greeting me as she raised her head.

    "¡­I''m back, Ayase-san." Hoping that she didn''t notice my awkward pause, I responded.

    It''s been around a month since she started calling me that. However, I still couldn''t bring myself to call her ''Saki'' in return.

    "What were you two talking about¡ª? Ah."

    "You got it too, right? The future aspiration questionnaire."

    On the table, I spotted another copy of what I had in my bag, the paper that specified the details of the parent-teaching meeting season. They were probably deciding on which day would be the best to participate.

    "Perfect timing." Akiko-san said, looking at me.

    "Yes?"

    "I talked to Taichi-san about how we should handle your parent-teacher meeting."

    "Mine?"

    "Yes. The problem is¡­ Taichi-san is very busy right now."

    He mentioned to Akiko-san that he was given an important project at work, so he was having trouble even getting half a day off from work. I had no idea, honestly. My old man rarely ever speaks of his job at home. That being said, he still seemed to be trying hard to make room on any other day, but his workload was too much for that, so even half a day off was too much to ask. I had been wondering why he seemed so exhausted recently. That exins it.

    As a result, Akiko-san offered to go with me to my parent-teacher meeting as well. It''s exactly as Maru predicted. He''s not some kind of psychic, is he? Well, jokes aside, there''s actually one big problem about Akiko-saning with me to the parent-teacher meeting.

    "You never told anybody at school that you''re step-siblings, right? Taichi-san said he didn''t want to burden you about it at all, and I agree with that."

    We were hiding the fact that we''re step-siblings so that no weird rumors would go around at school. We even made it so that ourst names wouldn''t change until we graduated. However, if other students found out that Ayase-san and I had the same mother, they would eventually conclude that we''re rted. Of course, most students would be gone by the time the meeting would start, so it''s not something to be too careful about¡ªor so one might think, but Akiko-san was cautious in that regard.

    "So that''s what happened¡­"

    "That''s why I was thinking ofing to the parent-teacher meetings on two separate days."

    ""Huh?!""

    Both Ayase-san and I expressed shock at the same time. Attending the meetings on two separate days would mean¡­

    "Do you n oning to our school twice?"

    "I mean, it''s at least safer than holding both meetings on the same day, no?" She said, asking for our opinion. "What do you think?"

    "¡­Are you sure?"

    "Huh?"

    "Well¡­ my old man isn''t the only one who''s busy, right? You workte at night at the bar, so isn''t it already a stretch for you toe to school during the day?"

    Akiko-san''s shifts were usually from the evening untilte in the night, and since she had to clean up and prepare the dishes for the next day, she usually came home early in the morning and slept until the afternoon. Although she tries to match her waking hours with us on the weekends or days off work, she generally is a nocturnal person. I think it''d be pretty rough on her to make here to school during the afternoon, let alone make her do it twice: Once for my meeting and again for Ayase-san''s. Not to mention that she''ll have to take more time off. However, Akiko-san ignored my fears with a smile and spoke in a gentle tone.

    "It''s fine~"

    "No, but¡ª"

    "Ah¡­ I''m sorry, Yuuta-kun, I really have to go now."

    She nced at the clock hanging on the wall and quickly grabbed her shoulder bag on the table, jogging to the entrance. After putting on her high-heeled shoes partway, she stepped on the ground once with each heel, knocking them fully into ce. After that, she turned the doorknob and looked at me over her shoulder.

    "We''ll continue this conversationter. Think it through until then, okay?"

    "Ah, yes."

    "See youter!" She said her goodbye with an energetic voice and ran out of the door with a flustered "I''ll bete at this rate!"

    "Should she really be running around like that?"

    "Don''t ask me. I just hope she doesn''t trip."

    "Oh? Are you leaving too, Ayase-san?"

    When I turned back around, I saw that Ayase-san had also gotten up. She had a sports bag hanging down over her shoulder.

    "It''s time for my shift."

    "Right. Take care."

    "Will do. Later, Nii-san."

    Ayase-san brushed past the tip of my nose. Her hair faintly swayed with every step. After that, I heard the sound of the front door closing. I had no shift at work today. The days back when I had a shift with Ayase-san every single day now felt like the distant past.

    After putting my bag down in my room, I sat down in the living room. I found myself surprised at the subconscious sigh I let out. I wonder what the problem is. What am I so disappointed about? Yet for some reason I felt relieved now that I was alone.

    ¡ªNii-san. Every time Ayase-san calls me that, I find it hard to breathe when she''s around. What should I even call these feelings of mine? That''s a rhetorical question. I already know what they are.

    "Now, then. Is there anything left to eat, I wonder¡­"

    Night arrived. I felt like I had grown roots into the couch, but I raised myself up and opened up the fridge. I found some vegetables, but there was no meat or fish in sight. Crap, I should have gone shopping first. Ever since September started, and the number of ovepping shifts I had with Ayase-san decreased, the kitchen work and use of ingredients changed drastically. I sadly wasn''t big enough of a shut-in to force Ayase-san to cook for me after she came homete from work. Thus, we agreed that I would make dinner if Ayase-san had work, and vice versa.

    That being said, what I''m making barely scratches the surface of what you could call "proper food." Ding! My smartphone on the table notified me of a new LINE message. The start of the message shed up for a second on the phone''s lock screen, and I could read it before the screen turned ck again. It was from my old man, saying that he''d eat out since he''d be homete. He really does seem busy.

    Well, that just means I have to make less food for dinner. There''s still some rice left in the cooker from when Akiko-san used it, so I just have to make the side dishes.

    "I guess it''s miso soup, then."

    Making the best meal possible out of the fewest ingredients in the shortest amount of time was the most efficient thing to do. Ayase-san usually makes her miso soup with a soup stock base, so I''ll go ahead and copy her. I filled the pot with water, putting palm-sized slices of kelp in there and leaving it alone for thirty minutes. In the meantime, I should decide on what else to make. I nced inside the fridge again¡­

    "Eggs¡­ That''s about it, huh?"

    Several recipes based on eggs came to mind. That being said, this alone won''t allow me to actually make those dishes, of course. My skills couldn''t keep up with the recipe I wanted to make. The one dish with eggs I could make was¡ª

    "Fried eggs?"

    Maybe boiled eggs, too. Yeah, I''ll just go with fried eggs instead. I took two eggs out of the fridge, putting them on a te. One day in the past I put eggs on the table without anything and they rolled off and broke. Ever since then, I''ve made sure that the same mistake doesn''t happen twice. I also took out some vegetables, cut them up into big slices, stored them in a heat-resistant container, added water, and wrapped them up. I put that in the microwave, and then I waited around three minutes. If that wasn''t enough, I could always cook them a bit longer. Since they''d be too unpleasant to eat if they were too hard, I would poke my chopsticks into them. If they were flexible, they were perfectly done.

    I took them out of the microwave, putting them on arge te. I can still divide them upter, and dressing can be added during the actual meal. More importantly, I should go back to the miso soup. I turned on the induction heater. From a bag I could hide my face behind, I took out some katsuobushi2 I had found, adding it to the boiling kelp inside the pot. This should do it for the soup stock. While that''s cooking, I should¡­

    "Ah, I didn''t even prepare any garnish."

    This was a clear mistake in my cooking order. However, I had already memorized a countermeasure for this mishap. My savior was an object I took out from the freezer¡ªyes, frozen chopped onions! The voice of a certain blue anime robot3 came to mind. I guess being all alone like this for too long is making me go crazy and making mee up with monologues like that. Well, as long as they''re just in my mind, it''s fine. Ayase-san mentioned that she wanted to live on her own after graduating from high school. I wonder if she''d have monologues at that point as well?

    Speaking of Ayase-san, I took the onions Ayase-san had previously chopped up from out of the stic container. Without natto or fried food, let''s go simple today.

    "It should be about time."

    I skimmed out some of the contents from the pot. With this, the soup stock ispleted. After putting in the onions, I let it boil. Turning the heat down to low, I added the miso. Now I had to be careful to not let it burn. I turned off the switch, and now the miso soup was done as well. All that''s left are the fried eggs. While I was frying them, I realized that a bit of sweat had built up on my face.

    Unavoidably so, as it was the beginning of September. There was high humidity and heat outside, and here I was, cooking food on a stove. I turned on the A/C. With that, a two-person portion of fried eggs was done as well. It went fairly smoothly today. I didn''t even break the egg yolks. After that, I finished up Ayase-san''s fried egg, doing the same with the boiled vegetable sd¡­

    Since she''s going to be home soon, I could just wait for her, but I didn''t feel like running into her for some reason. Keeping a bit of a distance between us would be for the best right now. That way, these feelings I have should calm down a bit. As for the note I was going to leave with the food¡­ I was wondering what to write, pen in hand, only to start thinking about something else again. As a matter of fact, even while cooking, I had been thinking¡ªabout the parent-teacher meeting.

    Not even realizing that my old man was busy at work made me feel guilty and kind of pathetic, but could we really put such arge burden on Akiko-san simply so that Ayase-san and I could spend our days at school in peace? Of course, this isn''t something I alone should decide. I will have to consult with Ayase-san. So I stopped sitting around in my room like I usually would and waited for her toe home.

    It''s debatable if being able to waste hours just looking at your phone is a good or bad thing, to be honest. I was working through the ebooks I had yet to read, and right when I finished my second one, I heard the sound of the front door opening, followed by a quiet ''I''m back''. Must be Ayase-san. She probably considered the possibility of me and my old man being asleep, which is why she kept her voice low. Well, my old man has to put in some extra hours, so he isn''t home just yet. When Ayase-san entered the living room, she seemed a bit surprised.

    "You haven''t eaten yet?"

    "Yeah, not yet. You''ll be having dinner now, right? Why don''t we eat together? It''s been a while."

    Ayase-san nodded.

    "Perfect timing. There''s actually something I wanted to discuss with you¡­"

    Both Ayase-san and I went quiet for a moment, only for us both to speak up at the same time.

    ""About the parent-teacher meeting¡­""

    Surprised by each other''s statement, our gazes drifted towards the other. With such odd timing, we both couldn''t hold back a faint smirk. I see, so she was concerned about it as well.

    "Let''s talk about it while we eat, okay?"

    "Got it. Let me put my stuff in my room."

    While Ayase-san was changing, I warmed the miso soup and fried eggs up and set the table. After we both sat down, we started eating with our chopsticks. Honestly, ever since I began to cook myself, this is what makes me the most restless of all. I can''t help but watch the other person take their first bite before I can eat anything.

    "Mm. Delicious." Ayase-san said while taking a bite of the fried egg.

    "d to hear it."

    "It looks visually appealing as well. You''ve gotten a lot better. Did you leave mine soft-boiled on purpose?"

    "I figured it''d make it easier to eat."

    Both Ayase-san and Akiko-san liked to eat their fried eggs seasoned with salt and pepper, but my old man and I are of the soy sauce faction. After we noticed the differences in our tastes, we left it to the other person to add the seasoning, so the middle of our table turned into a banquet of different seasonings. With that in mind, I decided against seasoning the fried eggs during the cooking process in the first ce.

    That resolved the problem of seasoning, but tastes when it came to the actual meals are even moreplicated. After watching Ayase-san and her eating habits for a while, I noticed that she clearly preferred it when the egg yolk was only soft-boiled. When it was hard-boiled, she''d eat it with miso or some other soup at the same time. That''s when it dawned on me. Since my old man and I eat our fried eggs with soy sauce, it doesn''t matter if the egg yolk is hard-boiled, but when eating a hard-boiled fried egg with only salt and pepper, it can make your mouth feel dry.

    "You really keep a close eye on these things."

    "And yet I didn''t even pay attention to what we still had in the fridge, so I feel bad more than anything. If I had noticed that it was practically empty, I would have gone shopping on the way home. So I just used some green onions."

    "Ah, I didn''t tell you about that."

    "No, it''s my fault for not checking. Even though I knew you had work today."

    "But I should have¡ª"

    "No, I didn''t¡ª"

    We looked at each other, shing wry smiles.

    "So, about the parent-teacher meeting," I brought up the main agenda of this conversation. "If people find out that we''re siblings, it''ll cause a lot of trouble¡ªbut that''s only for our own convenience, nothing more."

    Ayase-san nodded. I continued.

    "That''s why I don''t think it''s right for Akiko-san to carry an even bigger burden. I''d feel bad stealing time from her on two separate days."

    "I was also thinking about how selfish that was."

    "I personally don''t mind if people find out that we''re siblings. But this isn''t just my problem alone."

    Ayase-san nodded once more.

    "Thus I wanted to discuss this with you."

    "Same here. It''s not something I can decide just on my own. But I''ve also seen Mom working so hard to the point that she almost copsed."

    So that''s¡­

    "That''s even more of a reason not to, then. I don''t want either my old man or Akiko-san forcing themselves to do something for our sake."

    "Yup. It''s decided then," Ayase-san said, and I nodded in agreement.

    Once again, I realized that the way we think about things is oddly simr, especially during times like these.

    "If my old man really is that busy, then let''s have both of our meetings on the same day. That''ll save Akiko-san one trip to the school."

    "Agreed. Not to mention¡ª" Ayase-san muttered. "It isn''t just because she''s busy. I want us both to have a joint parent-teacher meeting, which Mom can attend once."

    Her voice was awfully quiet, making me wonder if she actually wanted me to hear this, or if these words just simply slipped from her mouth.

    "Okay, I''ll let Mom know then."

    "Let her know that I feel the same as you about it."

    "Got it."

    Both of us had finished eating around the time our conversation ended. Ayase-san grabbed her tableware and was about to stand up when I stopped her.

    "I''m sure you must be exhausted from your shift, so let me take care of that."

    "Then let''s just do it together," Ayase-san said with a smile.

    How long has it been since we stood next to each other doing the dishes? While holding a vague and meaningless conversation, we made our way through washing the dishes. Since we didn''t even use that much tableware, there may not have been any need to do so, but I just felt like doing it. Or did Ayase-san feel that way too, by any chance?

    We talked about things that had happened at school, books we read recently, and funny videos we found online. Our dishwashing was done in no time. After Ayase-san finished washing the final te with care, she immediately returned to her room. This blissful timested for only a brief moment.

    "But this is fine."

    In this world, there are bound to be siblings who end up distanced from each other because of the smallest trigger. I should count myself lucky to be able to do housework together like this. I should be satisfied with this¡ªOr so I told myself.

    When our parents decided to get married again, they surely must have considered our feelings, worried if high school students of the opposite sex would be fine living together. I bet that my old man and Akiko-san both want us to get along. I couldn''t bring myself to betray their hopes and wishes. That''s why I have to suppress these feelings of mine, put a lid on them, and lock my desires away. After all, Ayase-san is my step-sister.

    ©¤©¤©¤

    1 Where the Japan National High School Ball Tournament is held

    2 Small pieces of sliced dried bonito

    3 Doraemon.

 Chapter 38 - 2

    <h4>Chapter 38: Chapter 2</h4>

    3rd of September (Thursday) ¨C Ayase Saki

    The chime rang, signaling the end of sses for the day. I grabbed my bag and was about to leave the ssroom¡ª

    "Saki!"

    A voice called out to me, making me stop in my tracks. However, I didn''t turn around. I simply let out a sigh. I can guess the identity of the person by voice alone, and I knew this would happen, that she would stop me like this. But oh well, I guess.

    "What?"

    "Jeez! Don''t ignore me!"

    "I wasn''t ignoring you. I stopped when you wanted me to. So what''s up?"

    "Hmph, so petty! There''s no need to rush things. I swear, young people these days are always in a rush about everything!" Maaya crossed her arms, but the fact that she''s a high school girl herself makes her argument sound invalid.

    Maaya¡ªNarasaka Maaya¡ªpretty much is the only good friend I have at school.

    "Right. What did you want?"

    I could see several other ssmates tagging along after Maaya. Usually, I don''t bother remembering the names and faces of ssmates I''m not interested in, but I knew some of them at least. They were the ones who were present during our trip to the pool this past summer break. Along with Maaya, it was a group of seven boys and girls, out of which one boy spoke up now.

    "We''re going for some karaoke after this. How about it?"

    Who was he again? I directed my gaze at Maaya, who waved something like a ticket in her hand.

    "I got a discount ticket~"

    I see.

    "Um¡­"

    "Are you not interested in karaoke?"

    Previously, I would have just said something like ''Yep'' and been done with it. However, the faces of the people behind Maaya, filled with both anxiety and a faint level of anticipation, left me unable to do so.

    "Thanks for inviting me, but I have some urgent business to take care of at home, so I can''t, I''m sorry."

    I refused in such a polite fashion. It surprised me. Not to mention that I did it with a smile. These joyful memories I acquired that summer day came to mind, and I didn''t want to ruin them. I don''t want people to hate me without reason, nor do I want to trouble them.

    "See you." I lowered my head slightly and walked out of the ssroom.

    From behind me, I heard the quiet voices of my ssmates, sounding taken aback. They were wondering why I was in such a rush. As well as¡ª

    "It''s a shame. Right, Shinjou?"

    Oh yeah, his name is Shinjou. Though I don''t remember his full name. Never mind that though. I walked down the hallway, changing into my outdoor shoes at the shoe locker. I actually need to get home quickly today¡ªBefore mom leaves for work.

    The streets of Shibuya are always crowded 24/7, whether it''s a weekday or on the weekend. Since I was trying to rush home, the people filling the streets were in my way. It was causing me a needless amount of stress, but there was nothing I could do about it. I knew from the very beginning that smoothly making your way through the streets of Shibuya was pretty much impossible. Since my mother has worked here basically forever, I knew this ce like it was my backyard.

    From the main street, I went down a smaller street inside the residential district. There, I was finally allowed to start jogging. After turning a corner, I spotted a familiar t. It hasn''t been that long, but for now it was the t Mom and I called home.

    "It sure feels weird."

    Back in May, I walked a different path home. At the beginning of June, I moved to this t with Mom, so I''ve been taking this way home for barely four months at this point. A simple four months, and I have yet to remember any shortcuts, let alone the establishments and restaurants I passed on the way. Even though this was the same Shibuya I should be used to. The closer I got to school, the more familiar the surroundings and billboards looked, and yet my surroundings changed significantly. To the point where the scenery around the t felt like a different country.

    Long ago, everything seemed so simple. I think I was just despairing because of the environment I was raised in. That''s why I tried to forcefully change the situation. I deeply respected my mother, who raised me despite working in a bar located in the entertainment district, and worked my hardest so that nobody could me or attack my mother. I felt the gazes from the people surrounding my mother watching me closely as well, and in order to cast them all aside, I knew I had to study like my life depended on it.

    I made my way through the front entrance of our t. After punching in the security code, the automatic door opened, and I passed by the manager''s room into the elevator. Ah, I forgot to check our post box. Well, that''s not important right now. I made it up to the third floor. Just a bit more, and I''ll be there. I was running short on breath because I was hurrying home, and the sweat on my body grossed me out. I hate the feeling of clothes glued to my sweaty skin. I wonder if I can even take a shower before I have to head off to work, I thought as I unlocked the front door of our apartment.

    "I''m home!" While saying this, I spotted Mom''s working shoes still there at the entrance.

    Upon entering the living room, I spotted Mom. She had her makeup on, and she looked ready to leave.

    "Wee back."

    "You''re not gone yet?"

    "Yes. I contacted them, so I don''t have to rush things."

    "Seriously¡­?" I let out a sigh and sank down into a chair.

    The exhaustion of running beneath the bright sun finally caught up to me. Phew, I made it in time. The reason I had been rushing home this desperately was because I needed to talk with Mom about something important¡ªthe parent-teacher meeting. I got a copy of the future aspiration questionnaire this morning, which I immediately told Mom about so that we could discuss the details in regards to her schedule. I thought we cleared up everything, but at the very end, she said ''There''s something I need to talk about'', which was why I rushed home. However, seeing Mom acting as nonchnt as ever, I started to think that maybe it wasn''t that important after all?

    "You could have just told me via LINE, you know?"

    "I''m a bit old-fashioned when ites to that, so I was worried I wasn''t able topletely convey what I wanted through a message only."

    "Ah, right¡­ I guess?"

    I somehow understood what she was talking about. Mom can be a bit clumsy when ites to that. The fact that she''s a good bartender shows how skilled she is at having an average face-to-face conversation. On top of that, she most likely just feels anxious using only text to convey what she is feeling amidst this socialwork system era we''re in.

    "Got it. I''ll hear you out, but just give me a second." I went to my room, threw my student bag on the bed, and grabbed the sports bag I prepared beforehand for my shiftter. "I''m ready now. So what did you want to talk about?"

    "Well¡­" Oddly enough, Mom was hesitating, like it was a subject that was a bit hard to bring up. "How''s it going at school with Yuuta-kun?"

    My heart skipped a beat out of pure shock.

    "What do you mean?"

    "Lately, you began calling Yuuta-kun ''Nii-san'' at home, no?"

    "That''s true, yeah?"

    "I was wondering how things were going at school."

    Wha¡­? My heart was racing even more violently now, but I was confident I could hide it. I was fairly good at keeping a poker face.

    "I mean, we''re in different sses."

    We barely even meet at school, and even if we did, I wouldn''t just call him ''Nii-san.'' That would just create weird rumors. Well, it''s not like we actually did, so I have no way of proving that. Of course, I wasn''t totally lying. Since we''re in neighboring sses, when it''s boys and girls mixed P.E. sses, we do run into each other. We''ll use the same courtyard or gym hall, so even if we''re careful, we might bump into each other. In fact, that has bound to have happened before, particrly our gazes meeting.

    "But nothing''s really changed."

    "That means you''re still hiding the fact that you''re siblings from everyone at school?"

    "I think so. We haven''t told anybody."

    Except for Maaya, that is.

    "Then this could be problematic."

    "Problematic? I thought we were talking about our parent-teacher meeting?"

    "We are. You see, Taichi-san is very busy right now."

    "I see¡­"

    ording to what Mom told me, it would be difficult for step-Dad to participate in the parent-teacher meetings. Mom obviously doesn''t want to force him, so she''s thinking of going to both meetings. If she went to both meetings for Asamura-kun and myself respectively on the same day, she would only have to take one day off.

    "We''re a small bar, after all. I can''t take too many days off."

    The bar Mom is working at only has the manager, Mom, and a part-time employee as staff. That''s why she''d rather not leave too much of her schedule unfilled.

    "That being said, if I went to both of the meetings on the same day, there''s a chance people might find out, no? You wouldn''t want that, right?"

    A chance of people finding out that Asamura-kun and I are step-siblings. But even so¡ªis it really that troublesome? After all, Asamura-kun and I eventually have to be proper siblings.

    "Honestly, I don''t particrly mind either way."

    "Huh?" I subconsciously raised my head, looking at Mom''s face.

    "It just doesn''t feel like he''spletely epted me as a mother yet. Although it makes me feel lonely to admit that."

    I could barely contain my surprise. I see. So that''s what she meant when she said she didn''t want people to know that Asamura-kun and I have the same mother. Why was I just thinking about myself again? Mom made a wry smile, narrowing her eyebrows¡ªEven though I don''t want her to feel that way at all.

    She''s trying hard to be a good mother for Asamura-kun. I wouldn''t ever want her to feel inferior. I was about to speak and say "Mom, I¡­" but my voice caught deep in my throat. At that moment, I heard the front door opening, followed by Asamura-kun''s voice. The moment he entered the living room, my throat automatically produced a voice.

    "Wee home, Nii-san."

    "I''m back, Ayase-san."

    It took Asamura-kun a second, but he still called me ''Ayase-san'', like he always has, even now. Well, he can''t just suddenly start calling me ''Imouto-san'' or something like that. It''s not weird for him to keep saying what he has been so far. However, ''Ayase'' was the name of a stranger, at least for him.

    "What were you two talking about?" He nced at my face, then Mom''s, and then spotted the handout lying on the table. "Ah."

    "You got it too, right? The future aspiration questionnaire."

    "Perfect timing." Mom said, looking at Asamura-kun.

    "Yes?"

    "I talked to Taichi-san about how we should handle your parent-teacher meeting."

    Mom told Asamura-kun everything she had just exined to me. Wondering how she was going to convince him, I sat in silence, notmenting at all. However, when she got to that point, she said¡ª

    "That''s why I was thinking ofing to the parent-teacher meetings on two separate days."

    ""Huh?!""

    I let out a bbergasted voice. She said it like she had been nning on doing so from the very beginning. But isn''t that too hard on her? At the very least, it seemed like Asamura-kun agreed with me.

    "My old man isn''t the only one who''s busy, right? You workte at night at the bar, so isn''t it a stretch to make youe to school during the day?"

    Asamura-kun was exactly right. And yet, Mom was smiling like there was nothing wrong with that. She quickly packed her bag and left, as it was time for her shift.

    "Should she really be running around like that?"

    "Don''t ask me. I just hope she doesn''t trip."

    What is this? Why didn''t she tell me the same thing when it was just the two of us talking? I''m confused. I can''t stay here. If I do, I''ll end up relying on Asamura-kun. My poker face will shatter. So I grabbed my sports bag.

    "Oh? You''re leaving as well, Ayase-san?" Asamura-kun said as he turned towards me.

    "It''s time for my shift."

    "Right. Take care."

    "Will do. Later, Nii-san."

    My response was pretty much automatic at that point. I''ve been getting used to calling him that, which was why the words came out of my throat even without me meaning to. But still, Mom''s face came to mind and wouldn''t leave. Even though she looked so hurt until the moment Asamura-kun arrived, she showed none of that to him. She''s got an even better poker face than I do.

    She doesn''t want Asamura-kun to be overly considerate of her. She was pretending that she doesn''t want people to find out that we''re siblings, all for our sake. She gave up on doing both our parent-teacher meetings on the same day. Surely, that is the correct choice.

    Even while working during my shift at the bookstore, that entire ordeal wouldn''t leave my mind. What should I do? What is the right choice to make?

    "Excuse me?"

    While I was busy organizing a shelf, a voice called out to me. It was a mother pushing a baby carriage, carrying arge-sized nursing magazine in her hand.

    "Yes, how can I help you?"

    "I was wondering if you hadst month''s issue of this magazine? I missed my chance to buy it."

    When ites to monthly magazines and issues, we usually send the ones that don''t sell back.

    "I''m sorry, but no¡­ Should I see if I can order one issue?"

    Despite not having any confirmation if the publisher had any issues left, I still responded with these words.

    "No, it''s fine. It just had an article I really wanted to read. Thanks anyway."

    "You''re wee¡­"

    "I''d like to buy this one, then." She handed me this month''s issue, so I led her to the cash register.

    I can''t make her carry such arge magazine while pushing the baby carriage, after all. Once we finished the payment, I politely sent her off, and she left the store. After that, I went back to my work once more, back to thinking once again. And I made up my mind. I can''t allow Mom to feel this way. Once I get home, I have to talk things out with Asamura-kun.

    Having found this determination, I felt like something unpleasant inside of me had suddenly cleared up. In order to try to rationalize and erase these vague feelings I have for him, I''ve been trying to keep my distance, so it feels like it''s been a long time since I actually spoke to him at length.

    Once my shift was over, I immediately headed home and quietly opened the door. I let out a quiet ''I''m back''. Because it''s sote, it wouldn''t be weird for him to be in his room. I walked down the hallway, past the living room, and quietly knocked on the door to his room. However, no response came. I figured that he might have fallen asleep, or was taking a bath at that moment, so I entered the living room¡ªand there he stood.

    Not to mention that the dinner was fully prepared on the dining table, and there was no sign of him having eaten already. I was confused, so I asked him about it, to which he stated that he wanted to eat together with me. I don''t know why he suddenly brought that up, but it also matched perfectly with my own desire to talk with him.

    ""About the parent-teacher meeting¡­""

    Our voices ovepped. Were we thinking about the same thing? That thought alone made me feel at ease. So we both decided to talk things through while eating dinner. It seemed like Asamura-kun had been concerned about it the whole day, just as much as I had been.

    "That''s why I don''t think it''s right for Akiko-san to carry an even bigger burden."

    You''re not fair, Asamura-kun. This isn''t fair at all. Just as I am trying to get over my feelings, you make my heart tremble over such a minor thing. Knowing that he didn''t want Mom to go through any trouble made me feel genuinely happy.

    "It''s more than just being a burden for her. All things considered, I simply want Mom toe to both our parent-teacher meetings."

    I know how hard she''s trying to be Asamura-kun''s new mother. So with that, we made up our minds and epted the fact that the people at school might find out that we''re siblings. To us, this was a joint decision.

 Chapter 39 - 3

    <h4>Chapter 39: Chapter 3</h4>

    4th of September (Friday) ¨C Asamura Yuuta

    Us two men got up early in the morning. We were sitting down at the dinner table when my old man suddenly started talking.

    "Akiko-san and I thought about this together, you know."

    "Together?"

    I was in the middle of putting some rice in my old man''s rice bowl, but I paused in confusion. I wanted to ask how these two lovebirds, who constantly talk past each other, even reach something that could be called consensus. When I asked him about it, he said we could discuss it via LINE, despite being too bothered to chat with me. I guess he''s changed in his own right. That aside, however¡­

    "I''ll take time off work ande with you to your parent-teacher meeting after all. It''s true that mypany''s buried with work at the moment, but I can''t just let Akiko-san carry all the weight on her own."

    "Oh, about that, Dad."

    I told him about my discussion with Ayase-san that had happened the previous night, and exined how we decided that we''d hold both of our meetings on the same day so that Akiko-san would only have to take one day off. As a result, he wouldn''t have to take time off work either.

    "Whoa¡­ Are you really sure about that?"

    I nodded.

    "Ayase-san and I decided it together, so it''s not just something I came up with on my own. We''d rather not go about it behind your backs and make more work for you, and we think that hiding the fact that we''re siblings just feels unnatural."

    When I finished telling him all of that, he made a happier face than I had seen on him ever before.

    "I''m sure Akiko-san will be happy about that as well."

    My old man then told me about everything he had discussed with Akiko-san. Apparently, she wanted to be as best of a mother for me as possible. Personally speaking, since we''re not children anymore, and already on our way to adulthood, since my father got remarried, I might ept this as him getting a new wife, but not necessarily that I have a new mother or anything like that. My old man and Akiko-san probably felt the same, and yet he continued, saying that what Akiko-san wanted wasn''t to simply be my guardian until I was of age.

    "Akiko-san told me that she wants us to be a family, you know. And she believes that we can be. If not, then the connection we forged through our marriage would be wasted."

    Connection, huh? I could understand where she wasing from. She didn''t want to be my mother simply because she had to care for me. Speaking from just our rtionship, we are stepmother and stepson, but she wanted to go beyond that and treasure the time the four of us have together as a normal family.

    "That''s why I''m sure she''ll be happy beyond words if she finds out that you ept her as family, Yuuta."

    A brief glimmer of guilt filled my heart. I really didn''t think about it too deeply.

    "Good morning, you two." Ayase-san entered the living room.

    "Ah. Good morning, Saki-chan."

    "Ayase-san, what are you going to do for breakfast?"

    She got up a bitter than usual, so I wanted to ask just to make sure. Usually, she leaves for school before me, meaning there''s a chance she might just skip it today.

    "Ah, sorry, I had you prepare it for me. I''ll take care of the rest."

    "No, we just got up ourselves, so have a seat. Here, your miso soup, rice, and chopsticks."

    "Sorr¡ªthank you, Nii-san."

    "You''re wee. Ended up a bitte today, huh? Did you oversleep?" I asked on a whim, but Ayase-san turned the phone in her hand around, holding the screen out towards me.

    Is she telling me to look?

    "¡­LINE?"

    "Mom said she''d be home in two hours, so we''ll continue our conversation from yesterday."

    Right, that makes sense. Ayase-san mentioned that she was going to tell Akiko-san about what the two of us had decided. Now that it''s morning, she probably received a response. Their exchange continued for a bit after that, which was why she ended up beingte for breakfast.

    "She was happy."

    "Right?"

    Seeing my old man smile after hearing Ayase-san''s confirmation, I once again felt a faint pain in my chest.

    "So, about the day for the parent-teacher meeting, I was thinking of leaving it up to Mom."

    "Which day does she prefer?" My old man asked just to check.

    "If possible, September 25th."

    "The 25th¡­ So, a Friday." I checked the calendar andmented on the date.

    "No good?"

    "Nope, totally fine. If that day works best for Akiko-san, then I''ll try to get my meeting then. So, Ayase-san¡ª"

    If Ayase-san and I want our meetings to be on the same day, we would have to consult our respective homeroom teachers and exin our rationale. Namely, as our mother will not be able to take more than one day off, we''d like for our meetings to be put together. If we do that, both of our homeroom teachers will find out that we''re siblings.

    "Yeah, it''s just as you said, Nii-san."

    "If we were both in the same ss, I could just tell them myself."

    "It''s fine, I can take care of it." While taking a bite of rice, Ayase-san asked me to let her take care of it.

    Until a short while ago, Ayase-san wasn''t the best at this sort of thing, but I guess she''s also changed a lot herself. After she finished eating, she took care of the dishes and left the house around her usual time. After she left, my old man headed off to work, andstly I also left.

    As I made my way to school, I noticed the sky was a clear blue, and the breeze felt a bit hotter than yesterday. Akiko-san wants us to be a family. Maybe I should call Akiko-san ''Step-mom'', just like Ayase-san calls my old man ''Step-dad''. Not because I necessarily ept her as my mother, but so that we could be a fully-fledged family. Is that why Ayase-san is calling me ''Nii-san'' now?

    The school gate finally came into sight, and I decided to shake off all the thoughts spinning around in my head.

    Five minutes before the first period, right as the first chime rang, Maru waltzed inside the ssroom from the back door. Those who have morning practice generally arrive at ss barely before it starts. Of course, it wasn''t just Maru from the baseball club. The folks from the other sports clubs filed in, quickly filling the ssroom. Once Maru sat down in front of me, he seemed to remember something. He turned around towards me.

    "Say, Asamura."

    "Hm?"

    "Last summer break, you went to the pool with Narasaka and the others, right?"

    "Uh¡­ yeah, what about it?"

    "There''s a rumor going around that you and Ayase had a good mood going."

    "A good mood¡­?"

    "''Course, a rumor is a rumor. But considering how she''s been actingtely, it''s gotten to the point where I can''t deny the possibility."

    What the hell kind of ''possibility'' are you on about?

    "So yeah, how''s it looking with Ayase?"

    Naturally, I was taken aback. So much that I missed my chance to respond properly and instead answered the question with another question like the idiot I was. Instead I asked why he was curious about that.

    "Asking about a friend''s progress and status in love is what a true friend character in a romance game would do, no?"

    "I think you should draw a firmer line between your fantasies and reality."

    "Hmph. To be honest, that rumor only reached my ears a few minutes ago. There''s no evidence to back it, either."

    So that means it''s a rumor inside the baseball club, huh? A rumor that Ayase-san and I are getting along pretty well. I wonder why? I figured out my feelings for Ayase-san at that pool day during summer break, and at the same time I decided that I had to get rid of this feeling no matter what. After all, she''s my younger sister, and that''s how she expects me to treat her.

    Forget about it. Cast these feelings aside. I''ve been working on it. But for whatever reason the people around me seem like they''ve seen right through me, and they keep reminding me of that summer memory. While wondering what I should do about this, I was preparing for the uing ss when I spotted a certain printout inside my bag. When I saw it, I finally remembered. Ayase-san and I had agreed that we are fine with everybody finding out we''re siblings.

    "Listen." When I got that far, my voice went quiet.

    This wasn''t something everybody needed to hear, only certain people. Maru inched closer to me, understanding that what I was about to tell him would be hard for me to say. As expected of my best friend.

    "This is about Ayase-san and I¡ª"

    I started my exnation, saying that Ayase-san and I had be step-siblings after our parents'' remarriage. I also added that we were both done hiding it, but that we also didn''t want to just tell everyone about it, either. I made it clear that I told him about this because I trusted him, and he responded ordingly.

    "I''m not the type of person who would spread around such delicate information."

    "That''s a huge help."

    "Still, this exins a lot of things."

    "Hm? What do you mean?"

    Maru seemed almost satisfied.

    "You suddenly asked me about Ayase, acted like you wanted to know more about her, which honestly surprised me, and even after that, you were acting oddly attached to her."

    "Attached? Hey, now."

    "Right, poor choice of words. But I was just worried in my own right, you feel me?"

    Back in June, there was a bad rumor going around about Ayase-san. Since she has such shy looks¡ªwhich is actually something she does as self-defense¡ªand because she wandered around Shibuyate at night, it''s easy to see why people woulde to the wrong conclusion, which can cause rumors. That''s why he must have been worried about me.

    "It''s just a misunderstanding. That''s all."

    "Seems like it. My bad. I was wrong. But now it all makes sense. Also, speaking of Ayase, I indirectly talked badly about your younger sister, so I''m sorry."

    "Don''t be like that. You just didn''t know."

    "I totally thought you had fallen for Ayase."

    These words made my heartbeat elerate drastically. I could feel sweat building on my palms. Fallen for her¡­e to like her¡­ love her¡­ When it''s brother and sister, it''s not weird to like each other¡­ but¡­

    "That''s not¡­"

    "Right, my bad. I didn''t need to add that. But I''m relieved now. If you had actually fallen for her, you might have bumped into those guys without any chance at victory. As your good friend, I didn''t want to see you get hurt."

    "''Those guys''?"

    "You didn''t know? After summer break ended, Ayase''s poprity changed."

    ording to Maru, she''s softened up a lot more towards the people around her, and she''s gotten popr even with the guys who saw her as just another delinquent and were scared of her. Since she stopped beingpletely solitary, more and more guys are talking to her and acting interested in her. As you would expect, some of these guys could be quite high-spec.

    "Although it pains me to admit it, I could never see you winning that race¡­ However, since you''re her older brother, you wouldn''t even participate in the first ce."

    "Of course I won''t."

    "Great, great." Maru seemed satisfied with something.

    As I watched him, I started thinking. Just as Maru said, since we''re brother and sister, having a chance or not doesn''t matter in the slightest. No matter how many guys might approach her, that is. Worrying about one''s little sister and the potential threat of some insects approaching her is most likely only something a fictional older brother would do. At her age, she should be able to take care of herself, and intervening as her older brother would be taking things too far. Whether as her actual older brother or just as a step-brother, I should act rationally. So what if there are guys approaching Ayase-san with those kinds of intentions? It''s got nothing to do with me.

    Our teacher walked inside the ssroom and began the morning homeroom. Once that was over, they spoke to the people who finished their questionnaires and decided on the days for them to meet and hand them in. Just as I had discussed previously with Ayase-san, I tried to stay away from the other students as much as possible, and exined our family''s circumstances to the teacher, telling them about our desire for both Ayase-san and I''s meetings to be on the same day because of our mother''s circumstances.

    "I see. So for you¡ªyour stepmother will be participating?"

    "Yes."

    After this brief exchange, I headed back to my own seat.

    sses ended for the day. Today, I had another shift at the bookstore where I was working part-time. Right after thest homeroom ended, I grabbed my bag. While I was changing into my outdoor shoes at the shoe lockers, a rather noisy group of people approached the same area. I turned towards them because I heard a familiar voice, and I spotted Narasaka-san in the center. In other words, this group must be some of the people from my neighboring ss.

    She was surrounded by all her friends, grinning as usual, and even talking to every single person around her so that they wouldn''t feel left out. Ayase-san was among them as well. She walked at a constant pace not too close to them, but also not too far away, participating in the conversation from time to time. Seeing her sh a smile while doing so, I grabbed my shoes and hid in the shadows of the shoe lockers, leaving through the front entrance while trying not to be seen. I''d feel bad if I forced her to show consideration towards me¡ªor at least that''s the excuse I made for myself.

    Ayase-san was smiling. I think that was the first time I''d ever seen her smile with her friends like that. Good for her. Really. She used to be somewhat isted from her ssmates, so this is much better. It''s just like Maru said. Ayase-san has changed. The way she forces herself to not rely on others, it''s easy to see her as arrogant and repelling, but that was all because she didn''t know how to open up to others, like she had no other choice but to push them away. She learned that being independent wasn''t the same thing as cutting off all your connections.

    She was making such a gentle smile, hanging out with people I didn''t know¡ªso why am I being gued by theseplicated feelings?

    By the time I reached the parking lot near the train station with my bike, the sky was already dyed a deep red. The sun has been setting earlier and earlier recently. It''s already September, but the days will only start getting shorter from here on out. I entered the back office, changed into my uniform, and headed out into the main store. First on my agenda today was organizing the shelves. I passed by the cash register, greeted the manager, and made my way towards the shelves. I started with the paperback shelves, working my way from the back to the front.

    In most bookstores, you generally organize the books ording to the publisher, not the author. If they are from the same publisher but a differentbel, then they are disyed on a different shelf. And then, once you reach the shelf for thatbel, you arrange novels and books up by their authors'' initials, in most cases at least.

    For example, there''s thisbel called MF Bunko J1, and then there''s a random number Mi-10-16 on the back cover. This shows that thisbel has a lot of authors beginning with ''Mi'', and this particr novel was published by the 10th author, and it''s the 16th volume¡ªthat''s a simplified way of exining it, at least. By simply relying on this number, it''s easy to organize the books that are out of order.

    I had thete shift today, which meant that arranging the new releases and adjusting the stock was alreadyplete. Everyone else had already made more space for the new releases, so my only job was to put the random books scattered around back in their originally intended locations. From time to time, I would see random books put on the wrong shelves, and I would return them to their original spot, which is quite simple work of course, so I think I nked out for quite some time during it. Just before I reached a state ofplete zen¡ª

    "Ah, Junior-kun. Perfect timing."

    When I turned around, the familiar Japanese beauty with long ck hair was standing there, which I had already guessed from the voice. She was carrying a mountain of paperback books. Reading the nametag on her uniform was practically impossible in that state, but I knew her. She''s my senior at work: Yomiuri Shiori.

    "Excuse me? What''s thatplex expression for, hmm?"

    "Ah, don''t mind me, I was just about to reach enlightenment, so you took me by surprise."

    "Post-nut rity, I see."

    "I don''t quite think that quite fits the situation."

    "Oh? Then go ahead. Tell me what it really means."

    "Can you stop acting like some old man trying to tease an embarrassed answer out of an innocent woman? I''ll sue you for sexual harassment."

    "Oh, my. Gender equality is a wonderful thing."

    I don''t think this is the time for you to admire that.

    "Now, now. That doesn''t matter right now, my dear Junior-kun. A beauty like me is carrying a mountain of books right in front of you, so isn''t there something else you should be saying?"

    "Ah, right, I''ll take that."

    The books she was carrying were all ones that we were going to replenish the shelves with. When someone purchases at the register, we can check if we still have more copies of that book left in stock. What''s actually terrifying to think about is the fact that back in the Sh¨­wa era2, they actually relied on records alone when it came to the inventory of their books. Of course, they used paper to track their stock, and if you took stock, you could check how many copies you had left in the store.

    The problem at hand was that they relied solely on the records written down day by day. Right now, everything happens with a click thanks to the extensive database. The mountain of books I epted had to be added to the shelf right in front of me. When I got a closer look at the books, they turned out to be from a long-running series that had been made into a multi-season anime series.

    "I wonder why this sells so well? I mean, I know it''s interesting, but still."

    "You said you read it, right, Junior-kun?"

    "Yes. Oh?" Something inside of my memories lit up. "I see, the anime just started."

    "Exactly. We already are using POPs3, and we also have a lot of them disyed on a different shelf."

    When Senpai said that, I turned to look where she was pointing. In the corner of the paperback shelves was a small pedestal that was showcasing a mountain of books, all of them with covers showing. The books that are currently selling aren''t simply put into a shelf where you can only see their back cover, but rather receive this level of advertisement where they''reid t. Next to them were hand-written advertisement cards and cards, called POPs, as well.

    "I was the one who made that POP there."

    "Is that so?"

    "I went out of my way to write ''I bawled my eyes out with this, enough tears to fill an entire bowl!'', you see."

    "Won''t they get angry at you for false advertising?"

    Knowing Yomiuri-senpai, that must be some kind of weird joke again. I should check the POPter¡­ Wait, but if I check it, that just means that I''m already dancing on top of her palm, doesn''t it?

    "Wait. Then¡­"

    That was when I finally figured out the big picture. If it just started airing, and since it''s September right now, it must be the fall season of anime. In that case, this series will probably be selling really well for the next three months until December. I epted the books from Yomiuri-senpai and looked at them.

    As expected, it had a paper wrapper on it, which read ''Anime currently airing!''. The publisher had probably reprinted a lot of copies to coincide with the anime, thus this paper wrapper had been added. At the same time, this wrapper also announced that there would be a new release going on sale next month.

    "So a new volume wille out¡­"

    "Junior-kun, you seem quite exhausted."

    When Senpai said that oddment, I nced at her, confused.

    "What do you mean?"

    "That youck your usual energy."

    "I ate properly, though."

    "Okay, that''s not what I meant. You used to know about a new release of a series you like at least three months in advance, no?"

    New releases of books or manga are usually announced three months before the release date. In other words, that''s how we, as bookstore employees, find out about it, too.

    "¡­I guess so."

    "You''ve been so devoid of energytely, Junior-kun."

    "That''s not¡­"

    "Shhh, I''ve seen right through you. The fact that you''ve lost interest in a new release from a series you used to like is a pretty significant incident, no?"

    "Really? Maybe."

    No, she was totally right. Not too long ago, I would never have forgotten the next release date of a series I enjoyed.

    "Maybe you''re just lonely because you don''t have as many shifts with Saki-chan as you used to?" Yomiuri-senpai showed a suspicious snicker.

    "You should be careful, Senpai. That kind of smile could make you lose your poprity."

    "Now now, tell your older sister about all your problems, youngd. Come on, open your heart and jump into my arms."

    "You still sound like an old man. Also, we''re siblings, so there''s no way that would be true."

    "What exactly would not be true?"

    "That I''m lonely. Why would I be lonely just because I can''t work with my sister?"

    "Since I don''t have an older brother, I don''t think I can argue much in that regard. And I guess you make a lot of sense, but she''s your step-sister, no?"

    "Even if she is, a sister is a sister," I said. I stopped myself from saying anything more than that.

    "Rational answers are so boring, though."

    "And why does that matter?"

    "Alright then, let me tell this dejected Junior-kun of mine something interesting." Yomiuri-senpai raised one finger. "There will be an open campus at my university soon-ish, so how about stopping by?"

    "Open campus? Is that when universities and specialized schools invite people curious about studying there so they can check it out?"

    "Exactly. Once you''re surrounded by cute university girls, you''ll be back in high spirits in no time."

    Just as she said, I bet an average guy would be excited to have a bunch of beautiful university girls like Yomiuri-senpai around them. When I saw her talking with some fellow students a while back, her friends and circle members were all attractivedies. However, there''s a fatal w in this master n of hers.

    "Senpai, you attend a girls'' university, no?"

    "Yeah, what about it?"

    "How will I, a man, be able to visit during open campus then?"

    "Oh my goodness, where did our gender equality go?!"

    Sadly, the times have yet to progress enough that a man could study at a girls'' university. I understand that she''s worried about me and my recentck of energy, but I still can''t respond with a smile. I myself had been wondering why I was so down in the dumps. There shouldn''t be any reason for me to feel this way.

    My shift at work ended, and I went straight home. Upon arriving, I found dinner and a small note on the living room table. Even though we ate dinner together yesterday after so long, today I just got a note. Ayase-san clearly has no intention of leaving her room. She''s not avoiding me, is she?

    I was filled with regret for not being able to meet Ayase-san face-to-face, and I realized that clearly showed that I was lying to Yomiuri-senpai during our previous exchange. Deep inside my mind, I could hear her words again. It can''t be helped, right? After all, Ayase-san isn''t my actual sister.

    ©¤©¤©¤

    1 Thebel that publishes Gimai Seikatsu

    2 1926.12.25-1989.1.7

    3 Point-of-purchase advertising, can include stickers on the floor and other advertising around the product, any way to grab the customer''s attention.

 Chapter 40 - 4

    <h4>Chapter 40: Chapter 4</h4>

    4th of September (Friday) ¨C Ayase Saki

    The bell rang, signaling the end of 4th period, and the atmosphere inside the ssroom changed to something more rxed and listless.

    "Food time!"

    Looking at the girl who raised a war cry, I could only shrug my shoulders. How can she have so much energy every single day? Well, to each their own.

    "Lunch, lunch~"

    She sounds like she''s dancing¡­ Wait, she actually is? While I was waiting for the girl¡ªNarasaka Maaya¡ªto approach me, I realized that several other ssmates were following after her.

    "Ayase-san, I''ll be going to the cafeteria, so you can use this."

    "Thanks."

    The girl sitting next to me grabbed her wallet and walked out of the ssroom. After seeing her off, I pushed her desk next to mine and took my lunch out of my bag.

    "Sorry that there are so many people today, Saki!"

    "I''m fine."

    With this, I''ve secured Maaya''s desk. She walked towards me with her lunch dangling from her hand. But what about the group of four to five boys and girls behind her? What about their desks? While I was confused, they simply called out to the people close to them, securing more desks. Around half of our ssmates would usually eat at the cafeteria, or eat in their respective ssrooms. If a seat is open, as long as you don''t use it without consent, there usually isn''t any trouble. I personally am of the faction that finds eating with someone else a chore if I''m forced to go through something bothersome like that.

    Even so, I don''t let it show on my face. The reason for this is simply because some of the people eating with me are those who were part of the group I went to the pool during summer break with, or those who have started talking to me more frequentlytely. Shortly afterwards, several desks were arranged into somewhat of a circle. Time to dig in.

    "I wonder what''s today''s side dish?"

    "Hey, Maaya, why are you looking at my lunch?"

    "Ohh! Rolled omelet!"

    "And why are you reaching for them with your chopsticks?"

    "Half! Give me half!"

    "Fine, geez."

    I split my rolled omelet in half with my chopsticks and put it into Maaya''s lunch box. She put a piece of fried food in mine, probably as a repayment.

    "Isn''t that a bit too big for an equal exchange?"

    "It''s fine, totally fine~ Ah, Yumhi, your salmon looks great, too!"

    "If you share some of the Narasaka Household''s secret fried food with me¡­"

    "Exchange established!"

    I see. So that fried food is a special recipe from her family. Feeling curious, I took a bite of the piece she offered me. When I bit into the inner part, I tasted juicy and soft chicken that melted away inside of my mouth. It wasn''t very fatty, either, so I didn''t have to chew so much.

    "Delicious¡­"

    "Right, right? Narasaka-san''s fried food is just genius."

    "What''s genius about fried food?" Maaya faked a serious expression, which caused the people around us to burst out inughter.

    Even I found myself smiling.

    "Maaya, did you fry this twice?"

    "Mnom?"

    "There''s no need to talk with your mouth full. Just let me knowter."

    "Mmnom." With her mouth full of fried chicken, she shook her head vertically.

    For crying out loud, everybody startedughing again. At first I thought that building friendships with random people was a waste of time, and decided to only stick with Maaya, but now I was consciously moving towards constructing new rtionships. After a brief interval of only eating, the conversation continued. Honestly, I''m lost a lot of times when listening to their conversations, and I just can''t muster up any interest. Even so, while acting like I was enjoying myself, I started to truly feel that way. I guess a human''s heart is all too simple to influence. Is there any name for this phenomenon, I wonder?

    "Hey, everyone¡ª"

    With these words asking for everyone''s attention, I raised my head.

    "Why don''t we go somewhere again this month?"

    The person who spoke up was¡­ Um, who was it again?

    "Ohhh, nice idea, Shinjou. Where are we going? And when?"

    "Maybe karaoke? On Sunday when we all have time."

    Oh yeah, he''s Shinjou. Everybody else agreed to his proposition, saying stuff like ''Sounds nice'' or ''It''s been a while after all'' and so on.

    "What about you, Saki?" Maaya practically invited me, but I hesitated.

    Usually, I''d decline, saying I have to study or work, but¡­

    "Um¡­"

    "Do you have a shift at work? Or is it studying this time?" Maaya seemed to have guessed my thoughts, and offered me an escape route.

    "I don''t have a shift on the 27th. Usually, I study on days when I don''t have any work, but¡­"

    "Oh? Well, Saki-chan does study passionately. But what should we do then? Hmmm."

    "Oh, yeah. What about a study session, then?" Shinjou-kun said while ncing at me for some reason.

    "Ah! But where?"

    "The library?"

    "Maybe at my ce?" Maaya said.

    The others got noisy. I guess that makes sense. If everybody present came we''d be like¡­ six people? But I do know that her living room could fit that many people. She also added that her parents were taking her younger brothers out on that day. She looked at me, curling up her arms like a beckoning cat, inviting me. I guess if I want to create new rtionships, this would be the best ce to start, huh? If I start interacting with more people besides Asamura-kun, I might forget about these forbidden feelings I have for him.

    Upon returning home, I started preparing for dinner and tomorrow''s breakfast. Oh yeah, I might as well make some fried food. I could even use some for tomorrow''s lunch box. With that thought in mind, I opened up the freezer, taking out some chicken. I recalled Maaya''s fried food that I ate today. She probably fried it twice. Once at a low temperature, and then again at a high temperature. Usually, that would take longer than I was willing to spend, but I guess I should challenge it today. It''s not like I have any shifts at work today.

    For dinner, I grilled some sliced and dried horse mackerel, and made some eggnts, fried food, and miso soup. As a finishing touch, I added some sesame oil, switching up the taste for today. While I was working on dinner, Step-dad came home. Right after, he turned on the switch for the bath. While waiting for the water to warm up, he ate dinner with me.

    "Oh, this miso soup tastes a bit different from usual, no?"

    "Is it weird?"

    "Not at all. It''s delicious. I''m sure Yuuta will be happy, to."

    His words came out of nowhere, but I somehow managed to keep a poker face.

    "Thanks¡­ I''m d to hear that."

    "Akiko-san would sometimes use sesame oil as well. Is this an Ayase recipe by any chance?"

    "¡­Something like that."

    I think Mom taught me about using sesame oil to change the taste. After taking a bath, Step-dad immediately went to bed. I finished frying the fried food and wrote a note for Asamura-kun for when he''s home from work. After I returned to my own room, I began studying for my sses tomorrow.

    I blocked off any outside noise with my headphones and listened to some lo-fi hip-hop beats, opening up my textbook and notes. Since the teacher for tomorrow''s math ss asks questions by seat number, there''s a good chance he''ll ask me for a solution. With that in mind, I should work through the questions just to be safe. Even while doing so, I kept thinking about next Sunday, as well as what happened at the pool during summer break.

    If I really wanted to keep my distance from him, it would be the best choice to not make food for him or leave him a note. However, for a brief moment, that sounded less like keeping my distance, and more like rejecting him, and I didn''t really want to go that far. I didn''t want to push him away. That would hurt even more now than when he was just a stranger. Is the reason I feel this way because of my responsibility as a part of his family, because I can''t damage our give & take rtionship, or because¡ª?

    Is this the shape my lingering feelings are taking? I don''tpletely understand it all, myself. In the end, I couldn''t solve a single question.

 Chapter 41 - 5

    <h4>Chapter 41: Chapter 5</h4>

    24th of September (Thursday) ¨C Asamura Yuuta

    It may have been because of the unusually cold fall, or maybe it was because my days lost their color after Ayase-san and I started talking to each other less, but September seemed to pass incredibly quickly, and we seemed to quickly reach the day before the parent-teacher meeting.

    "This is just a hypothetical question, okay?"

    Lunch break arrived. While poking my chopsticks at my side dish, I called out to Maru amid the background noise inside the ssroom.

    "When you end up with a broken heart¡­"

    "Hm?" Maru nced up.

    "If you really need to get over your feelings for that girl, what do you do?"

    "With your established conditions being far too vague for me to guess, there''s no way I can give you a concrete answer, Asamura."

    "Right, my bad."

    "Well, it''s fine. So, just as an example¡­ when it''s a girl close to you that you meet on a daily basis, and a girl that you only know online, the difficulty of getting over her can bepletely different."

    Ahh, that makes sense. The distance between you and her is crucial, huh?

    "Then a girl who''s pretty close, I guess? Hypothetically."

    Maru looked up from the lunch box in front of him and nced at me. He then directed his daze downward again, picking up some rice with seaweed. Considering how deeply he was able to stab his chopsticks into the rice, he must have at least 1.5x the amount of rice in there than I have in mine. I guess that''s what you''d expect from a sports club regr. After chewing for a moment, Maru took a sip from his tea-filled bottle.

    "How about hanging out with a lot of other girls? It''s hard to really define what romantic feelings are. Maybe something else would develop from that."

    Romantic feelings. When I heard that term, I froze up for a second. While hoping that he didn''t notice my hesitation, I nodded, urging him to continue.

    "However, these kinds of burning feelings might just be a hallucination as well. If you meet another good woman, you might find out that your feelings weren''t all that serious, and your feelings might change a lot faster?

    "I wonder if they will really change¡­ Also, What kind of environment would even allow someone to easily encounter women like you''re suggesting?"

    "Asamura¡­ Where are you looking? Listen, there are at least twenty girls in our ssroom. And even beyond that, there are plenty of chances around you, no?"

    Plenty of chances, he says.

    "But isn''t that just you paraphrasing the idea that half the world is women, so you have nock of ability to have new encounters?"

    "But it''s true. In the end, the chances of you having a new encounterpletely depend on your own mental attitude."

    "Another woman, huh?" I started thinking.

    Simply existing together and actually building a rtionship that goes beyond being strangers are two simple yetpletely different things. However, it is a thankful piece of advice from my good friend. I should probably give it some thought. Especially when ites to the mental attitude he mentioned. Basically, this is what he was trying to say.

    Normally, we don''t see the strangers around us as individuals who have any connection to us. Strangers are random, alienated people. If not for Ayase-san''s mother marrying my old man, I probably would have never seen her as someone more than a girl who wears shy clothes and who attends the ss next to mine. Even if we had gotten to know each other through some kind of event, the closest we''d have gotten was greeting each other in the hallway, I''m sure.

    Yet simply because she became my step-sister, we were forced to live together, deepening our bonds and knowledge of each other, and the more I learned about her, spent time with her, the more my feelings were kindled. If that''s the case, then I just have to actively work to try to get to know the girls around me. If I do that, there might be a woman who can awaken my feelings even more than Ayase-san¡ª

    "Then again," Maru continued, "if you can''t see anybody around you as a potential target, then just approach the people closest to you. The theory is that conquests are easier the more information you have."

    "What are you talking about?"

    "Amon opinion."

    And what kind of sources support thismon opinion, huh? But that does make sense. A stranger who is close to me. That would mean someone like¡ª

    ''Now now, tell your older sister about all your problems, youngd. Come on, open your heart and jump into my arms.''

    The first person who came to mind was my senior at work and university girl Yomiuri-senpai. The other day, she said something along those lines, offering to hear me out if I wanted to discuss my problems.

    "Well, setting aside the whole thing about another woman, maybe just challenging something new in your life might do wonders to distract you from her?" Maru said as I was lost in thought. "Anyway, just cheer up."

    "Yeah¡­ Wait, I mean no. That was just a hypothetical question."

    "Yeah, you''re right. I just gave you an example." Maru put the lid back on his lunch box. "Now then, if you would excuse me." He said as he left the ssroom.

    He finished eating his lunch, which was significantly bigger than mine, before I could polish off mine, and then left for lunch break practice. I''m worried he might ruin his stomach from eating that fast. I let out a sigh, ate the rest of my own lunch, and put my lunchbox away.

    I had another shift at work that day. When I parked my bike in the bike rack like always, I once again thought about how it''s fall season now. Even though I had been pedaling with all my might, I wasn''t sweating nearly as profusely as I did back in August. I entered the bookstore, and the vice manager called out to me.

    "Asamura-kun! Please take care of the register." I moved over towards the cash register and started serving the customers. In all honesty, standing at the register is fairly rxing. You simply scan the barcode on the books, and the machine calctes the exact price for the purchase. Of course, that doesn''t mean the amount of work at the register is insignificant. For example, you have to prepare covers depending on the size of the books, and offer the customer a stic bag depending on how much they''ve purchased. That hasn''t changed.

    If a customer with small children is trying to pay while taking care of theirrge amount of books, you would want to calm them down with a smile in the advent that they drop their wallet, and you also have to be careful to not put the coins in their change on top of each other, so that way the customer can easily confirm that they are getting the right amount of money back.

    In recent years, the method of payment has changed quite a lot, which also impacts work at the cash register. Not only can you pay in cash, but also with various credit cards, and even smartphone apps. You have to remember all of them in order to properly handle every possible customer, so it''s quite right that a lot of employees start to dislike working at the cash register after a while. By the way, that ''quite right'' just now basically means ''I see, that''s true.'' I read that in a novel recently, and I actually like the sound of it a lot, but there are not many chances to actually use it, so¡ª

    "Yo, you can take a break now."

    "Hmm? Ah, yes."

    Someone called out to me, which pulled me back to reality. The more monotonous work you do, the more mechanically your body will move when performing that work, which really shows how well the human limbic system is calibrated. At some point, I had started just doing it automatically. I couldn''t help but admire that about myself. Thanks to that, I managed to calm down and think good and hard about what I had been worried about this afternoon and how to resolve it. It''s just as Maru said: Branching out and doing new things might be just what I need to do in order to get over these feelings. And the one person close to me who knows something new I can try is most likely¡ª

    "Do you have a moment, Junior-kun?"

    "Ah, Yomiuri-senpai. What is it?"

    She had her fingers interlocked behind her back, looking up at me.

    "Do you think you can spare some time for me today after our shift?"

    "For what?"

    "I was thinking of showing you all sorts of new fun stuff, you see."

    "With pleasure!"

    "An immediate answer. Wow, Junior-kun, have you always been this bold?"

    "Ah, well, I was just thinking of doing something new anyway. Maybe I came across a bit too excited?"

    "Not in the slightest; I shall allow it. Not to mention that young people like you are supposed to challenge themselves and keep up this kind of curiosity."

    "Thank you very much."

    This makes it the second time Yomiuri-senpai has asked me out like this. The first time was for a movie. It''s thanks to her that I got to watch a movie I almost missed during one of its finalte showings. I guess university students are in an entirely different league from high school students. That''s Senpai for you. It''s like she totally realized what I was troubled about.

    "Alright, that''s decided then!"

    "But what exactly do you have in mind? It''ll be prettyte by the time our shift is over."

    "Hee hee hee. I shall take you to the world of adults, Junior-kun." Yomiuri-senpai left these words behind and returned to her work.

    Even when we ran into each other during the rest of our shift, she would just smile at me without saying a word. Just what is she talking about?

    "So this¡­ is the world of adults¡­"

    Really now?

    "It''s an essential course for a working member of society!"

    "Are you some kind of old man from the Sh¨­wa era or what?"

    "Have some faith in Onee-san, okay?"

    I really can never tell how serious she is with these kinds of things. After giving Yomiuri-senpai a dubious gaze, I looked up at the building in front of us. On the sign above the entrance, I could see the words ''birds'' and ''darts,'' as well as ''Golf simtion.''

    "I want to practice some of my golf swings!"

    "You really are an old man with old-fashioned hobbies."

    "How disrespectful."

    "So we''ll be checking out this ''Golf simtion'' thing, then?"

    "You''ll see soon enough!"

    With that, Senpai took the lead, and I quietly followed after her. After taking the elevator up, she took me to the golf facility inside the building, which I had heard of before.

    "This is your first time, right, Junior-kun?"

    "My first time ying it, yeah. A friend of mine who''s into these kinds of games has yed it before, and he told me about it, but that''s about all."

    Inside a booth split off from a small box, deep in the back, was a golf course. The green grass continued endlessly below the blue sky. In the distance, I could see the faint curves of a mountain range. Of course, this was all just footage projected on a screen, as we were still in the middle of Shibuya.

    "Nature really is wonderful, huh? Ah, the green is beautiful."

    "I don''t think this is very different from just putting on a screensaver on the TV at home."

    "Junior-kun!" She spoke with a reprimanding tone. "No emotion whatsoever! Understand this poetic sentiment! You''re not some withered old man, but a young man in his prime!"

    "Right¡­"

    Even if you tell me that¡­

    "You''re looking at these beautiful swaths of nature, yet you don''t feel anything? You''ll make me cry."

    "I''m sorry."

    "You can swing your club andnd the white ball right into the hole, and you''re surrounded by nature on every side. How invigorating! What a great feeling!"

    "Is that how this works?"

    "It sure does. This is why all exhausted middle-aged men go y golf."

    Yep, it''s a hobby for old men, just as I thought.

    "Stop nitpicking about every detail. We''re wasting our time here." Sheined and held out a golf club towards me.

    You have to keep in mind that this is my first time ever handling a golf club. How do I even hold this thing? Like a baseball bat? When Yomiuri-senpai realized this, she used her fingers to correct my hold. Wow, her nails are so beautiful to look at¡­

    "Hmm, like this, I think? Come on, try it."

    "I see."

    With my left hand supporting it, I held the club, used my thumb to cover it slightly, and then held it in my dominant right hand. This apparently is how Yomiuri-senpai holds a club. I imagine there are many other ways of doing so, but she just said ''Look into it yourselfter'', so I didn''t ask. Either way, this is the beginner''s guide, so it should be fine.

    "Come on, put some more strength into your shoulders."

    Senpai grabbed both of my shoulders and pushed them down. When she did so, they ended up slouching a bit. I guess that makes sense. When you put strength into your hands, you automatically rx your shoulders.

    "That''s it. Just like that. And now you just have to hit that ball towards the screen."

    She had just called it ''beautiful nature,'' and now she''s calling it a screen. She sure knows how to ruin her own immersion, huh?

    "Can I really hit such a small hole on the first try?"

    "Hmm¡­ since it''s your first time, it might be a bit hard to hit the hole. You just have to get used to it, so it''s fine." Senpai said. She backed away out of golf-club-swing range.

    It''s simr to baseball swings, but it''s dangerous to swing a club around if there are people nearby, so after making sure that nobody was standing behind me, I swung my club. It made a sound like I was cutting through the air, and the club was so surprisingly heavy that it felt like it almost pulled my arms out of their sockets. But I wasn''t even close to the hole.

    "Swing and a miss."

    "It''s a lot harder than I anticipated."

    "Not at all. Lend me the club for a second."

    I handed her the club. The ball was automatically set on the course once more. She grabbed the club and performed a few test swings. Once she was satisfied, she stood in front of the ball and swung with all of her might. The ball flew off with a sharp cking sound. The golf tee that had been stabbed in the ground danced through the air. The system traced the ball''s trajectory, which drew a beautiful parab as it arched back down to the ground. The words ''Nice Shot!'' appeared on the screen, and the ball rolled along the green grass a few times before finallying to a stop. Finally, it showed the distance she had hit the ball.

    "Phew, that one flew a long way. Ahhh, such free-dom~" She sang while holding the golf club almost like a rifle.

    "What''s that about?"

    "It''s from an old movie1. That one sure sted off, though, huh?"

    The number on the screen must have indicated that it was a good result, judging from how happy she is, but I couldn''t reallyprehend why she was so happy about this.

    "That''s how it is. Simple, right?"

    "It sure didn''t look it, but I understand the possibilities of humanity now, so thank you."

    After that, we both alternated shooting around ten more balls. At first, I would either miss the ball entirely and hit empty air or hit it off in random directions, but maybe thanks to Yomiuri-senpai''s good teaching, I eventually managed to hit the ball directly ahead of me.

    "You''ve got talent, all right."

    When I started to get used to it, I was greeted by a refreshing feeling of aplishment, like I was hitting the ball straight ahead at a batting center. This does feel pretty great. Although it never said ''Nice Shot!'' for me, which is a shame. Seriously, how is she this good? Is she actually an old man?

    "Senpai, do you practice golf swings regrly?"

    "Hm? Well, from time to time."

    "Wow."

    "Are you surprised?"

    Maybe. She looks like a Japanese beauty with long and beautiful ck hair, but I''m pretty sure she''s a middle-aged man on the inside.

    "Maybe not surprised. I guess it makes perfect sense."

    "And what exactly do you mean by that?"

    "To me, you are an experienced senior above everything else."

    "I believe I once again must draw your attention to, you know, my sex and the fact that I am a woman."

    "You''re free to change your approach, but here I am,pletely agreeing to the fact that taking a high school student to somete-night golf is a total university girl move."

    She is gorgeous, she''s always funny, and it''s always pure joy to talk to her. If we were together, I''m sure that every moment would be pure bliss. I have never been part of any club, but interacting and spending time with a senior in a club would probably feel like this. There''s no mistaking that hanging out is fun at all times.

    "Junior-kun."

    "Yes?"

    "Feeling a bit better?" Senpai asked, shing me a faint smile.

    Only then did I realize why Yomiuri-senpai had brought me to this ce. She knew I was constantly troubled by something, and wanted me to forget about all of that at least for a short bit of time. That''s why she invited me here.

    "Yes. It was lots of fun."

    "Very well, very well." Yomiuri-senpai tapped me on the shoulder.

    Yeah¡ªI really like her as a person. Those were my honest feelings, and yet I heard someone''s whisper. That summer, in that one moment, that emotion I felt inside of me, which surged up from deep down my throat when I saw the girl cross her fingers as she stretched her arms far above her head¡ªthat emotion is different from what I feel right now.

    After swinging at the golf balls for another hour, my arms had gotten quite good and tired. I started to miss more, and the balls stopped flying as well, so one of us brought up the idea of slowly making our way home. It had gotten prettyte, and the parent-teacher meeting was the next day.

    "Before that, I need to visit the bathroom for a moment."

    "Then I''ll clean up the rest of the gear here."

    "Please do."

    I grabbed the golf clubs we had been using and took them with me. Yeah, that was fun. Although my arms had started to feel numb, I''m d I came here. As the outsider kind of personality that I am, I always thought that ying golf was part of the world of light, but if it''s just an indoor simtion like this, I guess it is fun. Maru was right. Trying something I normally wouldn''t has allowed me to vent some stress and frustration.

    While I was thinking about that, I ran into an individual who just walked into the establishment¡ªa single girl. Her hairstyle and clothes didn''t stand out too much, but there was one thing that drew my attention to her¡ªHer height. She''s quite tall, to be exact.

    "Wait¡­ that girl, where did I¡­?"

    I dug through my recent memories and found something. She''s the girl who sat next to me during my summer sses. That means she must be a second-year in high school like me. She was all alone, so she probably came here on her own. Despite it being sote? She''s ying golf by herself? She started checking rooms, looking for an open space where she could y. Since Yomiuri-senpai and I just finished, she came walking directly towards me. Right as she walked past me, she seemed to notice that I was there.

    "You are¡­"

    "What a coincidence. Good evening." I bowed slightly in greeting.

    "Good evening. Um, we haven''t seen each other sincest summer break, yes?"

    "I think not, yeah."

    "¡­Um, are you still attending that preparatory school?"

    "Yes, though only on Saturdays."

    Telling her this much should be fine. We know each other from preparatory school after all.

    "I see. I''m actually attending it on a regr basis right now."

    I was surprised to hear that. After all, once summer break ended, I hadn''t run into her once. When I asked her about that, she mentioned that she doesn''t have any sses on Saturday. She doesn''t like the cramped ssroom on those days, which is why she''s using the self-study room at the preparatory school.

    "The self-study room?"

    "That''s right. It''s a lot more convenient for me than a library room."

    "I see¡­ Ah, my name is Asamura Yuuta, by the way."

    "I''m Fujinami Kaho. Summer and sail make Maho."

    "Sale?"

    "Not the selling one, but the sail you set up. The name is written fairly simply with kanji, so it''s easy to remember."

    "Ah, Like a ship''s sail. I see."

    "See? You''ve already remembered it." She shed a faint grin.

    "Yeah, you''re right."

    If she introduces herself as ''Fujinami Summer Sail'', it really is easy to remember. She looked like more of a docile girl to me, but I guess she''s got surprisingly goodmunication skills. She bent forward slightly, giving me a formal ''Please take care of me'' greeting. I followed suit, doing the same. Right as this exchange ended, Yomiuri-senpai came back.

    "Ah, you were on a date." Fujinami-san nced at her, and then back at me.

    I frantically shook my head.

    "No no, she''s just my senior from my part-time job. We''re not like that."

    "I see. Then if you would excuse me." She once again bowed slightly and entered the booth Yomiuri-senpai and I had been using.

    I did the same, and when I raised my head, Yomiuri-senpai was standing in front of me.

    "Hey hey hey, Junior-kun."

    "Wee back, Senpai."

    "What''s that nonchnt expression about? Who was that girl just now?! What kind of yboy are you to hit on another girl while you''re on a date with me?!"

    "Wha, ah, I''m sorry¡­?"

    She called it a date, but I don''t have enough confidence to see it that way. I bet that from a university girl''s point of view, a high school boy like me is nothing but an adorable junior. The way she teases me like this is proof enough of that. Earnestly apologizing was the best choice. If I tried to argue, she''d just y devil''s advocate and bully me even more.

    "It''s not fun if you apologize immediately."

    "Is there any need to make it fun?"

    "Well, it''s gotten fairlyte today, so I guess I''ll let you off the hook with this."

    "I''ve epted my fate, so please let me go."

    Thankfully, Yomiuri-senpai forgave me with a smile. After we finished paying at the front desk, we returned to the train station. Just like with the movie before, I sent Senpai off to the ce where I could see the parking lot, and then pedaled my way home on my bike. While enjoying the calm breeze Shibuya at night blessed me with, I once again thought about what Maru had said. Trying out something new, huh? Oh yeah, that reminds me. I''m attending that preparatory school, but I haven''t even fully used all of their faculties.

    "The self-study room¡­"

    While storing my bike in the parking lot of the t, I started thinking that maybe I should check it out sometime.

    ©¤©¤©¤

    1 Sailor Suit and Machine Gun

 Chapter 42 - 6

    <h4>Chapter 42: Chapter 6</h4>

    24th of September (Thursday) ¨C Ayase Saki

    ''I''m taking a detour on the way back from work, so I''ll be homete¡ª''

    Why am I worried about letting a ''read'' notification appear on a LINE message I''ve received? The instant this message from Asamura-kun popped up on my locked phone screen, I could feel my heart racing. It''s Yomiuri-senpai. I only needed to read the initial part of the message, but I already knew. He''s heading out somewhere with that senior. If I open the message, it''ll send him the ''read'' notification, which basically would be a justification for him having fun somewhere with her, and since I couldn''t decide on what to do about it, a few minutes had passed and I was still ring at my phone screen. Honestly, it''s ludicrous, and I''m well aware of that.

    Where could you find a younger sister, a second year in high school, who is this bothered by what her older brother is doing when he''s not with her? But if I actually read it, then I can''t just say ''You''re prettyte today,'' and I also can''t use the convenient excuse ''Sorry, I didn''t see your message.''

    "I''m such an idiot."

    Acting this way isn''t fair at all. This type of maniptive behavior is what I despise the most. When jealousy is involved, it lowers a human''s intelligence to grade school level, or even lower. It''s wrong for me to feel this way. I''m supposed to be his younger sister. While looking at the dinner on the dining table, I let out another sigh.

    I set up today''s dinner with dishes that should help with summer fatigue. For the main dish, I prepared keema curry, which basically uses minced meat. As for spices, I relied on ginger, garlic, and red pepper, as well as some cumin. Said cumin is quite docile but superb. After all, they''ve been using it since ancient Egypt as a natural scent. Of course, with a long historyes odd superstitions, so when I saw the phrase ''Add cumin to a rice dish in order to avoid your beloved one from losing interest in you'', I found myself thinking of it as some form of bug repent. I used a spoon to scoop up some of the keema curry. The scent drifting up from it caused me to blink a bit before I put it in my mouth.

    "Urk, spicy¡­"

    I know I''m not good with spicy stuff, so what am I doing? It was so spicy that I even teared up. Seriously, what is wrong with me? My heart is going crazy. I recalled the conversation I had with Maaya at school today.

    ''How can you always be so energetic, Maaya? Can you just forget all your troubles?''

    There''s no person in the world who never worries about anything. That''s why I wanted to know how she manages to never show it. However, Maaya''s response couldn''t have thrown me off more.

    ''Just do something!''

    ''D-Do what exactly?''

    ''Anything new!''

    She raised one finger and then added another one.

    ''Or, do something you''ve never done before, and really bite into it!''

    ording to what Maaya told me, the second you are troubled by something, or you start worrying about something, your thoughts end up stuck in a loop. Youe to a mental standstill, not progressing anywhere at all.

    ''That''s why you force yourself to walk forward!''

    What a positive mindset. I couldn''t help but admire her. Of course, I think she''s probably wrong, but¡­ something new, huh? I don''t want to stay like this, with my thoughts spinning in circles. Just like Maaya said, I should break out of my shell this weekend.

    But¡­ it''s about time for Step-dad toe home. I nced at the clock hanging on the wall. I guess I could go ahead and prepare his portion. I put some sd on a te and warmed up the soup and curry. I wonder if Asamura-kun is going to eat dinner. Just from the preview, I can''t figure anything out about the rest of his message¡­ Maybe he said something about eating out?

    I should just go ahead and prepare dinner for him either way, and leave him a note that says ''If it''s too spicy, please use the soft-boiled egg in the fridge''. Once that was done, I headed to my room. I need to get some more studying done for tomorrow. I put on my headphones, focused on the music, and worked on my studies. The studies with which I haven''t made much progresstely.

    Not to mention that tomorrow are our parent-teacher meetings.

 Chapter 43 - 7

    <h4>Chapter 43: Chapter 7</h4>

    25th of September (Friday) ¨C Asamura Yuuta

    It''s Friday, the day of the parent-teacher meetings for both Ayase-san and I. The morning began the same way as usual, with the both of us eating breakfast while sitting at the dining table. My old man was already reading the news on his tablet.

    "Here, your miso soup."

    "Oh, thanks a lot, Saki-chan."

    He happily epted the bowl, and the front door opened.

    "I''m home~"

    Akiko-san''s voice reached us in the living room.

    "Ah, wee back, Akiko-san."

    My old man was the first one to respond, shortly after followed by Ayase-san and I.

    "Yes, I''m home, Taichi-san."

    "Great work out there. Do you want breakfast?"

    "I''ll eat some. I went home directly so that I could get a bit more sleepter, which is why I haven''t eaten anything yet."

    "I see. Will you be able to get up after taking a nap, though?"

    "I think so. Oh, right, I''d like to check the times once again, Yuuta-kun, Saki."

    The two of us took out our phones, confirming the time slots we both had.

    "My meeting is at 4:20 pm, and itsts for twenty minutes."

    "Mine''s right after. 4:40 pm to 5 pm. That''s not much time to move, but our sses are right next to each other, after all."

    While we exined that, Akiko-san also stared at her own phone, trying to remember the times we had just told her.

    "Yup, it''s fine. Seems like I got it down."

    "But if we look at that schedule, you won''t get much sleep from now until then, no?"

    "I''m nning on getting a taxi that will take me to your school, so I should be fine if I leave a bit before 4 pm. I''ll get up before that and take a shower, eat, brush my teeth, change into some fresh clothes, put on makeup¡­ Yeah, if I get up at 2 pm, I should be fine."

    "It''s 7 am right now, so if you get to bed at 8, you can sleep for six hours¡­ that''s less than usual, no?" My old manmented.

    Considering that she usually sleeps until the evening, I guess this counts as a short sleep.

    "I can always get some more sleep aftering home since I don''t have a shift tonight. The only problem is that neither of you two are home when it''s time to wake me up." Akiko-san had made it clear that she sometimes has trouble getting up.

    "Taichi-san, once it''s 2 pm, I expected a turbulent wake-up call!" Akiko-san put her hands together, smiling.

    "You can''t trouble him while he''s at work, Mom."

    "Buuuuut!"

    "Ahaha, it''s fine, just leave it to me, Akiko-san. My work isn''t so stressful that I can''t even do that, so it''s no problem."

    Akiko-san''s expression lit up, but Ayase-san only shrugged. Usually, my old man is a bit of a good-for-nothing, but at times like these he sounds so convincing and mature. Akiko-san seemed to have cheered up a lot, but that soon changed. She narrowed her eyebrows.

    "But will this really be okay? Will I really be able to get up? Will the teachers think that I''m a weird mother¡­?"

    "I don''t think anyone in the world would call you weird."

    "Y-You think so?" Akiko-san bashfully smiled after hearing what my old man said.

    "Why yes, indeed." He epted her smile, and they both stared into each other''s eyes.

    Both Ayase-san and I most likely were a bit perturbed by this flirty scene in front of us but we still reassured her that everything would be fine.

    "Mom, if you''re going to eat breakfast, then sit down already. You''re just in the way if you stand there."

    "Yes yes, understood."

    "Are you still fine on time?" Ayase-san called out to my old man while ncing at the clock.

    "Ah¡­ you''re right, I should leave now. Thanks." While seeing Akiko-san off who had headed to the bathroom to remove her makeup, my old man grabbed his bag and stood up. "Take care of Akiko-san, okay?"

    Both Ayase-san and I nodded at the same time. Aren''t you the one with the biggest responsibility, though? Akiko-san came back, sat down at the table with us, and started eating her breakfast.

    "Mom, what about lunch once you get up? I can freeze some of the curry forter. I think you''ll wake up just fine because of how spicy it is."

    "I''d rather not eat something too spicy before meeting your teachers, so I''ll just take the leftovers from this. Also, we still have another egg left, right?"

    "Well¡­ we do, but¡­"

    "I''ll take care of myself, okay? You two should actually be heading to school right about now."

    Just as Akiko-san had said, it was about time for Ayase-san to leave the house.

    "You don''t have to worry about cleaning up either, Yuuta-kun. I''ll take care of the dishes once I''m done eating."

    "Okay, thank you very much."

    As always, I waited a few minutes after Ayase-san left and then grabbed my bag.

    "Alright, time to get a power nap in so that I can wake up in time!"

    After leaving through the front door, I heard Akiko-san''s motivated voice behind me.

    The chime rang, signaling the end of the 4th period. We''ll have parent-teacher meetings this afternoon, but I still have four hours left until it''s my turn. While eating lunch with Maru, I began thinking about how to spend that time.

    "See you tomorrow, Asamura."

    "Yeah, catch youter!"

    Maru finished eating before me as usual and stormed out of the ssroom. In the end, he''s as passionate about his club as always. Now I was alone. In times like these, people of the go-home club like me have no other ce to go. Most of the rooms were being used for the parent-teacher meetings after all. For a second, the library came to mind. As a book-lover, that is probably the ce that you''d think of the fastest, but there''s a good chance, and it often happens, that the library doesn''t have the books I usually read. That''s why I usually never go there.

    But this might be the perfect chance to go check it out. I grabbed my bag and headed for the library. The library here at Suisei is isted from the main building. To one side of the school grounds, we had the ''Library building'', which is a two-floor building, and there''s a passageway leading from there to the main building. The first floor has all sorts of music rooms, and the second floor has the library room. You might think that we would call it the ''Music building'', but there''s some historical reason for it that I don''t remember.

    As I approached the library building, I heard the brass band club ying. The parent-teacher meetings at Suisei are held at once for all three years, which is why there are no afternoon sses for all of the students. This results in most clubs starting their activities earlier, which doesn''t make it feel like a very advanced high school.

    After climbing up the stairs, I opened the door to the library room. Taking one step inside, I was greeted by the scent of old books. It''s a distinct scent I fondly remember from the old bookstore at Jimb¨­ch¨­ Station. A lot of people disdain this scent, which is why they go for newer releases, but I didn''t mind it. It smells like the inherited knowledge of all of humanity.

    The inside of the room wasn''t nearly as cramped as back when exams were around the corner. When I nced around, I saw that only one out of three tables was upied. On a whim, I started thinking about how Ayase-san might be killing time right now. While that thought crossed my mind, I walked through the library and looked around, not spotting that girl I was thinking about. However, in her stead¡ª

    "Ohhhh? What''s wrong?"

    I was greeted by Narasaka Maaya.

    "I mean, I was just trying to kill some time. I have my parent-teacher meeting today."

    "Oh, Asamura-kun too?"

    "I guess that makes two of us."

    She beckoned me over, so I had no other choice but to sit down next to Narasaka-san. If we sat too far apart, we''d have to talk louder, which would bother the people around us. Luckily, only Narasaka-san was seated at the table, and there was a bookshelf between us and the rest of the room.

    "When?"

    "At 4:20 pm."

    "Oh, close. I''m the one before that, at 4 pm t."

    I see, so she''s got the same amount of time to kill as me. Why isn''t she with Ayase-san, then? When I asked her about it, she said that Ayase-san had apparently gone home. With how much time we had, she could easily make it back in time. I guess I could have done the same.

    But if she goes home now¡­ I looked around for a clock to no avail, so I took out my smartphone. It''s still not even 1 pm¡­ should I go home too? If I do¡­ no, Ayase-san is home right now, so it''d just be awkward if I joined her¡­ and it''s not even just her, Akiko-san is home right now, sleeping. But she should wake up soon. Just then, what Akiko-san had said this morning came back to mind.

    ''The only problem will be if neither of you two are home when it''s time to wake me up.''

    Did Ayase-san go home because¡­?

    "What''s wrong, Asamura-kun? Are you lost in thought about something?"

    "Ah, no, it''s nothing."

    If I go home now, I''ll just get in the way of Akiko-san''s few more minutes of sleep.

    "Are you that worried about the parent-teacher meeting?"

    "Not exactly, but¡ª"

    I was about to reveal my troubles. Maybe that was just a leading question on her part?

    "More importantly, why didn''t you just go home for a bit as well, Narasaka-san?"

    "Well, I thought I might as well take a break from taking care of my younger brothers for once." She said and smiled.

    ording to her, her mother had taken the day off to attend the parent-teacher meeting, and is now taking care of her brothers while she''s at school.

    "Sounds rough."

    "They''re all adorable, you know? Just, from time to time, I want to stretch out my wings. But forget about that." Narasaka-san said. She put her cheek on the table and looked up at me. "Asamura-kun, do you like Saki?"

    "No, I don''t."

    Maybe giving an immediate answer was a bad choice after all? Narasaka-san might seem like an airhead at times, but she can be oddly perceptive when it really matters.

    "Really~?"

    "You know, right? We''re siblings, so there''s no way."

    "But, you know¡­"

    "I know what?"

    "You still call her ''Ayase-san'', right?"

    My heart skipped a beat, even if I didn''t want it to. So that''s what she meant?

    "You said that you''re siblings, but¡­ you''re not rted, right? And you became step-siblings just recently. You''re practically strangers. From how I see it, you two seem like two people who have feelings for each other~" It felt like she was exining this to the desk rather than to me.

    "That''s not it at all."

    "Hmm, maybe I looked too deeply into it." She muttered something again, lounging against the desk.

    Does that posture not hurt, ma''am? She suddenly pushed herself upwards, stretching her hands towards the ceiling while letting out a groan.

    "I see~ So you''d be fine if I supported another boy?"

    "Um¡­?"

    "I mean, if there''s a boy who has feelings for Saki, then would you be okay with me supporting him in his attempts to win her over?"

    The way she''s saying that makes it sound almost like there''s someone like that.

    "I don''t think you would need to ask for my permission in order to do that."

    "Hmmm, really now?" Narasaka-san crossed her arms, and kept repeating the same "Hmmm" and "I see~" over and over.

    I decided to leave her alone to her thoughts and went looking for a book to read. Since I still have more than three hours, I should be able to read two short ones. After a bit of searching, I spotted several older overseas paper books. There''s Storm''s Immensee, with 142 pages, and Ibsen''s A Doll''s House, with 148 pages. I think these two would be perfect for the amount of time I have avable.

    With these two books in hand, I returned to the table. Narasaka-san was gone, but since her bag was still there, she had probably just gone searching for books herself. I sat down and read for a while, and she suddenly sat down next to me when I looked up to take a break. We barely talked, simply reading our books in silence, as we sat next to each other.

    "I''m going on ahead~"

    The next time I looked up, Narasaka-san grabbed her bag and left the library room. It seems like it''s her turn now, huh? That means I have roughly twenty minutes left. I read the remaining pages in one go and got up myself. Just then, my smartphone, in silent mode, vibrated. Akiko-san sent me a LINE message. The first part said that she would be here soon, so I decided to pick her up at the front entrance. I returned the books and left the library building behind me.

    At 4:10 pm, Akiko-san showed up at the front gate.

    "Sorry for the wait, Yuuta-kun."

    "I just got here myself."

    In contrast to what she normally wore for work, my stepmother was now wearing a tight and professional suit. It consisted of a deep blue jacket and a U-neck shirt below that, and she had gone with indigo blue pants instead of her usual skirt. She had a two-toned handbag draped across her shoulder. I guess this is what you would call casual office attire. It''s not too stiff, but it''s also a bit formal. This was the first time I had seen Akiko-san in such an outfit. I offered her a pair of slippers that were prepared for the guardians who would be attending the parent-teacher meetings.

    "Could you lead me there?" Akiko-san said while changing into said slippers.

    "Of course, it''s over here."

    Mine and Ayase-san''s ssrooms are on the second floor of the school building. I guided her to the stairs and led her there while giving brief exnations about the school.

    "So your ss is right next to Saki''s, huh?"

    "Yes."

    "Had you never met before you two became a family? If you''re this close all the time, I figured you would have run into each other at some point."

    "We most likely did, but¡­"

    Considering that we were in the same group during P.E. ss, we most likely bumped into each other several times. Maybe we even saw each other asionally while walking down the hallways.

    "¡­But I don''t remember."

    "My, what a gentleman. Not even a cute girl can steal your gaze."

    "That''s not really how it is. Not to mention that simply staring at someone can be seen as sexual harassment nowadays."

    "You''re too concerned about everything. Nobody would mind if there''s an ulterior motive involved."

    "And you can tell? With a single nce?"

    "Of course."

    "How confident."

    She''s making it sound so simple, despite it being practically impossible to prove. This is one way in which she''s different from Ayase-san. Well, not letting people feel any responsibility despite her words and actions probably shows best what kind of person Akiko-san is, and the business she''s in. For a moment, I might actually believe her.

    "It''s fine to be confident. If you''re wrong, a simple ''I''m sorry'' will resolve everything."

    "Stubborn to the bone¡­"

    I reprimanded myself for even believing her for a single second. For crying out loud¡­ she''spletely ruined her formal attire with that kind of attitude. But I don''t particrly hate it. As expected, walking around school with someone who had been a stranger now turned stepmother feels pretty weird. At the same time, though, I felt relieved to see her act the same way as she does at home.

    Whenever my real mother came to school with me, she''d actpletely different than at home, like she had been switched out for someone else entirely. Honestly speaking, when I was in grade school, I thought she was eerie and horrifying. However, she probably had her own reasons for ending up that way but still considered the time, ce, and asion. That being said, I can''t really trust people who change personality to that extent. I felt oddly relieved to see Akiko-san act the way she usually does.

    "Ah, it''s right here."

    "Okay, thank you, Yuuta-kun. I''ll do my best."

    I don''t really see what would urge her to work hard for a parent-teacher meeting, but whatever. I checked the time and knocked on the door. After the response from my homeroom teacher came, I opened the door.

    "Please, have a seat."

    We were offered seats, so Akiko-san and I sat down at the table, facing my homeroom teacher. I had a parent-teacher meeting back in middle school, and also one in my first year at Suisei, so this wasn''t exactly a first for me. However, I can''t say I have much experience having my mother with me, so I can''t help but feel nervous. With the future aspiration questionnaire as the initial subject, my homeroom teacher exined their own general view.

    As a matter of fact, my homeroom teacher is actually a male teacher who doesn''t have any particr features that make him stand out, and the fact that his name is as basic as ''Suzuki'' doesn''t make him much more memorable of a person. By the way, Ayase-san''s homeroom teacher is a female teacher with the equallymon name ''Satou.''

    This came up as a topic when Ayase-san and I were discussing our parent-teacher meetings, and we actually burst outughing when we found out that both of these were in the top three of the mostmon family names in Japan1. It''s not statistically unlikely, but the chances were fairly low despite that.

    "That being the case¡ª" My homeroom teacher''s words brought me back to reality.

    I''m not usually a big fan of hearing a teacher''s impressions about me, which is why I just let it flow one ear in and out through the other, but it seems like this is in regards to my future aspirations.

    "If Yuuta-kun continues his efforts the way he has so far, there is a good chance that he might pass the entrance exam to a famous university within Tokyo."

    That positive evaluation genuinely surprised me. When I nced to my side, I saw Akiko-san with rxed cheeks. She must be happy, I bet. However, her expression froze up immediately after.

    "This surely must be because of your thoughtful education¡ª" Suzuki-sensei uttered some usual praise he''d make for parents, but he remembered toote that my father only recently married Akiko-san.

    Without a moment''s hesitation, I picked up the ball.

    "Yes, I am very thankful to her."

    I said these words with as much honesty as I could while making eye contact with my homeroom teacher, so I wasn''t able to check what kind of expression Akiko-san made. From the corner of my eye, though, I might have seen her eyes widen in shock. Suzuki-sensei faltered for a moment, but eventually continued with his previous statement, saying that if I continued studying the way I am now, I should be able to pass the entrance exam at any university I could wish for.

    After giving our final farewells, Akiko-san and I left the ssroom. The next parent and childbo were already waiting outside. They passed us and closed the door behind them. It seems like we used up all the time we had avable. Looking at the time, it was 4:38 pm. Only two minutes left.

    "Ayase-san''s ssroom is over here."

    "I have to hurry! And, thank you for just now, Yuuta-kun. I''m so happy that you''ve epted me like that that I almost started crying."

    Because she told me these words with a bright smile, I felt my own heart warm up. This person is so happy because of a few words from me?

    "I''m really happy!"

    "H-Hey, don''t pull on my arm."

    I didn''t think she''d just hug me right then and there. And yet, I was surprised at myself the most, not disliking thisfortable sensation in the slightest. Even though I should only be ''Asamura Taichi''s son'' in her eyes, I was forced to realize that she had epted me as part of her family from the moment we met. I can''t remember thest time my real mother hugged me like this, if ever. At the very least, not after I was old enough to remember. But at least I can finally smile like this as a grown teenager. Yeah, I''m d that my old man decided to marry this person.

    After walking for a bit, we reached the next ssroom, but nobody was seated in the chairs. I was confused for a bit, but then I saw Ayase-san walking over towards us from the direction of the shoe lockers. Akiko-san called out to her, walking over. Right as I passed the two of them as they were about to enter the ssroom, Ayase-san turned towards me. For a second, I wasn''t sure what to say. Maybe I should say something?

    "Good luck with the parent-teacher meeting." These were the only words I coulde up with in the heat of the moment.

    "Yup. See youter, Nii-san." She said and entered the ssroom with Akiko-san.

    Now then¡ªSince all my ns for today ended, and since I don''t have a shift at work¡­

    "I guess I''ll go home and rx a bit."

    I started making my way towards the shoe lockers, but right as I passed around the corner, someone called out to me when I reached the stairs. I raised my head. It was a boy wearing tennis clothes and with a tennis racket in hand.

    "You''re Asamura-kun, right?"

    "¡­Yeah?"

    Who was he? I feel like I''ve seen his face before.

    "You don''t remember? It''s me, Shinjou Keisuke."

    When I heard his name, I finally remembered him.

    "Ah, fromst summer."

    "Yep. yep."

    He''s one of the people who went with us to the pool, one of Ayase-san and Narasaka-san''s ssmates. Thanks to Narasaka-san''s special introduction back then, I immediately remembered him as soon as I heard the name.

    "First up, let me apologize. I didn''t mean to eavesdrop or anything."

    "Huh?" I tilted my head, confused.

    "It''s actually my turn to go to the parent-teacher meeting next, which is why I left club activities a few minutes ago. Then, when I came here¡ª"

    Ahh, is this what I think it is?

    "The woman, who I''m assuming is your mother, left the meeting with you, and now is going with Ayase-san to hers¡­ What exactly does that mean?"

    For a moment, I found myself unwilling to tell him. But then I remembered Akiko-san''s overjoyed smile just earlier. I really shouldn''t deny it here, huh?

    "We''re siblings. Though we''re not that open about it."

    "Huh? But, your name is Asamura, and she''s¡­"

    He was probably wondering why our family names were different.

    "Our parents remarried."

    "So, basically¡­?"

    "This happened recently. That''s why, in simple terms, Ayase-san is my younger step-sister." The moment I finished those words, a bitter taste filled my mouth.

    "I see, I totally thought you were¡ª"

    Were what, exactly?

    "Anyway, I have to go."

    On my way home, while I was pedaling my bike, I pondered it all. On one hand, I felt the warmth of Akiko-san''s smile fill my chest, and on the other hand, I still had a bitter taste in my mouth from admitting that Ayase-san is my younger sister. I pondered about the two of them for a while after that.

    ©¤©¤©¤

    1 Fact checked, is true

 Chapter 44 - 8

    <h4>Chapter 44: Chapter 8</h4>

    25th of September (Friday) ¨C Ayase Saki

    I ran into Maaya by the shoe lockers.

    "Saki~ I''m leaving early~ Saki-youter!"

    "¡­What are you even talking about? So are you on your way home?"

    "Yup, although I''m not going straight home. I want to enjoy my freedom a bit longer~"

    Oh yeah, she mentioned that she didn''t have to take care of her younger brothers today, which was why she didn''t go home with her parents after the parent-teacher meeting.

    "So you''re done with your meeting, huh?"

    "Yours is up next, yeah? Is your mom here already?"

    "Should be. She''s taking care of Asamura-kun''s meeting as well." When I finished my sentence, Maaya made a somewhatplicated expression.

    "Ah, that reminds me, I ran into Asamura-kun in the library."

    "Really?"

    So he was waiting there for his meeting to start. He really loves books, all right.

    "Yup. He reads so fast, too. I barely finished half of my book, and he almost finished two whole books. He reads at the speed of light!"

    So you mean he''s reading at 300,000km/s, huh? That doesn''t make any sense. I made a wry smile and just nodded along.

    "He''s amazing."

    "Yeah, yeah. I get it."

    Even though I knew that Maaya was saying it lightly, hearing her praise Asamura-kun to such a degree was close to making me happy. Keeping my lips from curling upwards took a lot of effort on my part.

    "Anyway, I''ll get going now. Your meeting is starting soon, no?"

    I checked the time. Indeed, there were only five more minutes left.

    "See you~ bye bye~"

    "Yeah, see you." I split up with Maaya and hurried towards the ssroom.

    I had gone home thinking I had more than enough time, but it would be awfully embarrassing if I ended upte despite all of that. Not to mention that there would be no point in waking Mom up only to bete myself. I rushed up the stairs, turned the corner, and right then, I saw Asamura-kun and Mom walking out of the ssroom. They seemed to be talking about something, but I was too far away to pick up any part of the conversation. All I knew was that Mom looked really happy, which also made me feel joyful inside.

    Whenever she shows that kind of face, she really feels delighted from the bottom of her heart. When I was epted to Suisei, she made a simr expression. Asamura-kun truly is amazing. I''m so d he''s the one who became my older brother¡ªBut hold on, why is Mom suddenly embracing Asamura-kun like that? Even if you''re a parent and child, you shouldn''t overdo it with the excessive skinship, right? I panicked for a bit, but then I remembered that Mom is the type of person who''d immediately hug me about everything as well. Well, we''re mother and daughter, so this much is normal¡­ maybe. She noticed that I had arrived and jogged over towards me. There was a poster right next to us that read ''Don''t run in the hallways!'' but that''s how we were reunited anyway.

    Right after the meeting began, my teacher Satou-sensei began exining something before we even got to the questionnaire.

    "If I may be so honest, the first time we saw her, we were a bit worried about your daughter Saki-san." Satou-sensei is the type of teacher who speaks pretty frankly, and she very clearly stated that she was worried about my appearance and the rumors surrounding me.

    Rather than beating around the bush, I prefer people who get right to the point. However, I wonder how Mom feels about this? While listening to the teacher''s exnation, I nced over at her. She sat still with a straight back, listening to every word Satou-sensei said.

    "However¡ªI changed my opinion in regards to that." I subconsciously raised my head, looking at my teacher. "Recently, her grades in Japanese, which she previously had trouble with, have gone up, and those concerning rumors have subsided as well. Regarding her fashion, I do have to reprimand her, but I also understand the desire to dress up."

    Mom nodded in an exaggerated manner.

    "I''d like her to still enjoy her time as a high school student, so I would be happy if you could watch over her as her mother."

    "I will look after her with everything I have." She dered with a confident tone, and then went silent once more.

    Satou-sensei looked at Mom''s eyes for a moment, nodded, and then opened up the future aspiration questionnaire I filled out.

    "Then I''d like to talk about Saki-san''s choice of university."

    Taking the grades from the first term into consideration, and depending on my grades improving in Japanese, Satou-sensei said that if I keep working hard as I have so far, I might be able to get into the university of my choice. She even offered names for universities every student in Japan knew.

    "I will leave that choice to my daughter." Mom said and sent me a gaze like she wanted me to take over the conversation.

    Satou-sensei also directed her eyes at me. It made me feel a bit tense.

    "I¡­ want to attend a university with the cheapest possible study costs, and one that prioritizes finding a job."

    Mom looked at me with a ''Are you sure about that?'' sort of gaze, but this is something I can''t back down from. Sure, I might have been able to secure myself a spot in a research facility or something resembling that, but I don''t particrly have anything I really want to do right now. If so, then I shouldn''t go to an expensive university, which would only put more pressure on Mom. However, thinking about my future employment, just picking a random university won''t do, either.

    "Then¡­" Satou-sensei gently tapped one end of her pen on the desk and continued. "How about Tsukinomiya Women''s University?"

    "Tsukinomiya?"

    It''s a rather famous women''s university inside of the Tokyo metropolitan area. Basically everyone knows its name, and I thought that it sounded a bit heavy.

    "If you keep up your current grades, you should be able to make it in. They keep strong ties with graduates, they prioritize employment over everything, and since it''s a national university, the student fees are pretty manageable. They have schrships that are fully paid by the government, and they also have some interest-free student loan options. I think it would be a perfect fit for you."

    "Huh¡­ I never thought about that."

    I didn''t expect her to bring up Tsukinomiya. However, she shed me a faint smile, mentioning that they will be having an open campus this Saturday.

    "An open campus¡­"

    "Maybe it would be a good idea for you to find out what a university is like."

    "You''re¡­ right."

    If it''s Saturday, then I might be able to make it.

    ''That''s why you force yourself to walk forward!''

    Maaya''s words repeated inside my head like an endless march. Doing something new and throwing yourself into it. In order to forget these feelings I have for Asamura-kun, and also to make something good out of my life. It''s tomorrow. I really should check out that open campus. The parent-teacher meeting ended, and I walked out of the ssroom. That was when I decided.

    "If anything, if she keeps her moderation in check too much, she''ll just end up exploding¡­"

    On the way out, Mom was muttering something, but I decided to ignore it.

 Chapter 45 - 9

    <h4>Chapter 45 - 9</h4>

    26th of September (Saturday) ¨C Ayase Saki

    Tsukinomiya Women''s University is right along the Yamanote Line. From the Shibuya train station, you go north of the Yamanote Line (in the eyes of the Yamanote Line, it''s probably outside), and then go down at Ikebukuro station. Two more stops on the private railroad, and a bit more of a walk along the street, and you reach the front gate.

    "So big¡­"

    The first impression that fell upon me was the sheer size of the campus. Just how many buildings fit inside the inner walls of the overall area? Even though it''s inside the city center, they somehow managed to secure a huge campus. Just as you would expect from a national university that has a long history. The stone-paved path leading inside the front gate was decorated with tall trees to the left and right, as well as rectangr buildings that looked like they werepeting with each other. ording to the map I had on my phone, many of these buildings to the left and right were grade schools and high schools adjacent to the university. A little ways off in the distance is the middle school as well.

    I was at a loss for words. I never would have imagined that they had everything from grade school all the way up to a university in the same ce. Swept along by the crowd of people standing at the entrance, I made my way towards the university. Today was Saturday, so there shouldn''t be any sses. In other words, this crowd of people are all here for the open campus¡­?

    Right after entering through the front gate, a mature woman wearing a t-shirt handed me the program of the day. It seems like they''re some kind of staff. Well, it wouldn''t help much if only students came here for this event today. When I looked around, amidst the people walking with me, I also saw girls older than me, and even seniors. They must either be students who attend here or faculty.

    In the distance, I could hear energetic voices, probably from the various sports clubs, and I saw shadows behind the windows of the main building. I guess there''s no real day off at a university, huh? Does everyone just diligently attend university every single day? I can''t see that happening, honestly.

    Walking along the stone-paved path, I moved deeper into the campus. The faculty of humanities I''m interested in is located fairly deep inside, and I have to walk around the giant building ahead of me. As I made my way around the rectangr building, I spotted a courtyard to the right side of me, a bit elevated above my path.

    That green grass is such a treat for the eyes¡­ Except for somebody sleeping on top of it. To my surprise, a woman wearing a whiteb coat wasfortably sleeping on the grass like it was her own bed. Hey, are you serious? Ah, someone went over¡­ and now she''s getting scolded. I mean, what did you expect? Even if the sun feelsfortable right now, you can''t just do that. I guess some people like taking breathers at their own leisure, although she took it a bit too far. I guess you can encounter a lot of different types of people at a university.

    I looked at the sign of the building in front of me. Yep, this should be it. Though I have to say, the second I entered the building, for some reason it seemed like somebody called out my name. However, that should be impossible. I don''t know anybody at this university.

    "Saki-chaaaaan! Whaaaaa! You came to my university?!"

    ¡­What?

    "Yomiuri-san?"

    It turned out to be my senior at work¡ªYomiuri Shiori-san. Not to mention that she was seated at the reception desk. So wait, does this mean¡­?

    "You''re a student at this university?"

    "Yup. That''s maybe the long and short of it!"

    ''Maybe''? Are you not sure? When I looked around, the reception for every single faculty was different, and she was coincidentally seated at the one for the humanities.

    "If you told me you wereing, I would have prepared some refreshments for you."

    "It was a sudden decision."

    Also, I didn''t even know that she was a student at this university. Nor do I have any way of contacting her.

    "I see~ So, you came here to check out the example lecture?"

    "¡­Yes, I might as well."

    I made a bit of space to not get in the way of the people after me and briefly responded. In reality, I had just nned to check out whichever lecture sounded interesting enough, but I don''t think there''s any need for me to say that here. Not to mention that I have no reason not to check out the lecture from the faculty the wise Yomiuri-san studies under.

    "All right. There''s still some time left, so let me show you around."

    "Are you sure?"

    I looked at the reception desk again. There was actually another girl sitting next to Yomiuri-san, handing out flyers to people as they arrived. She saw that I had yet to get a flyer and quickly handed me one. It seemed to show the details for today''s lecture.

    "Shiori~ If you''re not going to do your work, then at least get out of the way. Over there, over there."

    "Yep! Absolute gratitude. Come on, let me show you around."

    "But¡­"

    "Oh, Yomiuri-kun, is that a friend of yours?"

    I turned towards the source of yet another new voice and was greeted by the sight of a woman who was evidently not an average student at this university. She must be a teacher. She looked to be in herter twenties, or maybe early thirties. If she''s a teacher here, then she probably is a bit older, but that''s just an estimation from her looks. She was wearing a light purple suit, emitting a mature atmosphere, but thanks to ack of sleep or something along those lines, she hadrge bags under her eyes, which harmed her innate beauty¡ª

    Wait, I''ve seen her before somewhere. In my head, I pictured her wearing a white coat above that suit.

    "Ah."

    She''s the person who was sleeping on the grass a few minutes ago.

    "Hm?"

    "Oh, Saki-chan, you know her?"

    "W-Well, just earlier, on the grass¡­"

    I couldn''t finish my sentence. However, Yomiuri-san seemed to guess what I meant to say from that alone.

    "Kudou-sensei¡­ did you do it again? You bought an expensive brand-name suit for the outside visitors, right? Your suit will cry if you get it dirty like that¡­"

    "I was wearing a coat above my suit."

    "That''s not the problem here."

    "It depends on each person''s own definition of a problem. During our short lives, it would be a waste to treat clothes with an expensive tag on them as anything other than simple clothes to wear. More importantly, Yomiuri-kun, tell me more about this good-looking individual here."

    Yomiuri-san seemed like she had anotherint or two, but she finally made a resigned face and introduced me.

    "¡­She''s Ayase Saki-chan, a junior at my part-time job."

    "My name is Ayase. Um, nice to meet you." I made a polite bow, and the woman in a suit muttered an ominous ''Hm, perfect timing''.

    Excuse me, what might she be talking about?

    "Nice to meet you, Saki-chan. I''m Kudou Eiha. I''m an associate professor at this university, researching ethics and moral philosophy as a whole. If I may ask, you seem to be a high school student?"

    "Yes¡­ I''m in my second year in high school."

    Very good. Quite wonderful indeed. What a lucky strike. There''s something very important I''d like to talk about with you, so please listen carefully." She kept talking without pausing for breath.

    Just from that, I understood that she''s clever. As expected of a university professor, you could say.

    "Yes, what is it?"

    "How many people have you done it with so far?"

    "What?"

    For a moment, I failed to grasp what I was just asked. Did what with¡­ whom exactly? Eh, wait, that kind of stuff?

    "Um, I''m sorry, I can''t quite follow¡ª"

    I totally understood what she was talking about, although I really didn''t want to.

    "Professor! What are you asking a minor during your first meeting?!" As if to protect me, Yomiuri-san stood between me and Professor Kudou and started giving her a verbalshing.

    "Huh?"

    "This isn''t something you should be asking here in public."

    "Hmmm? I mean, I am very much aware of that. That is why I was being considerate and used vague vocabry instead. Hmm. Though maybe that isn''t something too secretive in the first ce. To all of humanity, it is a natural and average phenomenon. I guess bringing it up broadly would be¡­ You know, the act of hiding something gives it a much stronger and emphasized impression, much more so than bringing it up openly¡­ So in other words, how many men¡ªof course, women are fine too¡ªhave you had sexual intercourse with?"

    "Professor."

    "Hm? Why are you making such a scary face? Unlike me, Yomiuri-kun, you are not treated as a sleep-deprived vampire, so preserve that beauty you have. Listen carefully. I rarely get such a vital chance to talk with an active high school girl, so this is all precious data for my research."

    "You need her consent before treating her like a test subject. There''s no way I should have to remind a professor in this faculty about that, no?"

    For a moment, Professor Kudou''s eyes opened wide, and she shed a smile.

    "Huh, you''re showing your fangs quite actively today, Yomiuri-kun. Great argument."

    "You''re wee."

    "Indeed, you''re correct. So, Saki-chan¡­ or should I call you Ayase-kun?"

    "Ah, I''m fine with whichever¡­"

    "Saki-chan it is, then. That''s a lot cuter at least."

    She even said that with a straight face. What a weird person. Maybe all university professors are like this?

    "You see, I mostly focus on male-female rtionships, as familial rtionships, doing ethical and moral research."

    "Familial rtionships¡­?"

    "Indeed. Speaking of ethics in terms of the dictionary exnation, it''s order and discipline amidst morals and human life¡­ In other words, a social norm. I am researching these."

    "You can research something like that?"

    "Why of course. Listen carefully. Society itself isposed of several ethics. What would be preferred for you to do, what you are not allowed to do¡ªeven taboos. But this might not be something that stays the same for all eternity. If I were to give an example¡­ consider the idea that close-rtives like brother and sister are not allowed to love each other."

    I knew I shouldn''t react just because of a topic that involves me, but I could clearly feel my expression tensing up.

    "Ethics and morals are not a science. At the very least, they are not created to be one."

    "Simr to the reason it was created, but every research needs some kind of science."

    "Well, this isn''t part of the main discussion right now, so we can argue about that all we want at another time, Yomiuri-kun. What''s important right now is that ethics and morals are important for living beings, which makes them subject to perpetual change as time progresses. However, the change of what is necessary for society and the change of awareness towards such is always out of sync, and as a result, our society¡ª"

    Kudou-sensei paused and looked around for a moment, realizing that she had gotten a bit too passionate.

    "Hm. You¡­ Saki-chan, if you have some time after this, would you minding to my office?"

    "There she goes again, hitting on people." Yomiuri-san sighed in disbelief.

    Professor Kudou skillfully ignored thatment and continued.

    "Saki-chan¡­ you are troubled about something right now, no?"

    My body froze up.

    "I might be able to give you the answer to that, you know?"

    "Wha, um¡­"

    Honestly, I felt slightly curious about her answer. If it''s someone as clever as her, an associate professor at a renowned university, she might be able to direct me in the right direction.

    "Just for a bit should be fine."

    "Then it''s decided, then. Follow me."

    "Kudou-sensei is trying to do bad things to you!" Yomiuri-san said, trying to follow us.

    "Hey hey, we''re on an open campus. You can''t just walk away from your spot," Professor Kudou reprimanded her.

    "Excuse me, but I was the one who offered to show Saki-chan around, and I have permission from every¡ª"

    "The deadline of your report is in three days, no?"

    "Urk."

    "You have yet to finish it, I imagine."

    "Well¡­"

    "It''s fine. I''ll return her on time. But until then, I''ll borrow her. Over here, Saki-chan, follow me. You must be curious what a research office at a university looks like." With these words, the ethics associate professor Kudou Eiha started walking, and I found myself following her.

    "Which do you prefer, coffee or ck tea?"

    "Ah, tea please." I responded and looked around the room I had been taken to.

    It was roughly 13 square meters in size, but it barely felt like 7 and a half. This feeling was created through the sheer number of books scattered everywhere. It wasn''t just the steel shelf against the wall. Every single desk was covered with books, and towers of books filled the floor here and there, and you had to navigate through all of these in order to reach the desk in the back. There was only a small amount of clear space just around said desk.

    In front of the desk was a low table, with two sofas facing each other on both sides. This must be a space for when she received visitors of sorts. Kudou-sensei urged me to take a seat as she turned on the electric kettle, taking out a teapot and two cups. She then opened up the can of tea.

    "Are you okay with Nilgiri tea?"

    "Ah, yes, anything is¡ªWait, are you sure? It''s Nilgiri tea."

    "Ohh, so you know about it?"

    "¡­I have heard of it."

    "Tell me what you know."

    It became evident that she really was a teacher. But at the same time, I realized that the way she spoke wasn''t like an average teacher either. Most of the ones I know will ask a question that they can answer with ''Correct''. But that''s not what she was asking for. Instead, she wanted to see if I could convey what I knew using my own words.

    "It''s a general term for the tea leaves which are harvested in Southern India. Themon term is ''Blue Mountain ck Tea''."

    "Ohh, how well-informed."

    "It''s easy to find online, after all."

    "Have you ever tried it?"

    "Never."

    Just like Blue Mountain Coffee, Blue Mountain ck Tea is supposed to be rather expensive. Back when just Mom and I lived together, we had to live off simple tea bag boxes with 50 teabags, which cost 500 yen (meaning that one cup cost us 10 yen), and I was already happy with just that, so I only possessed the knowledge about it, but had no experience tasting it.

    "Then this will be your first time."

    She pronounces specialized vocabry so viciously. With a clicking sound, the electric kettle turned off. She let the water boil for a moment and then poured a small amount into the pot, warming it up. Then she clicked the switch again, boiling the water. She moved over to the pot, pouring the water into a cup until it was empty, and then quickly added the tea leaves to the pot, poured the hot water inside, and closed the lid. After that was done, she flipped over the hourss on the table.

    "Some book would probably say that you can''t let the boiling water get cold, so you shouldn''t move the electric kettle away from the fire of the burner, or pour the water into the pot. Sadly, this room doesn''t have such a gas burner. The temperature might be lower than what you''re used to, but please put up with it."

    "I''m fine."

    If anything, if you had a gas burner, would you have brought an old-school kettle with you?

    "You see, a friend of mine who went to India sent me this tea."

    "Traveling?"

    "Fieldwork."

    "So as a job?"

    "No, as research. She is a researcher."

    "I don''t really understand the difference. If being a researcher is a profession, isn''t doing research your job?"

    "Ahh, I see. In the eyes of the world, it would boil down to that, yes. It''s the same for me, but my conscious perception of this being a job is fairly weak."

    "Really? Then, well, what are you doing?"

    "Living."

    "Excuse me?"

    "At the very least, the only thing I am doing is being alive. A researcher is just a living being."

    "¡­I don''t quite understand the difference."

    "It figures. There are not many people who do, which makes exining it a hard piece of work." She finished soaking the tea. She emptied the cups and poured the tea into them.

    White steam carried a distinct scent into the air, tickling my nose.

    "Sadly, I can''t offer you any snacks today. Normally I would have something, but I just ran out, so¡ª"

    "No, it''s fine. Thank you very much."

    "Well, we don''t exactly have much time until the trial lecture."

    We sat down on the sofas, facing each other, and sipped the tea. When I grabbed the cup with both my hands and let the red liquid run down my throat, it warmed my body from the inside while the cold air of the A/C blew against me. Feeling warmth, especially around my stomach, I let out afortable breath.

    "I actually heard about you from Yomiuri-kun."

    "About me?"

    "Or more urately, about you two. Your¡­ what was his name again?"

    "Are you talking about Asamura-kun?"

    "I see, so his name is Asamura-kun."

    "¡­You didn''t know, did you?"

    "Good guess." She said with no shame whatsoever.

    So everything just now was just her pretending to forget his name so that I would give it to her. And I totally fell for it.

    "I didn''t know his name. I just heard about an interesting fellow working with Yomiuri-kun at her part-time job. I think it wasst summer. From then on, she started talking about you two, but she never told me any names. She might not look like it, but Yomiuri-kun is actually quite protective of personal information."

    "Might not look like it¡­ To me, Yomiuri-senpai looks like someone with actual morals."

    "Ohh, you call her Senpai, I see. What a strong personality. You''re already acting like you''ve been epted to this university."

    "¡­Yomiuri-san." I immediately fixed my previous statement.

    She must know that Yomiuri-san is my senior at work, yet she''s still teasing me about this.

    "Haha, there''s no need to force yourself. I just felt like joking at your expense. Though I have to say, you two are much more intriguing than I would have expected."

    "Have you met Asamura-kun before?"

    "Nay, would be my answer. However, Yomiuri-kun seems to be enjoying herself with you two around, and because you are quite the intriguing individual, I am certain that he must be equal to you in that regard. I''d love to talk with this Asamura-kun."

    The shape of my mouth turned into a ¤Ø, showing clear disinterest. I found myself not wanting Asamura-kun to meet this person.

    "So, let''s get to the main topic at hand."

    "Main topic¡­?"

    Professor Kudou made an exaggeratedly surprised expression.

    "What are you saying? I told you that I might be able to assist in your troubles."

    "Ah, right."

    Now that she mentioned it, it hadpletely slipped my mind.

    "Let me get straight to the point. You are most likely in love with this Asamura-kun person, no? However, in connection tomon morals and ethics, he is also someone you definitely shouldn''t fall in love with."

    "Why would you think that?"

    "Judging from your way of phrasing that, I seem to be on the right track."

    "¡­I really can''t stand you."

    "Ha ha ha, I like honest people like you." Professor Kudou smiled and continued. "You see, judging from the information I had from your part-time work, my fantasies have been running wild. You clearly are interested in each other, yet you try to keep a certain level of distance between the two of you. Why is that? It''s because you are in conflict with a taboo. For example, being step-siblings."

    She really couldn''t be more frank. I''m awful when ites to high-speed straight balls like these.

    "You even concluded that we''re step-siblings."

    "If you were rted by blood, then I wouldn''t have judged it as something worth agonizing over¡­ So you like Asamura-kun, yes?"

    "¡­Well, I do think he is a great older brother."

    "I didn''t mean ''like'' in that sense. I am asking if you have romantic feelings for him."

    "¡­He''s my older brother, you know?"

    "Basically unrted."

    "Even if it''s not by blood, he''s my brother."

    "Which he became three months ago."

    She even has the exact time frame down to a T. The way she perfectly connects the small dots of information to obtain the bigger picture really makes her a troublesome person to deal with.

    "But he''s family. There''s no way I would feel that way. Mom is happy that he relies on her. She must treasure him as the child of Step-dad, whom she loves very much."

    "Circumstances of the people around you don''t matter, Saki-chan. How do you feel?"

    "I¡­"

    I hesitated. Should I really tell a professor this suspicious? Not to mention that she''s Yomiuri-san''s professor as well. If I were to carelessly blurt out something, Yomiuri-san might find out¡­ and even though I felt this way, in the end¡ª

    "I don''t really understand it myself. But I''m always conscious of him¡­"

    Before I realized it myself, I already started exining the change I had experienced over the past three months. After I finished telling her everything, I took a sip of tea. The cold tea now tasted even more bitter than before.

    "I''m unsure if these really are romantic feelings¡­" I said.

    "Hm, I understand." Professor Kudou leaned backwards against the sofa, raising her chin, and closed her eyes.

    She crossed her arms in front of her chest and started thinking. Only the index finger of her right hand tapped up and down in a rhythm.

    "Hm." She opened her eyes and looked outside the window. "Seems to be a mistaken idea." She muttered.

    ¡­Eh?

    "What do you mean by that?"

    "What if those aren''t actually romantic feelings?"

    "That¡ª"

    That should be impossible. Can these feelings that make my chest tighten up be a mistake?

    "Well, there''s no need to rush things. You should think about it at your own pace." Professor Kudou rxed her arms and raised her right index finger.

    And then she started profiling me.

    The first thing Professor Kudou pointed out was about my outer appearance and the reason I acted the way I did.

    "You''re wearing your uniform today?"

    "The school told me to do so."

    Suisei might be fairly loose with their regtions, but when ites to the open campus of a high-level employment-focused university, I should keep my dress code in check. In other words, they urged me to go with either a suit or my uniform, and since I don''t have any suit, I went with my usual uniform.

    "I heard about your usual appearance from Yomiuri-kun. How do I say this¡­ they are clothes with fierce fighting strength, yes?"

    "I would say so."

    So my concept of fashion being fighting strength is something she understands? Even Maaya sometimes struggles to follow my argument. Well, she''s the type of person who enjoys dressing up her younger brothers.

    "Though I don''t know if that acts as a two-hit attack or an area of effect attack."

    "Is that kind of joke popr right now?"

    I feel like Asamura-kun said something simr.

    "Well, no need to fixate on that. In the greater majority of eyes, it looks like you''re ying around with fashion."

    Professor Kudou''s argument led me to remember what Satou-sensei said yesterday. She said that I was worried because of my shy clothes. Well, I know that the people around me tend to think I''m always ying around somewhere in Shibuya. It''s too much of a pain to argue about it every single time, though, so I try to avoid that.

    "However, that stylishness is just an act, right?"

    "An act?"

    "In the sense that you most likely are trying to show off your own fashion sense to the people around you."

    "Ahhh¡­"

    She might be right about that. At the very least, I had no intention of hiding that. Good at studying, but not stylish at all¡ªLooking cute but empty on the inside¡ªI didn''t want to hear either of those statements. I didn''t want to lose on either front. I think I mentioned this to Asamura-kun once. I do respect my mother for raising me as she did, but considering her looks and academic records, people oftentimes perceive her as a person who has no business being respected. I just wanted to shut up all of those people.

    "So your outer appearance has been consciously crafted to be this way."

    "That''s about right."

    "As for how you act deep down¡­ You''re still in your second year of high school, yet you came to the open campus of a national-level university, which means you must be a diligent person."

    "I was rmended to do so at a recent parent-teacher meeting, yes."

    "No no no. That''s not what I meant. Your character who shows off their outer appearance wouldn''te here even if your teacher at school rmended it to you."

    Really? I feel like¡­ something is different there.

    "That''s not the case."

    When I protested, Professor Kudou swallowed her breath, and showed an expression like she was enjoying herself.

    "Then please, demonstrate your counterargument."

    "I don''t want to act as the ''Girl who is ying around''. I don''t want to y up the fact that I like to y around. I simply want to show the people around me that it''s possible to aplish being ''Cute'' or ''Beautiful'' with my outer appearance."

    Just like Mom does.

    "Oh? And so?"

    "The reason I came here isn''t that I am a diligent person, but rather to disy that I am clever. It''s part of that."

    "You meant to announce this to the people around you, which is why you came here for the open campus?"

    "Not exactly. I wouldn''t do that. However, I thought that I might improve my own life bying here. I wanted to prove that to myself more than anything. Even if I were to ck off doing something, there''s no guarantee that somebody else might witness it, but I myself am always watching my own actions."

    Professor Kudou closely inspected my expression, listening to my statement in silence. I felt like I would lose in some fashion if I looked away, so I kept a stern gaze glued to her. After a bit of time passed, we both eventually averted our gazes. Professor Kudou gulped down the rest of her tea and got up.

    "I see, so this contradiction of an outer appearance and the inner workings are both created through your own desire. But you could also put it in a different way."

    "Do tell."

    "You''re the type of person who doesn''t want to show all of her weaknesses to other people, no?"

    My eyes opened wide.

    "Hear me out. You said something crucial right now. Your actions on the outside and your actions on the inside both follow the same principle. The key point, in this case, is that you don''t want to lose."

    I stayed quiet, simply listening to what she had to say.

    "You are basically fighting 24/7. Not to mention all on your own. When you''re outside, and even in your supposed oasis, which you would call your home. You never show any weakness so that you don''t lose. However, this type of person is usually starving for affection and recognition, and immediately bes attached when shown the smallest amount of support."

    "Attached¡­?"

    Inside my head, I envisioned a dog wagging its tail as it ran towards its owner¡ªWhat am I, some kind of puppy? Also, I will just ignore the fact that the owner in my vision was actually Asamura-kun.

    "When conducting this research, you often encounter cases like these."

    "What kind of cases?"

    "Step-siblings, or step-parents with step-children. Basically strangers who are suddenly forced to live together. When people who are starving for recognition from the opposite sex suddenly start living together with someone like that, and they have more chances to interact with them, it makes it much easier to develop romantic feelings."

    ¡­So I''m one of those cases? For a moment, my mind was seething, but I took a deep breath to calm myself down.

    "Objection."

    "Please."

    "Following that logic, recognition from the opposite sex should be regarded as essential to one''s growth, and when that is missing, more than any natural desire, you immediately develop special feelings for someone from the opposite sex just from the smallest things¡ªis that what you''re trying to say?"

    "Is there anything wrong with that?" She urged me to continue.

    "Is that kind of preconception even correct? If not, then this logic is improper for our modern day and age. It would utterly deny the existence of same-sex marriage or single mothers and fathers. Looking at it from a historical point of view, there is no guarantee that a boy or girl will be raised in a ce with members of the opposite sex close to them."

    "For example?"

    "There is the saying that goes ''after age 7, boys and girls should be kept apart?,'' no?"

    "Yeah, I know that. Although it is fairly outdated."

    "However, that is how things were handled a long time ago. That is why certain locations like a girls'' high school with an all-girls dormitory¡ªor a women''s university¡ªstill exist."

    "Oho."

    I think I got one attack through to her.

    "By the logic you are following, the people raised in these kinds of environments would immediately catch romantic feelings for the opposite sex simply from the smallest connections and interactions, yes?"

    "Yep, yep. And?"

    She sure looks like she''s having fun.

    "You mentioned it before, but I''d like to see the results of your research and whom you are evidently using as your basis. If not for that, simply thinking about it is pointless. And that would also deny the environment I personally grew up in."

    Saying that I became an easy woman simply because my mother did her best to raise me all on her own is something I will not ept in silence.

    "What if your instincts as a living being limited your reasoning power?"

    "If anything, I believe that our ability to reason exists to adjust our instincts to society''s standards."

    "I see. That kind of viewpoint is definitely usible. And?"

    "Without the grounds of the idea that one''s romantic feelings can be made unstable simply because of ack of contact with the opposite sex during one''s growth, it would turn all of this into a singr im. At the same time, it would simply change said im into the old-fashioned societal standard that children need both parents. I cannot agree with that."

    "So you are saying that modern societal standards are different?"

    "I would like to believe that to be the case."

    "Simple belief doesn''t resolve anything."

    "However, even if every living being were to have some kind of essential environment, I believe that relying on this to control one''s instincts would defeat the purpose behind reasoning and intelligence. If this were realized, the standards of society ought to change, and the blind appliance of conventional morals¡ªallowing someone to scream idle and thoughtlessints like ''Your child needs a father''¡ªis worthless. I think." I spoke with a challenging tone, and Professor Kudou, who stood behind the sofa, arms leaning forwards, nodded.

    "Thinking about these sorts of arguments is what we do¡ªin ethics and moral philosophy."

    ¡­! I felt all strength vanish from my body. So that''s what this is.

    "You can keep showing evidence and proving the grounds to your argument as much as you want. For example, biology or psychology thesis papers are bound to have mountains of research that support the hypothesis¡ªHowever, this is nothing but a trend or a tendency, and most certainly not does not point at an answer that will aid your conclusion. The problem you have in your heart is something only you yourself can resolve."

    "It feels like you''ve made me dance on your palm."

    I sank back into the sofa, feeling like a jellyfish onnd. I could only look up at the ceiling and sigh.

    "So Yomiuri-senpai goes through this kind of thing every single day¡­"

    Professor Kudou returned to the sofa, sitting down herself¡ªfar enough to create wrinkles in her new brand suit¡ªbut she said ''Not exactly''.

    "Maybe twice or thrice a week."

    "¡­That''s still too often."

    I feel exhausted. Really, really exhausted. To the point that I''d rather not do this again.

    "Are you not exhausted, Professor?"

    "I wonder. I can''t tell, honestly. I''m bad at not thinking about things. I think about these points all the time. All the time, unless I''m sleeping¡­ but sometimes even in my dreams."

    "Shouldn''t you take a break?"

    "I can''t take a break. I attempted it several times, but I just couldn''t. The only time my thoughts will stop is when I die for good."

    She''s like a fish who will die if it can''t swim. I see. So that''s what she meant when she said she was simply living as a researcher. It all finally made sense.

    "Well, before getting into another dispute, this is just some well-meant advice."

    "Yes?"

    "You assume that you like this Asamura Whatsit, but when have you ever even shared a close rtionship with another man aside from him?"

    "Urk¡­ Well."

    The only male besides Asamura-kun that I know was my father when I was a young child, although I only have faint memories of him. There''s also what little I know of Step-dad from these past three months.

    "There coincidentally happened to be only one member of the opposite sex in your immediate vicinity, so you happened to fall in love with him. Can you confidently say that this isn''t true? Well, I apologize for the harsh way of phrasing that question." Professor Kudou said.

    Considering our entire previous exchange, I was surprised to hear her actually apologize right at the very end.

    "Even if you tell me that¡­ I can''t say for certain."

    "If so, then maybe it would be best for you to interact with many more people, considering how young you are. There''s a chance you find another charming boy that you end up interested in, and you''ll forget about all your worries."

    "With other people¡­"

    "You don''t have to get a lover or anything like that. I used the word ''interact.'' Narrowness of view is the enemy of your intelligence and ability to reason."

    "That is true¡­ I agree."

    "You could also just ignore everything I said as well. Treat it not as the words of a moral philosophy professor, but from a senior and more experienced person in life." She continued. "However, in the event that you interact with another interesting boy, and your own feelings still don''t change despite that, then make sure to treasure whatever feelings you end up with." She gave me these final words, stood up from the sofa, and offered me her hand.

    When I nced over at the clock on the wall, I saw that it was almost time for the lecture. I gratefully epted her hand.

    "That''s right. It''s important to be honest at times, Saki-chan."

    "¡­Actually, I''d prefer it if you called me Ayase."

    After hearing what I said, she made an oddly disappointed expression. Yomiuri-san most likely saw the exhaustion on my face, because she looked very worried when she came to pick me up, but she still treated me kindly with a bit of teasing as always. The lecture on the open campus was also very interesting.

    The theme was love between a brother and sister, using the idea of morals and ethics changing as much as the times for their premise. The fact that love between step-siblings isn''t morally eptable is simply because the morals of current society as a whole see it that way, but personal values do not, and should not, have any rtion to that. Societal morals are always undergoing change, especially every time a person''s freedom of choice shes with those morals in some way or another. It was an interesting topic, to be honest.

    Of course, Professor Kudou was the one who gave the lecture. While walking from left to right at the front of the ssroom, she filled the whiteboard with key points, speaking so passionately that she practically frothed at the mouth. Thest ten minutes were supposed to be question and answer time, but not a single person raised their hands. Looking a bit disappointed, Professor Kudou left the room after her.

    If I had more energy and stamina left, I might have asked her a few things, but at this point in time, I was just exhausted. One day¡ªin the near future, I''d like to ask her. I felt like I could ask her.

    For now, I should look for people other than Asamura-kun with whom I can spend time with. Narrowness of perspective is the enemy of intelligence and ability to reason¡ªWhile chewing on Kudou-sensei''s words, I made my way home. While I was heading back towards the train station, a gentle breeze blew across my back. It was a fall breeze that reminded me of the cold season that was approaching.

 Chapter 46 - 10

    <h4>Chapter 46: Chapter 10</h4>

    26th of September (Saturday) ¨C Asamura Yuuta

    After eating breakfast, I immediately left my home and pedaled my bike down Omotesando street. Even though it was not even 9 am, a lot of people were out and about, and enough people were walking down the street for their shoulders to touch. Yeah, walking down Omotesando street on a weekend like this is just torture. I know that this thought in itself makes me sound like a typical loner, but I couldn''t help feeling that way as I pedaled my way down the street.

    I felt no presence of summer within the wind blowing against me. The scent of the scorching asphalt didn''t even reach my nose, and the sizzling sensation on my skin was weak and barely existent. Sure enough, fall wasing soon. I parked my bike at the bike rack in the parking lot and looked up at the building that contained my preparatory school. It''s been roughly a month since I started going only on Saturdays. My grades had clearly improved after the extra summer sses, as demonstrated on my tests and exams, so I told my parents I wanted to officially attend the prep school and convinced them to let me do so.

    Of course, I wasn''t lying. However, the biggest reason was just that I wanted to be anywhere but home, all so that I could get over these feelings I have for Ayase-san. The student fees consumed a decent amount of my part-time job money, but that was a necessary evil. I wasn''t just trying to escape reality. Another result of my decision was that my grades had gone up even further, and my options in terms of possible universities grew wider in range. I had even been told that directly during the parent-teacher meeting the other day.

    Immediately after entering the building, I stopped for a moment. Usually I would head over to sses right about now, but I had a change of heart. I looked at the map that disyed the preparatory schoolyout and made my way to a different location than my usual ssroom.

    ''Self-study Room.''

    I read the te hanging above the door. I never even realized that they had a room like this here. I opened the door quietly. I saw several desks lined up in a row with a bit of space between them, allowing for unobstructed focus. Well, it''s not like this ce was filled with people either. As you could probably expect. A preparatory school is a ce you generally visit to attend sses and listen to teachers, and if you want to study on your own you can always do it at the library, or even a cafe. Though I bet there are a lot of students who simply don''t know that this room is even here.

    Looking down the row of students, I spotted a familiar face at the very end. It''s Fujunami Summer Sail-san, also known as Kaho-san. Luckily, there was some space open next to her. Since she''s sitting in the row the farthest in the back, there''s nobody else behind her, so I guess that allows for even better focus, huh? In what I assume was a coincidence, Fujinami-san raised her head and spotted me. She then gently nodded and put one finger to her lips, signaling me to be quiet, like she meant to emphasize that no private conversations were allowed in the self-study room. Well, I never had any intention of calling out to her in the first ce.

    I sat down in the final row and took out my studying tools. Since I (obviously) didn''t have anything to talk to Fujinami-san about, I simply focused on my studies. After a bit of time passed and I made good progress with my studies, I understood how pleasant the atmosphere inside this room was. The A/C was regrly giving us cool air, and thanks to the walls on each side of my table, all I could see was what was on my own desk, allowing me to focus even more.

    Simrly, since only other students with the intention of studying were around me, I could feel myself feeling a lot more motivated than usual. This is much better than a library room or cafe with people constantly moving in and out. Thanks to my increased focus, the next time I spaced out, it was already lunchtime. My stomach quietly grumbled. The number of people in the room had decreased as well. They probably went to eat lunch. I cleaned up my desk and stood up, thinking that I might as well buy something to eat from the convenience store myself.

    Fujinami-san did the same, walking towards me. I was confused for a moment, but since I couldn''t bother the people around us, I just silently walked with her to the door. Once we stepped out onto the hallway, I spoke up.

    "Are you going out to eat lunch as well, Fujinami-san?"

    "Yes. Also¡­"

    "Hm?"

    "Since you came all the way to the seat close to mine, I was wondering if you needed something from me."

    "Ah, well¡­"

    It''s not that I had no feelings like that. Ever since I met her at the golf simtion ce, I felt like talking with her a bit more, but¡ª

    "I didn''t really have any urgent business or anything like that¡­"

    "Ah, is that so?"

    "¡­Well, if you''re going to eat lunch, maybe it''d be best to hurry?"

    "I was nning on eating something from the convenience store."

    "Same here."

    "Then let''s buy something first. We can always eat in the lounge."

    "I''ve never been there, now that you mention it. All right, sounds good."

    "Yeah, let''s go."

    ording to what Fujinami-san told me, the lounge is like a resting area that everybody can use at their leisure. You can even eat and drink there (although they prohibit ramen, udon, or any dishes with a strong odor). Well, it''s probably the same as the break room at my work.

    We bought some lunch at the convenience store next to the preparatory school. I went with some stuffed bread and a bottle of tea, while Fujinami-san reached for the onigiri first, but then went for the fruit sandwich as well as some vegetable juice. We brought everything to the lounge, managed to find an open table, and ate our lunch while talking. Though it''s not like I had that many topics we could talk about at my disposal, so we ran out of things to discuss fairly quickly.

    "You really didn''t have anything to talk about with me, I see."

    When Fujinami-san said that, I was honestly pretty depressed. Well, she''s right. I myself am wondering what exactly I''m even doing.

    "Well, I guess."

    "I was thinking of turning you down, you see. Saying something like ''Ie here to study, so this is a bit much.''"

    In other words, she thought I was approaching her because I wanted to hit on her.

    "That wasn''t my intent. Though I was interested in talking with you, that''s it."

    "Isn''t that a cliche phrase you use when trying to hit on someone? Saying that you''re simply interested in them."

    "¡­Maybe?"

    "Yes."

    "Right, sorry about that. I didn''t mean for it to look that way. My bad." I lowered my head as I apologized.

    "It''s fine. It didn''t seem that way to me either. Though I''m done looking like that type of woman."

    "That type of woman¡­ Wait."

    "The type of girl who''s easy to pick up. Since I don''t go to school, I apparently look like the type of girl who only ys around. Well, the fact that it''s not entirely wrong makes me want to cry, but still."

    "You don''t go to school? Ah, sorry, I didn''t mean to pry into your personal affairs."

    "It''s fine. More urately speaking, I don''t attend school in the afternoon."

    "In the afternoon¡­ Ahh, so you go to a part-time school sort of ce?"

    "Since it''s different from an average all-day school, many people think I don''t take school seriously. So, Asamura-san, if you heard the words ''part-time school,'' ''girl,'' and ''goes to a game centerte at night'' in the same sentence, what would you think?"

    These words sounded oddly simr to me.

    "I would think that a girl who attends a part-time school rxes at a game center at night, but that''s about it."

    She narrowed her eyes.

    "Are you being serious? You wouldn''t see me as a girl that has a lot of problems? You wouldn''t see me as a girl who''s easy to hit on and pick up?"

    I see. So that''s why she thought I was hitting on her.

    "Sorry. I don''t know anybody close to me who attends a school with that kind of system, so it just seemed that way to me. I apologize if I offended you in any way, but I really wasn''t looking at you like that."

    "Hmmmm. Well¡­ if that is true, then it would be a very appreciative way of understanding. And very pleasant."

    "I guess so. If there''s one thing I was curious about, then¡ª"

    And this is just my prejudice.

    "I''m curious why you seem to really like golf, Fujinami-san."

    Her eyes opened wide.

    "That?"

    "I mean, it''s pretty unexpected to me, and I can''t help but be curious about it. It was unexpected to see a girl go to a golf simtion ce sote at night."

    "It''s basically that I went at that specific time because I wanted to. It was between work and after school. That was the only time I actually had some freedom, so of course I would go then."

    "Yeah, when I heard that you were at a part-time school, I guessed as much."

    The part-time school system exists for people to get a chance of education alongside their actual job. So, after her job was over, she''d have school, which then would stretchte into the evening, only leaving her with a small time frame to go to that golf ce. Though, I''m a bit unclear about her motives behind that.

    "The thing is, my family actually enjoys golf a lot, so I figured they would be happy if I could y it with them."

    "Oh wow."

    "My family actually isn''t very wealthy. However, these people met at a golf circle at university, and they still enjoy ying together. If I get better at it, we might as well go to a golf course, they said."

    "I see. That sounds nice." Imented, but felt a sense of difort when she called her family ''these people''.

    Of course, I didn''t want to invade her privacy by asking her about that. Though I have to say, when she''s sitting right in front of me like this, her height sure sticks out. She''s probably 180cm tall at least. Because she was wearing simple clothes even on a weekend day, she gave off a in feeling. She''s very careful with her choice of words, and she said that a lot of people would see her as an easy target to get hit on, but if you asked me, she looked like an honor student at Suisei. I can tell how clever she is simply by talking with her. But I also saw two holes in her ears, probably for earrings.

    "Well, the fact that it''s not entirely wrong makes me want to cry, but still."

    Since there was nothing inside those holes, I felt another pang of difort. Maybe she has some special circumstances.

    "Asamura-kun, you keep a fair view about everything, huh?"

    "I wonder. I''d like to think that that''s how I handle things, but¡­"

    The reason I don''t have such a contrived worldview, and the reason I don''te across overly arrogant or narcissistic, is probably all thanks to me reading a lot of books.

    "Is that so? Personally, it looks to me that you are very fair in your exchanges with others."

    "Thanks. I''m d you feel that way," I responded, and Fujinami-san showed a faint smile.

    "I always thought that there was no value in talking to other students at the preparatory school, but conversing with you like this is fun, Asamura-kun."

    "Maybe."

    "Will youe to the self-study room tomorrow as well?"

    "I have afternoon sses Saturday and Sunday, but I should be able to make it in the morning¡­ I think."

    "Then let''s eat lunch together again." Her tone of voice and choice of expressions sounded a bit more open and friendly than before.

    "Got it."

    She gathered all her trash and stood up. I followed suit, and then I spoke up.

    "By the way, there''s something I''m curious about."

    "Eh¡­ what is it?"

    "At the convenience store, you reached for the onigiri but decided against it. Did you not like the stuffing by any chance?" When I asked her this casual question, she showed a surprised reaction, oddly enough.

    "You saw that?"

    "Well, I just happened to notice."

    "I see. I mean, I considered buying onigiri, but decided against it in the end. It''s onigiri after all."

    What does she mean by that?

    "The seaweed might end up sticking to my teeth. That''s why I didn''t."

    "Ohhh."

    "Anyway, see you tomorrow!"

    Almost like she was trying to run away, she quickly made her way back towards the self-study room. While watching her leave, I pondered something. Doing self-study in the morning and taking sses in the afternoon is pretty efficient, isn''t it?

    Evening arrived, and the world lost a lot of its heat. I once again rode my bike from the preparatory school to the bookstore, since I had a shift that day. I changed into my uniform and entered the main store and immediately received orders from the store manager. He told me to hit the register with him. What a rare urrence.

    "Neither Yomiuri-kun nor Ayase-kun have a shift here today, so it seems like you''re stuck with this old man. Sorry about that."

    "No no, please don''t say that. So neither of them have a shift today, huh?"

    I knew that Ayase-san would be off work today, but I didn''t know that Yomiuri-senpai was off work as well.

    "Yeah, Yomiuri-kun had to help at her university."

    "Do you happen to know why?"

    "She said that today was an open campus day."

    "Oh, I see."

    "At first, she had nned oning over after she was done. I didn''t hear it directly from her, but she said something like ''There''s a professor that really wears me out~ I can''t muster up the strength to even work after that!'' if I remember correctly."

    Manager, you didn''t have to imitate her voice¡­ A professor that tires out Yomiuri-senpai, though, huh? It must be that person I saw with herst month at that pancake shop. That reminds me, Ayase-san said she was heading to an open campus event as well, but I didn''t know it was on the same day. Coincidences like these really happen, huh? Then again, if you want to avoid doing it during longer breaks, the best days are Saturdays, Sundays, and other holidays, so I imagine most universities hold it around the same timeframe.

    ording to the manager, having two talented workers missing will lower overall efficiency. When the register is crowded, there''s no time to think about anything else. Thus, I was forced to live through hell with him at my side. After returning home, I entered the living room, and I noticed that somebody had gotten there before me. However, I had thought it was my old man, and not¡ª

    "Wee home, Nii-san."

    "¡­I''m back. Huh? What about dinner?"

    "I didn''t have any yet. Neither did you, right?" She asked as she poured some miso soup into a small bowl.

    I opened the fridge, took out some sd, and put it down on the table along with some dressing. From the instructions Ayase-san would provide on a small note, my body already had started remembering every small detail. Natto, and then¡ª

    "I finished grilling the mackerel."

    "Then I''ll grate the radish."

    As doing it by hand would take some time, I decided to use the radish grater with a tube opening to grate the radish today.

    "How much rice do you want?"

    "A small bowl, please."

    "What about drinks?" I asked Ayase-san while taking out tes and preparing two pairs of chopsticks.

    "I''ll take some warm tea. It''s gotten a lot cooler recently."

    "Gotcha."

    I put some tea leaves into the small teapot, pouring hot water into it from the insted pot. While that was steeping, I prepared two teacups.

    "Thanks."

    "You took care of the food, and even attended that open campus even today, so I can take care of the rest. You must be tired, no?"

    "Not as much as you after a shift at work."

    After we finished all the preparations, we sat down together, enjoying ourte dinner. Once a brief moment of silence passed, we both started telling each other about our day. I began telling her about the preparatory school, about the self-study room I hadn''t known about, and about how it helped improve my studying a lot.

    "Huh, so that preparatory school has a ce like that?"

    "Have you ever visited that school before?"

    "Never. It''s a bit too expensive."

    Ayase-san then described her experiences during the open campus.

    "Wait, you actually ran into Yomiuri-senpai after all?!"

    Ayase-san nodded.

    "But why do you sound so surprised?"

    "I heard from the manager that Yomiuri-senpai also was busy because of an open campus, which is why she had to take the day off. That''s when I found out that you both were off for the same reason."

    "Ahhh, so that''s why¡­"

    "So, what was it like at that university?"

    "I''m exhausted."

    "What?"

    "Ah, wait, no. The open campus in itself was really interesting. It made me realize that you can study all sorts of things at a university¡­ though calling it ''studying'' might not be totally urate."

    "I thought a school or university was a ce to study?"

    "Yeah, about that¡­ How do I put this? I realized that it''s more like a ce to think. And not in the sense that somebody tells you to think about it, but rather to find your own thought process, and put it into your own words."

    I couldn''t confidently state that I immediately understood what she was talking about. The ce I knew as a school and the ce called a university that Ayase-san was describing seemed to be a bit different.

    "And there was a really weird professor."

    "Weird in what way?"

    "That''s all I can say¡­ but I ended up in a bit of a discussion with her."

    Wait¡­ she had a discussion with a person during their first encounter? I was genuinely surprised. Ayase-san might be someone who perpetually revolts against the unfairness of the world and its inhabitants, but I didn''t think she was the type of person to actually stand face to face with someone and have a verbal discussion.

    "The discussion got heated, and I was practically exhausted when it was over."

    "¡­But, it was fun, no?" I asked, and Ayase-san''s eyes widened in response.

    "Huh? Ah, yeah¡­ I¡­ think so. You could tell?"

    "You had a pretty joyful expression when you said how exhausted you were, so I guessed it was fun for you."

    "¡­I see, so you saw right through me." Ayase-san averted her gaze, muttering to herself.

    "Are you interested in Tsukinomiya now?"

    "I don''t know if I can make it there, but¡­ I think I''ll at least try my best for it."

    I see. I''m d to hear that. Ayase-san tried something new and encountered someone who piqued her interest. She managed to have a new encounter. Well, I can''t say I wasn''t bothered by the fact that this happened without me around, and with someone I didn''t know.

    "So, A¡ªNii-san, are you going to visit that self-study room regrly?"

    "Well¡­ I guess I will. I made a promise to head over there tomorrow as well."

    "Promise?"

    "Hm? Yeah, with the person who told me about it. They''re gonna be there tomorrow as well, so we promised to eat lunch together again."

    "Oh, I see. Good for you, Nii-san."

    That''s right, this is something good¡ªfor both of us. Just as Ayase-san has had an encounter that increased her motivation to head to university, I''ve had a new encounter at my prep school, so we''ve both made new acquaintances. This is how things are supposed to be¡ªhow they should be.

    "I can''t make dinner tomorrow," Ayase-san said. She told me about a study session she was nning on having with some of her ssmates.

    "Got it. I''ll be busy tomorrow as well, so¡­ I guess we can just buy some ready-made food."

    I have prep school tomorrow, as well as a shift at workter. We both have our own share of appointments tomorrow, and our schedules aren''t going to ovep one bit. I feel like we''re slowly bing typical 17-year old siblings.

 Chapter 47 - 11

    <h4>Chapter 47: Chapter 11</h4>

    27th of September (Sunday) ¨C Asamura Yuuta

    It felt like the final struggle of summer. With the sun shining directly down onto the earth, the temperatures rose drastically, and by the time I made it to the prep school, it was at least 30¡ãC. In order to immediately escape this heat, I quickly made my way inside the building. After the automatic door closed behind me, separating me from the outside heat, I finally felt like I was able to breathe. After taking a deep breath of the cool air, I started walking.

    I opened the door with the ''Self-study room'' te above it. Even though I had arrived at about the same time as yesterday, the room was a lot more crowded. I looked around the room and spotted Fujinami-san sitting at the same ce as yesterday. Luckily, the seat next to her was open, so I took the opportunity to upy it. She had already been working on her textbooks and notes for a while, judging from how focused she was.

    Naturally, I didn''t call out to her. I simply took out my material, focusing on my physics workbook, which had cost me a few points in my end-of-term exams, thus my final grade was only 70 points. However, that doesn''t correspond to me not understanding what they taught us in ss¡ªI think. Assuming the questions were all fair, achieving 70% like that is a totally fine achievement.

    That being said, I just have troubleing up with the correct form to calcte these things. The physical phenomena taught in high school are mostly things you can envision while reading a book, and I try my best to remember them before it reaches that ss in question. I just keep falling behind in speed when ites to actually performing the calctions.

    Now then¡­ Hmm, write down the speed of eleration an object on a smooth slope experiences, huh? Usually, and not only limited to physics, the most general advice when ites to exam questions is to first read the question carefully. For example, what stands out is the phrase ''Smooth slope''. In other words, it''s a slope where you don''t have to consider friction.

    The reason that an average cardboard box, when set at the top of a hill, doesn''t slide down like a block of ice is because of the friction between the ground and the box. However, average high school physics questions usually don''t follow such a pragmatic approach. On a whim, I started thinking about how this would y out at a university. Ayase-san''s words from yesterday floated around in my mind.

    ''And not in the sense that somebody tells you to think about it, but rather to find your own thought process and put it into your own words.''

    In other words, when attending university, you create the problem you then have to resolve yourself. For example, what if this slope actually had friction? What if this slope didn''t even exist on a like earth? That sounds pretty fun, to be honest. Oh yeah, that was something like that in a science fiction novel I read. If something like this happens on the surface of the moon, there''s barely any gravity to measure, and even a drop of water runs down your skin a lot slower than it would on earth. Oh man, I can''t even imagine what shower scenes would look like if they were animated¡­ eleration, yep. Back to eleration. Um¡­

    I heard the sound of pencils scribbling on top of the paper, followed by the sound of the paper being turned over. Whenever I finished a question and flipped over the page, almost as if responding to my sess, someone else flipped over their page as well. It''s like apetition of sorts. An odd feeling of solidarity filled me, making me smirk.

    However, I still continued to work through my problems in silence, with Fujinami-san next to me. Suddenly, I heard a sliding sound, and when I raised my head, Fujinami-san had gotten up from her seat and was looking over at me. Without uttering a word, she grabbed her bag and pointed at the door.

    ¡­Huh? Is it time already? I panicked a bit and checked my smartphone, and I saw that it was already past 12. I was so focused that lunchtime had arrived without me realizing it. After stepping out onto the hallway, Fujinami-san spoke up.

    "Let''s have lunch at a family restaurant today."

    "A family restaurant?"

    "I know a ce that''s easy on the wallet. How about it?"

    "I see¡­"

    Eating out somewhere shouldn''t hurt once in a while.

    "Then let''s do that."

    As we exited the building, the outdoor heat sted us at full force.

    "It sure is warm today."

    "Well, it''s going to be the fall season soon, so this oppressive heat will onlyst a bit longer."

    As we chatted about the weather, we reached the family restaurant in question. Just as Fujinami-san had said, it was a ce that other students often frequented because it was fairly cheap and manageable. It was some kind of Italian food chain.

    After making our way through the cool interior of the restaurant, Fujinami-san and I sat at a small boxed area, near the windows, facing each other. Since we couldn''t waste too much time, we both quickly ced our orders. I went with a simple carbonara, and Fujinami-san chose the peperoncino.

    "I like eating spicy stuff with lots of olive oil in it."

    "I generally enjoy spicy stuff, but¡­ I studied a bit too hard today, so I''m feeling hungry."

    "You didn''t even notice, after all."

    "Notice what, exactly?"

    "Earlier, I looked at Asamura-kun for a while¡­ and I waited for you to notice."

    So that''s what that was? I thought I had been pulled back to reality because of the sound of her chair moving, but maybe I just felt her gaze on me?

    "You could have just said something."

    "I didn''t want to bother the other students."

    "Oh yeah, why did you decide toe to this family restaurant today?"

    "When I looked at you, I just had the urge. I wanted to talk with you. But there would have been too many eyes around us in the lounge. Ah, I''ll grab some water for the two of us. This ce has self-serve drinks."

    "I''ll go, then."

    "No, you can stay here."

    "I''ll at least carry my own share."

    We discussed this back and forth for a moment but eventually ended up going together. With wet towels and water in hand, we returned to our table. A bitter, we also received our food. Fujinami-san went ahead and put a lot of olive oil, which the restaurant has on the table as a condiment, on her food. She did the same with ck pepper. Using a fork, she scooped up the pasta and started eating. She seems to be used to this sort of food. Maybe shees here frequently?

    Still, I wonder what Fujinami-san was so curious about that she''d stare at me back in the self-study room. Maybe I did something weird? Oh, right, I also need to do my best to help this rtionship grow.

    "Say, Fujinami-san, do you read books?"

    "Read books? Well, I don''t dislike them."

    What a weird response.

    "So that means¡­ you don''t particrly like them either?"

    "Ah. Well, not exactly. I do like reading books, but when ites to my own entertainment, I generally look at the cost-performance aspect. I think I mentioned it before, but I don''t have that much money to spend, so it''s hard for me to really focus on such a hobby."

    "I see¡­"

    "For example, that golf ce. On a weekday night, I can practice as much as I want for the value of two paperback books, so it feels a lot more worth it to me."

    Not to mention that she''ll make her family happy if she gets better at it.

    "What kind of books do you read, Asamura-kun?"

    "Um¡­ Well, whichever piques my interest. I go from popr literature to overseas stuff, and even science-fiction or light novels."

    "Light novels? That isn''t exactly a genre, is it?"

    I smirked. Of course she''d know that.

    "Well, you''re not wrong. There''s science fiction, mystery stories, slice of life, action, and even sports ones sometimes¡­ It isn''t strictly a genre, I guess. Before we were born, they were called juvenile novels."

    "Is that so?"

    "Juvenile in this context means ''Targeted at young boys and girls'', I think."

    In other words, anything aimed at audiences our age is considered juvenile. Light novels, in this contest, are novels easy to read and aimed at a younger audience¡ªor so I''ve heard.

    "If you like science fiction, then are you good with physics?"

    "I wouldn''t say that. If anything, I sometimes struggle with it."

    "Really? But the subject you were working on this morning was physics, no? Considering you were so fast at working through it, I would have imagined you were fairly good at it."

    I was surprised to hear that. She seemed to have been watching me fairly closely.

    "Well, I do like the genre at least."

    "Have you read any good novelstely?"

    After thinking for a bit, I told her about a recent sci-fi novel I read. It''s a tranted one set in the distant future when space travel ismon. Apparently even the president of America has read this novel before. Well, it''s not like someone else reading it will increase my own enjoyment of it, but it''s cool to see how other countries and cultures react to it.

    "I saw it in a bookstore once, but it was a hardcover version, so I couldn''t afford it¡­"

    "Yeah, that makes sense."

    It''s actually a novel Yomiuri-senpai rmended to me. If not for that, I wouldn''t have used my paycheck to buy an expensive hardcover, either.

    "Is there anything that''s a bit easier to pick up?"

    "Maybe one that was turned into a movie recently? It''s a paperback book, and it''s the story of a cat searching for summer."

    "Ah, yes, I''m reading that. It''s originally a ssic overseas sci-fi novel, yes? Even I know about that one. The cat was really cute. I watched trailers for the movie, and the cat was really cute there, too."

    She said ''cute'' twice. I guess she likes cats.

    "Speaking of cats, there are also stories of cats passing away."

    "Yeah¡­"

    From then on, we started talking about books with cats in them. Oh yeah, Yomiuri-senpai actually likes that one mystery novel with the cat detective. I told Fujinami-san about it. She asked me if it was interesting, and although I had only read the preview, I told her it sounded promising at least. It was about a cat who was more clever than any human who helped people solve crimes, so of course it''s quite interesting. When I told her about it, she seemed to be pretty interested.

    Our interests in books aligned fairly well, and our viewpoints on many things were awfully simr, too. It feltfortable to me, like I was talking to Ayase-san. Thinking about how getting to know new people wasn''t as bad as I had initially assumed, I casually nced out the window.

    ¡ªI spotted Ayase-san. She was standing in front of a convenience store trying to avoid the sunshine, gleefully talking with a boy. Why is she here? And who is that boy with her? I immediately pulled my eyes away from the window. Although it was hard to tell from a distance, the boy''s face felt oddly familiar. I think Ayase-san mentioned she had a study session with some people. I wonder what they''re doing there? Why is it just the two of them? Where are her other ssmates?

    "¡­Haaaah."

    I heard a sigh and raised my head.

    "Ah¡­ sorry, what were we talking about?"

    "Um, we weren''t talking about anything."

    Urgh¡­ awkward. I can''t exactly tell her I had been distracted by Ayase-san outside the window.

    "I see, well¡­ Um¡­"

    "You don''t have to force yourself to try and find something to talk about. Well, I was actually curious about that. I mean, I brought up the self-study room at the golf ce, but yesterday, when you came to the room, you looked like¡­" She hesitated for a moment, making an uncertain expression. "Like you were running away from something."

    ¡­Running away? When she said that, my chest tightened up.

    "It looked like that to you?"

    "Yes." Fujinami-san said, and it seemed like the look in her eyes changed.

    Her brownish-ck eyes seemed like they were staring directly into my soul. It feels like I''m having an MRI scan done on me.

    "Your face back then felt all too familiar to me, which is why I couldn''t help feeling curious. Since you were actually studying in that room, I realized that you were a diligent person. So if you weren''t attempting to hit on me, I figured you must be trying to run away from something, or someone."

    "Maybe¡­"

    I personally had no intentions of doing so, but after she said all of that, I found myself unable to deny it. I was taking a step forward, seeking out new rtionships and connections¡­ or so I was telling myself, but maybe I was just turning my back towards reality and running away. If so, then I must have been exceptionally rude. After all, I treated Fujinami-san as a means of running away.

    "Sorry."

    "There''s no need for you to apologize. You haven''t even done anything bad yet. Not to mention that I understand how you must feel."

    I wonder what exactly she means by that.

    "I have experience seeking out other people in an attempt to run away from reality¡­ Ah, I''m sorry, can I order some pudding? The pudding here is very delicious." She said, picking up the tablet to ce an order.

    "This is my one and only thing to look forward to. The small luxury I can afford with my low pay. Even to the point where I would be willing to eat a lunch box every day. However, taking exhaustion from work into consideration, getting enough sleep is also important. If I say I''m eating outside, it''ll be less of a strain."

    Less of a strain¡­ for who? I was about to ask but remembered. Just yesterday, when I asked if she was practicing golf, she said that she wanted to check out a golf course with her family. However, she called them ''these people''. I remembered it vividly because something didn''t sit right with me.

    This way of phrasing it sounded awfully cold, possibly indicating that she''s not too close with her parents. But she doesn''t entirely dislike them. It''s more like¡­ she feels reserved about it? When I considered that, I realized that it might be simr to how I feel towards Akiko-san. Maybe ''these people'' would force themselves to prepare a lunch box for her, just like Akiko-san wanted to force herself to attend the parent-teacher meetings for both Ayase-san and I. So she doesn''t want her parents to do that, but she also can''t afford to make a lunch box for herself.

    That''s why she tells them she''ll eat out, and that''s why she''s a regr at a chain restaurant like this. She immediately scooped up the pudding she ordered, stuffing her cheeks as she narrowed her eyes like a happy cat. In that moment, the tall Fujinami-san looked like a small kitten.

    "Mmm, the taste of happiness~ All of that for half of a 500-yen coin."

    Knowing how fixated she was on cost-performance, these words seemed very much like her. After she finished eating the pudding, she abruptly fixed her posture.

    "So, to return to our previous topic¡­ What you were running away from, was it possibly rted to love?" Since she asked me with a straight gaze, I couldn''t beat around the bush.

    "How did you¡ª?"

    "How did I know? Since you sought out a girl as a means of escaping, I just guessed. It happens quite often, no? Since your love didn''t work out, you desperately looked for a new one to distract yourself."

    "Isn''t that basically the same as hitting on people?"

    "If you do it purposefully, yes. However, there are not many people who are aware they are trying to run away from something. They are just aware they are avoiding something or someone, which only causes them more distress. Well, if you follow this line of thought, you''ll end up bing aware of it, I''m sure." She smiled, which hit even harder than if she had simply med me for it.

    "I''m not really that kind, after all."

    I thought that Ayase-san was always awfully dry towards other people, but Fujinami-san exceeded that even more. I always felt simr to Ayase-san with how cold she could be. It''s not that she doesn''t have any expectations from the other person. More urately, she keeps up an attitude where she has no expectations from the opposite sex. She dislikes having exnations upon exnations foisted upon her, and she''s never attempted to reachmon ground with anyone.

    During our first meeting, Ayase-san said these things in order to filter out my real personality, and I denied it. When I saw her simply smile it off without getting angry, I knew she was the same as me. But Fujinami-san''s smile right now is different. She''s denouncing me.

    "¡­You know, I fell in love with the one person I should not develop feelings for."

    "Very temte."

    "And that stabbed me right where it hurt."

    "You looked like you wanted me to stab you, so I did."

    I subconsciously touched my cheeks¡­ Seriously? Ah, it seems that way. Fujinami-san is ming me after all. Her expression resembles a doctor ready to stab his scalpel into the patient. ''This is where your bad part is, so I''m removing it''¡ªsomething like that. I mean, I''ve only seen the face of a doctor during an operation on TV dramas and so on, but if it was a professional doctor who makes no mistakes, they would have a cold and rational expression like this, no doubt.

    "If I were to prioritize my own selfish feelings, it would hurt my family. I really need to forget about these feelings, but that doesn''t seem to be working out no matter what I do¡­"

    "It''s quite serious, I see."

    I could only sh a wry smile myself. I guess it is that serious for me. Fujinami-san crossed her arms, closely inspecting me with a ''Hmmmm.''

    "Do you have time today after your prep school sses?"

    "I have a shift at work."

    "Then let''s meet after that."

    "I don''t mind, but¡­ can I ask why?"

    "Let''s have some fun, okay? You won''t regret it."

    Honestly speaking, since I had just recently gone outte with Yomiuri-senpai¡­ actually, I wasn''t too bothered by that. I hesitated, thinking of declining at first, but then the sight of Ayase-san and that male ssmate came back to mind. Gloomy and hazy feelings from deep down in my chest reached up to my throat, leaving me unable to say anything.

    "If you need an excuse, then you can just use me as a means of running away from reality. How does that sound?"

    "¡­Now I have no reason to say no."

    "Perfect. It''s decided then."

    We exchanged LINE IDs and returned to the prep school.

    By the time my shift was over, it was already 9 pm. Even so, the streets of Shibuya were as crowded as ever. Shadows of the pedestrians danced through the night, illuminated by the street lights. Fujinami-san and I promised to meet up¡ªnot at the famous Hachiko statue, but rather right in front of the bookstore where I work, just past the intersection near the statue.

    "Sorry for the wait." I said.

    Though since we had decided upon the time and location, I don''t think I made her wait that long.

    "I just got here myself." Fujinami-san responded.

    "So where are we going?"

    "There''s no need to rush things. The night is still young."

    "I don''t n on pulling an all-nighter, okay?" I said with a stern tone.

    Fujinami-san let out a snicker, telling me that she was just teasing.

    "So you work here part-time, Asamura-kun?"

    "Ah, yeah. Youe by as a customer pretty often, no?"

    "Yes. You could have just told me."

    I didn''t mean to actively hide it, but we both weren''t exactly close enough for me to tell her either.

    "I oftene here before work, right after they open shop."

    "Ahh, that''s why I''ve never seen you despite you being a regr."

    That makes total sense. She would alwayse by when I''m at school after all.

    "So why don''t we walk around a bit? I won''t take you to any dangerous ces, though, so you don''t have to be so cautious."

    "I''m thankful for that. I''m not too confident in my physical strength."

    "Your honesty is appreciated," Fujinami-san said and started walking ahead of me.

    From the center of town, we returned to the train station. And then, Fujinami Maho''s Shibuya-at-night tour began.

    "For a healthy and wholesome high school boy like Asamura-kun, something like karaoke is probably fairlymon for you, no?"

    So going for karaoke is considered wholesome? If so, then where are all the delinquent high school boys in today''s world going during their time off?

    "Hmm, I''m not really a karaoke regr."

    I usually go around once every three months with Maru. The reason for that is because Maru wants to practice all the anime songs for currently airing anime. He would memorize the lyrics on his own time, and then let me listen to it to see if it sounds right. In fact, Maru is actually pretty good at singing. Not to mention that he has the volume to back it up. I guess he''s used to shouting asionally during his baseball matches.

    "What an honor student you are. Then how about this ce over there? Ever tried it?"

    I looked across the street, spotting a ck building illuminated by bright lights.

    "A bowling alley?"

    "Not just that. It''s a joint amusement facility, I guess. Bowling, billiards, karaoke, table tennis, and even a game center."

    We made our way over there, and it turned out to be a building I had passed by several times but never entered.

    "Sure is big."

    "And perfectly safe. By the way, a long time ago, bowling and billiards were regarded as adult pleasures. Bowling boomed in the 70s, and billiards in the 80s."

    "Wait, hold on."

    I was forced to organize my thoughts.

    "That makes it half a century ago, almost. The people who yed it back during that time are even older than my old man."

    "Most likely. I was born in the 21st century, so these people are from the generation of my grandparents. This facility in itself is new, though, and since it''s close to the train station, it''s easy to remember. It''s even open until the first train of the next morning, so you can spend the night there if you miss thest train."

    Does this mean she''s had to rely on that before?

    "I''ll try to remember that."

    Though it doesn''t really matter in my case, since I can reach my home either after a short walk or by riding my bike. After that, we returned to the train station, making our way to Shibuya Hikarie1. It was currently 9:27 pm. The sushi-go-round restaurants and curry shops were earning money as usual, notcking for customers. Before my old man remarried and the Ayase Family moved in with us, I once had dinner here at this ce while on the way home.

    In that context, it may be a familiar scenery to me, but Fujinami-san told me about all sorts of establishments that I had never visited before.

    "Asamura-kun is a high school student, so the best I can do is show you the outside of the bars and clubs¡­"

    "Aren''t you around the same age as me, Fujinami-san?"

    "We may be, but the experience we''ve gathered ispletely different, Asamura-kun."

    She sounded like the protagonist out of a story that had gone through several lives already. I never would have imagined to actually hear this kind of phrase in reality.

    "Something like that."

    As we walked around the train station (basically passing from the East gate to the South gate), Fujinami-san didn''t follow Tamagawa street, but instead walked down a small alley.

    "When you live in Shibuya, you tend to forget the silence the night brings. In the countryside, once 7 pm rolls around, even the entertainment districts in many towns go dark."

    "Have you ever gone out there?"

    "From time to time you like to visit a ce where nobody knows you, right?"

    It''s not like I understand where she''sing from. If you asked me if I had ever done something like that, the closest I''vee was kicking empty cans at a public parkte at night. What cleared up my feelings the most was properly throwing away the cans in the small container next to the vending machine.

    "You weren''t doing anything bad, so I think you should be more confident about yourself."

    "Maybe I simply don''t have any guts?"

    "Even if you had guts to act immoral ormit a crime, those kinds of guts wouldn''t assist you in life. Ah, right here. If you like books, you''d best remember this ce." Fujinami-san said, standing in front of an average three-floor building.

    "What is this ce?"

    "A library room."

    "Huh?"

    "Or so they call it, but it''s a ce where you can also drink alcohol. It''s a location that allows you to read books while enjoying some drinks, so it''s popr with both book readers and alcohol enjoyers. Once you''ve graduated and be an adult, I rmend you check it out."

    "¡­I hate to ask the same thing again, but you are a minor, right, Fujinami-san?"

    "Of course. I only know about it, that''s all."

    Even so, she sure knows a lot about ces like these for being a minor. However, whichever ce she may have shown me, she never once tried to enter. Of course, that was a relief to me (Also because they all looked awfully expensive, and I don''t think I''d be able to pay for much with my sry). We simply walked down the streets of the entertainment district, as she drew a mental map for me.

    We continued to stroll through Shibuya at night. Since she said we''d be having some fun, I figured she had a concrete location in mind, but we were simply looking at all sorts of establishments, never stopping once. However, just walking around Shibuya, looking at the various people you passed by, was pretty fun. And I realized that the city had more to offer than I thought. During this time, it felt like we were fish swimming through the wide ocean.

    Entertainment districts are amon phenomenon inrger cities, but that doesn''t make them particrly safe areas. Just walking along the street made me feel nervous from time to time. Fujinami-san continued brazenly walking forwards, despite the possibility of something happening every time we walked into a small side alley. This also happened in the main street.

    By one corner, I spotted a girl my age clinging to the arm of a man who could be my old man. I imagine she''s a minor, but her face was red from alcohol, and she was asking for more with a shaky voice. Another sryman with his tie opened upid on the ground like a tree that had fallen over, sound asleep, and there was another woman who was puking below a streetmp.

    "They''re all lost in the night, right? And yet they have a mask they put on, acting serious during the day." Shemented.

    "Well, I guess so? Even my old man came home drunk from time to time."

    Now that she mentioned it, the reason my old man even met Akiko-san in the first ce was that he had been dragged into the bar where she works by his superior, ending up drunk in the process.

    "When walking down the back alleys of Shibuya," Fujinami-san continued, "The world looks full to the brim of bad, wrong people. However, sometimes I think about what is regarded as right or wrong."

    "Well, having a sugar daddy is a bit questionable."

    Of course, that doesn''t mean I ept having a sugar mommy, either.

    "You need to understand that there are people who can only live this way. Even myself, when I was in middle school¡ª" She nced over towards a girl who was entering a narrow alleyway.

    "I was in the middle of all of these bad people. Right now, I am taking things seriously though, working in the morning, and attending part-time school in the evening."

    "¡­Um." I couldn''t help but tilt my head in confusion.

    So basically, what she wanted me to see weren''t the tourist spots in Shibuya at night, but rather the people who are living under the colorful streetlights?

    "They''re aware that they are not normal, that they''re not average in the eyes of society. However, every single person, no matter which side you view them from, are shaped by the surroundings they have been thrown into, so there''s no absolute right or wrong¡­"

    I finally understood what she was trying to tell me. However, the part I still was confused about was¡ª

    "Why are you telling me this?"

    "Watching you makes me feel like I''m watching my past self, and it annoys me."

    "I look like you did in the past?"

    "Those types of people." She said and pointed at a certain group of people.

    Drunken men were staggering down the street with beet-red faces. A young man wearing a happi coat was trying to advertise the establishment behind him, and beyond him was a woman with wide-open cleavage handing out flyers.

    "You¡ªwere raised in a way that won''t let you have any expectations of women, right?"

    I gulped.

    "You keep a t and dry outlook. This may be your strong point, but considering the reason you were raised this way, it also is a weakness."

    "Weakness¡­"

    "I asked you earlier, right? What you thought about a girl who goes to part-time school during the day, then goes outte to a game center."

    "Yeah, I remember."

    "Back then, you simply epted it at face value. That is very admirable, showing that you can have an unbiased point of view. However, if I were to guess the reason why you even acquired this kind of view¡ª" Fujinami-san let out a sigh and paused like she was searching for the right words.

    She looked down the street, not giving me a nce, as she continued.

    "It''s because you grew up without any expectations of women."

    These words brought back some old memories of when I was a young child back to my mind. The sound of an album I had stopped listening to, and the never-smiling face of my mother. Fujinami-san exined that the reason I acquired this t personality was that I had been forced to watch a good-for-nothing person. In this case, a woman. And she said that she understood how I felt since she had gone through the same thing before.

    "Although in my case, it wasn''t a problem specific to a man or woman. It was just humans in general."

    After that, she began telling me about her past without a shred of hesitation. It happened back when she was in middle school. She lost both her parents at the same time due to an ident. Even though she deserved sympathy and support from the people around her, they instead showered her with cold gazes and words. Her parents'' marriage apparently was against the wishes of the entirety of all their rtives, so when the funeral happened, all Fujinami-san heard wasn''t sadness and grief, but rather belittling of them and people saying that they had deserved this fate.

    Even worse, the aunt who took her in never showed her any love. She always spoke harshly of Fujinami-san''s parents. Of course, not directly, but in a roundabout way, apparently.

    "How cruel¡­"

    "Well, if you went through that, you''d end up going off the rails, no?"

    I couldn''t do anything besides stay silent and nod.

    "Well, of course you would. However, the emotion I felt towards my aunt wasn''t anger, but simply a sense of resignation, and that this couldn''t be helped."

    That apparently was the moment she stopped having any expectations from other people. Ever since then, she began running away from home, or staying outte, in order to protest and rebel against her aunt, living a dested life. Because of these mental reasons, her physical condition never improved, and she ended up skipping a lot of school.

    I understood her point. It''s not like my past was as tragic as hers, but I had never received anything from my real mother either. So while walking next to Fujinami-san, I told her about my own past. Though my words were clearly overshadowed by her previous monologue.

    While talking, we managed to take an entire round trip through Shibuya, reaching Dougenzaka. It shouldn''t take long for the date to change either. With both of her hands in her pockets, Fujinami-san looked up at the sky. Since she was even taller than me, a lot of people passing by turned around to look at her, showing gazes of admiration and surprise. Some people were even giving me dubious looks. Excuse me. I''m not the one dragging her around here. I''m simply following her.

    "Ahh, so frustrating."

    "What is?"

    "We supposedly get a harvest moon tonight."

    I looked up at the sky myself, seeing the bright moon beyond the thin clouds. I see. So it''s a full moon tonight. When I walked home from Shibuya with Ayase-san on that day, there was also a bright moon like this.

    "From now on, the moon will rise even higher."

    "Really?"

    "During the summer, the sun will rise high, whereas the moon has a low orbit. The full moon, that is. In winter it''s the opposite, and the moon rises high. During this time, the moon is still hanging low, but it''s going to start rising more and more now."

    "Expected knowledge from someone who likes physics."

    "If anything, you''d call that knowledge about astronomy. Well, I do like it."

    Fujinami-san looked down from the sky and directly at me. I really don''t know why she cares for me this much.

    "You say that you don''t have any expectations for women, but that probably is a lie."

    "That''s not¡­"

    "The case, yes? I thought the same thing." Fujinami-san guessed what I was about to say and continued. "Until my grandmother pointed it out, I would have never found out that I was lying to myself. That I was deceiving myself."

    "Grandmother¡ª"

    "My current family. Someone different from my aunt. I was adopted."

    While she was ying aroundte at night, the female manager of an illegal sex-oriented establishment found her. That person was skilled at taking care of others, and apparently protected the girl who had fallen out of society from being wrapped up in any criminal acts. She was unable to leave Fujinami-san alone after hearing about herplicated family environment.

    After discussing things with Fujinami-san''s family, including her aunt, as well as a specialist, Fujinami-san was adopted by that person. So on the first day they started living together, that woman told Fujinami-san the following words.

    "''You know, you should probablye to amon understanding with your own heart'', she said."

    "Common understanding?"

    "Compromise, or adjustment. Basically, to not ignore my feelings. That I don''t have any expectations from my mother, that I''m not angry, that this really couldn''t be helped¡ªwas I really fine with that? That''s what she asked me." Was the reason she leaned against the streetmp while saying this because she couldn''t stand without any support?

    Maybe I was just thinking too deeply into it.

    "''What if you actually wanted to have expectations from someone, but your expectations were betrayed once. You must be angry, right?'' She told me, but I disagreed, saying that wasn''t the case."

    "And¡­ then?"

    "She asked me why I was even acting like a delinquent. That was the moment for me. I just started crying. I cried all night."

    At that exact moment, the light turned off. It might have run out of energy. However, in the same moment, the cloud above our heads disappeared, revealing the bright moon directly above us. It was a beautiful harvest moon.

    "Are you trying to forcefully bottle up your feelings, hoping that they will one day be erased, Asamura-kun?"

    My voice wouldn''te out. The bright artificial lights of Shibuya lit up the area, her smile most certainly illuminated by the shop window she was facing, and yet it felt like the bright moon above us was what was creating the light.

    "I mean¡­ I can''t reveal my feelings¡­ no matter what."

    "It would be great if feelings would vanish after you''ve suppressed them long enough. After my parents passed away¡­ it''s been five years. That evening, for the first time, I realized that these feelings that should have been long gone still gued me."

    "Five years?"

    "Feelings don''t disappear. That was the trigger, and that person became my foster parent, freeing me from my aunt. My unstable physical condition disappeared like it had never even existed. I realized that I had never forgiven my aunt and our rtives, and that I was still hung up on that."

    Clouds covered the moon once more, and only the lights of the surrounding buildings illuminated Fujinami-san''s expression.

    "I still believe that your ability to look at others in an unbiased way is your strong point, and something that''s rare in people. However, looking at a person in a t and dry way is different from having no expectations of them. We are human, after all. We can''t help but get our hopes up."

    No matter how much you plead, if you can''t receive what you truly wish for from the bottom of your heart, the scars will remain. We are human after all, huh? The conversation I had with Ayase-san on the day we met came back to mind. Back then she said something to me when the two of us were alone together.

    ''I won''t have any great expectations from you, so I want you to do the same for me.''

    I remembered Ayase-san''s probing expression. She said this to me, since we would start living together from then on, and I felt relieved to hear it. It was because I thought we were the same. If you looked at it objectively, these words were almost so rude you wouldn''t dare to say them during a first meeting. They were words that could even result in anger, but even so, she showed me her true intentions. She searched for a direct confrontation¡­ maybe I didn''t see it at all.

    Did she really not have any expectations? And I could also ask that same question of myself. I only saw this as my old man marrying again. Or maybe I tried to see it that way, but did I really not expect anything at all?

    "Listen, Asamura-kun. If you really were acting in a t and dry way, you wouldn''t keep saying ''I don''t have any expectations of women'' deep down inside of you. The moment you keep emphasizing that, you stop acting in a t way. You be conscious of it, and are shaken by it even more."

    I couldn''t say anything. I coulde up with nothing at all to rebut anything Fujinami-san was telling me.

    "Sorry for talking about something so gloomy. I just felt that way while watching you. That you gave up on your own feelings, stopped prioritizing yourself, and simply hoped for the best from other people. That''s the type of person you are, right? The type of person who immediately trips up whenmon sense and ethics are involved."

    "I find it questionable for a human being to not havemon sense."

    "That''s exactly what I mean. You really are helpless." Fujinami-san sighed.

    And then she continued exining. Not having any expectations of other people. Even if you keep telling yourself that this is the norm, and keep deceiving yourself, you still expect some things and get angry if these expectations aren''t fulfilled, constantly taking damage from that without even being aware of it.

    "Basically, it''s more like ''You''re the one at fault for getting my hopes up'', right?"

    "But getting angry at someone because they didn''t live up to your one-sided expectations is way too selfish."

    "It is selfish, but so are people''s feelings. That''s why I don''t think you should lie to yourself. A lie can''t continue forever." She left these words behind, waved her hand, and walked away.

    Below the vanishing light of the streetmps, I watched her walk off into the distance. I couldn''t argue back. I answered with silence. Even after midnight passed, the noise and sounds of Shibuya did not vanish. Neverending, never-moving, just as I stood still at that very moment. Though it felt like the moon in the sky was smiling down at me.

    ©¤©¤©¤

    1 Tokyo skyscraper and retailplex.

 Chapter 48 - 12

    <h4>Chapter 48: Chapter 12</h4>

    27th of September (Sunday) ¨C Ayase Saki

    "Sakiii! Over here~!"

    I walked past the ticket gate towards Maaya as she waved her hand at me. She was surrounded by a few ssmates of ours. I might actually have been thest one to arrive, so I sped up a bit. While making my way over there, I counted the number of people. Two boys and three girls, including Maaya. If you count me, that makes six people in total. I guess I really am thest one.

    "Sorry, did I make you wait long?"

    "Not at all! There''s still some time left until we were supposed to meet up!" Maaya said with a smile, but I was unsure if I could take that at face value.

    Today''s study session will be happening at Maaya''s home. She apparently lives in a t nearby, but she rarely ever has people over. Her younger brothers are always around, and she has to look after them. Even if she asked a friend over, she would be forced to look after her brothers. That being said, today her parents took her brothers with her, so she can use the living room freely, and she offered to hold the study session there. After making our way away from the train station and walking a bit, we quickly reached the t with Maaya''s apartment.

    "Woah, it''s huge!"

    "What a big ce!"

    "I did my best with it!"

    "It''s not like you had any influence in that, Maaya."

    "Hey now, Saki! Let''s not bring that up!" Maaya''s light tone made everyone around herugh.

    I guess I just don''t personally have this kind of skill. But I remembered what Professor Kudou said during yesterday''s lecture. There are six people here today, two of them boys, and one of them is Shinjou-kun, who nned this study session in the first ce. For now, I started nning on getting to know them.

    After passing through the entrance, we headed to the elevator. Despite the building being so enormous, the elevators seemed to be oddly narrow, so it looked like we would barely manage to fit all six of us in there. Because of this, the two boys ended up taking the elevator after us. After the elevator came to a halt, the automatic door opened and we got off. Beneath the te with the room number was a wooden que that read ''WELCOME'' in adorable handwriting. Probably out of an abundance of caution, they hadn''t written their family name anywhere. Maaya opened the front door and we all went inside. The living room was about 16 square meters in size, and everybody raised voices of excitement upon seeing that.

    "So huuuuuge!"

    "Yeah, we have more than enough space for our study session here."

    "How nice~"

    "Feel free and have a seat wherever~" Maaya urged us, so everyone took their seats around the table.

    As for Maaya, she headed towards the kitchen. I realized what she was nning on doing, so I set down my bag and followed her.

    "Huh? Saki, the toilet''s not this way, you know?"

    "Dummy. Come on, give me some of that."

    I stole three of the one-liter bottles with tea that Maaya had tried to carry alone and headed back to the living room.

    "Everyone, go ahead and grab some of that! Saki-chan, thanks a bunch~" The one who raised her voice now was the girl Maaya always called ''Yumhi.''

    Shinjou-kun also stood up immediately to help. The coasters and sses had already been set out earlier.

    "The people who are worried about the water droplets from the sses are free to use tissues~!"

    "Maaya, it''s okay already, just sit down. You''ll make us feel restless if you do that."

    "Saki is so kind~ Here are some snacks that won''t get your hands dirty."

    "¡­We''re here to study, right?"

    "Of course? But sweets are essential."

    "It seems like the image I have of a study session is different from the image Maaya has¡­"

    Everybodyughed. Though I have to say, this really isn''t something tough about. I know her, and she is being serious. At this rate, this''ll turn into a tea party more than anything. Well, considering the goal that I have in mind, that in itself also wouldn''t hurt either¡ªWait, no.

    "So, how will we handle this study session?" Maaya asked.

    "Is there any subject you''d like to focus on?" I asked.

    "I''m fine with anything~"

    "That''s Narasaka-san for you. She gets top grades in every subject."

    "Honor students really are different~"

    "Hee hee, you can praise me some more~ Jokes aside, how about we all work on the subjects we''re the worst at?"

    "The subject we''re the worst at?"

    "For Yumhi, that would be Japanese, right?"

    Yumhi looked a bit cute as she pouted.

    "It''s simple~ With these numbers, there''s bound to be someone who''s good at a subject. That way we can teach each other if one of us is bad at something."

    Ahh, I see. That makes sense. If we focus on the difference between subjects we''re good and bad at, it changes the question from ''I don''t know if this is right or wrong'' to ''I don''t know if this is the right way to find the solution''. Even if you don''t know the answer to that, if it''s a subject you''re good at, you either know what to look up, or a way to fumble your way through.

    However, if it''s a subject you''re bad at, you can''t consult the dictionary, you can''t use workbooks as a reference, and you also can''t search for it online. If that is the case, what should you do? If you asked me this question a few months ago, I probably wouldn''t have been able to answer. However, now it''s as clear as day to me. You just rely on others. If you sit on someone else''s shoulders, you can see even farther ahead of you. Teaching each other in order to improve the subjects you''re bad at is apletely new idea to me.

    When ites to Asamura-kun¡­ I mean Nii-san, he taught me from time to time. I would show my weaknesses and ask for the answer. At the same time, if I learn of someone else''s weakness, I try to teach them if I can. It''s a ssic give & take. It should be familiar logic to me, yet I never could do this sort of thing before.

    But now I understand. Relying on other people is a skill. Proficiency requires training. I hated relying on others, as well as being relied on. After all, if they expected something from me, I wouldn''t know what to do in order to make them happy. As long as I can''t even take a tiny glimpse inside someone else''s mind, if I don''t directly hear what they want from me, I have no way of knowing what it is. Being able to guess what they wanted would be a convenient skill¡ªthat''s what I always thought.

    If you have anything you want, then just ask. If there are things you don''t want people to do, tell them. If you exchange your feelings with someone, and adjust to each other, then everyone can be happy. This thought is still deeply engraved into me, and I don''t believe it to be wrong. But that means going against my policy. After all, the one person I would have to reveal my feelings to, the one person I would have to adjust to, is the one person I can never tell about my feelings.

    I remembered my biological father and Mom. Even though Mom worked on the side to support him after he failed at hispany, he started resenting her when she found actual sess. It was so unreasonable. It''s not like I''ve suddenly forgiven my biological father. I just have the ability to understand him a bit. He couldn''t show his weakness to Mom. He couldn''t rely on her. He could not create a give & take rtionship with Mom. He didn''t have the skills to rely on his wife.

    So am I not the same? I had no problem telling him about my problem with modern Japanese. And yet I cannot express this feeling inside my chest. My reasoning is that it would be bad if I guessed what it was. But is that really all it is?

    "¡­ki. Saaaakiiii!"

    "Eh?" I raised my head to find Maaya waving her hand in front of my face.

    "Aren''t you hungry?"

    When she asked me that, I realized that my stomach was faintly grumbling. When I checked my phone''s clock, I saw that it was 11:57 am.

    "Eh, it''s lunchtime already?"

    "Yup. So, what should we do? Order something? Maybe make something simple?" Maaya asked. There''s no way we can just make food for six people, though.

    Ordering out food will be expensive as well.

    "I''ll go to the nearest convenience store and buy something."

    "Mm, should we all tag along?"

    "We''d just make the store more crowded. If you tell me what you want, then I can buy it."

    "You try to be mindful of every small thing¡­ Alright, I''ll prepare some small dishes then!"

    I started noting down everyone''s orders and soon realized that it turned out to be quite a lot. Especially when it came to drinks. Then again, I usually go shopping for a lot of things at the same time, so it sounds doable.

    "It''ll be tough carrying all of that on your own, right? Let mee to help you carry it."

    "Ah¡­ Yeah, please do, then."

    Shinjou-kun offered to help, so we both set out for the convenience store. Maaya and the others stayed behind, making some simple dishes.

    The convenience store was fairly close to her apartment. If you faced the main street, in the diagonally opposite corner was an Italian chain restaurant that is fairly popr with students. That reminds me, I saw the billboard for a prep school on the way here, and it turned out to be the one Asamura-kun is attending. Then again, there''s only a handful of popr ones, so it''s not that big of a coincidence.

    ¡­Wait, this isn''t good. I started thinking about Asamura-kun again. I can''t do that. I''ve decided to forge new rtionships. We quickly found the convenience store, which stood out thanks to their red and green billboard, and bought bread, onigiri, some sandwiches, and other snacks. We also bought threerge bottles of tea just to make sure. While I was paying for everything at the register, Shinjou-kun grabbed the heavy stic bag with the bottles inside and carried it himself.

    "You can split some stuff with me."

    "Then please do."

    I said and stuffed the bag of potato chips into my own stic bag. That''s not fair. He''s basically carrying everything on his own right now.

    "I see."

    "Hm?"

    Seeing Shinjou-kun''s smile, I remembered some of my female ssmates talking about how popr he is. It finally clicked for me. He really seems like a gentleman.

    "Just¡­ Thanks for carrying all of that."

    "You''re carrying some stuff yourself, right?"

    "You''re not wrong, but still."

    Well, I''m a bit twisted in that regard, and I feel a lot morefortable if I get stuff foisted onto me rather than taken from me, so I simply think he doesn''t need to be that considerate. All I want to do is to carry my own belongings. Then again, I almost tripped while exiting the convenience store, so I only felt more embarrassed. Thankfully, Shinjou-kun lent me a shoulder, so I made it outside without falling over.

    "T-Thanks."

    "It''s no big deal."

    Or so he says, but he has two heavy bags in his arms, and he''s still supporting a girl like this.

    "You can rely on me more." He muttered, but I really would rather not fall over like that.

    Otherwise, I wouldn''t even be able to confidently live on my own. But because he helped me like this, I already started having doubts about if I might actually be helpless on my own.

    "Say, Ayase."

    I was lost in thought, but when he spoke my name it brought me back to reality.

    "I heard you and Asamura are siblings."

    The words got stuck in my throat.

    "That¡­ a few people know already."

    "I wonder. I actually heard it from Asamura himself."

    "Huh¡­?"

    "At the parent-teacher meeting, I happened to see his mother enter the ssroom with you, so I asked him about it."

    "Ahh¡­ I see."

    I felt relieved. I never expected Asamura-kun to be the type of person to tell people about us being siblings, but given the circumstances, I understood that it couldn''t have been helped. Shinjou-kun must have realized that I evidently didn''t know how to continue the conversation, so he changed the subject.

    "Ayase, you really are so disciplined and down to earth. I thought you must have had a younger brother instead."

    "Not really, it''s normal."

    I really am not someone who can always stay rational.

    "It sure looks that way."

    "You think too highly of me. If anything, you''re the one who has everything under control. You feel like an older brother."

    "I actually have a younger sister."

    "I see¡­ Are you close?"

    "Somewhat? As much as normal siblings are."

    "So you help her carry heavy stuff like this?"

    "Urk, well, that''s normal."

    "Pull on her hand so that she doesn''t fall over?"

    "When we were both younger."

    The reason I felt like teasing him a bit was that I bet his younger sister would be able to brag about having an older brother like him.

    "You really care for your sister. I see. I think that''s amazing."

    "It''s what a normal older brother would do."

    After hearing that, I once again found myself agreeing with him. It would be the normal thing to do as an older brother. All the things Asamura-kun did for me¡ªlook for a part-time job, help me with my studies, find a way to help me study¡ªdid he do all of those things as an older brother? Once again I found myself thinking about him. The next time I raised my head to look around, we had already reached the t.

    The study session ended at around 6 pm. At the end of September, the sun would start to set fairly early, at around half past 5 pm. Although a bit of light remained in the sky for now, it''ll get dark quickly, which was why this was the perfect time to end things.

    Maaya was also informed that her family, with the younger brothers, would return a bit after 6 pm. The studying got derailed a few times here and there, but I think we made good progress. At the very least, I feel like I''ve improved myself.

    Upon leaving the t, I noticed that the eastern sky was already colored in the shade of night, whereas the west still had a bit of red and orange left. Maaya offered to see us off to the train station, but we insisted that she should stay at home and wait for her brothers. That''s why it was just the five of us now. Thest time we talked like that was back during our day at the pool, and I unexpectedly had a lot of fun then.

    "Ayase."

    A voice called out to me, stopping me in my tracks.

    "Shinjou-kun?"

    "Do you have a moment?"

    With this odd manner of calling out to me, I felt like something was off. The others were walking ahead without us, but we should be able to catch up soon enough.

    "They''ll leave us behind, you know?"

    "There''s something I want to talk about."

    "Yes?"

    "Mm¡­Well, how do I put this?" Shinjou-kun lined up next to me and started walking again.

    He seems to be conscious of the people ahead of us, like he doesn''t want to get too close?

    "Do you need something?"

    "Well, I was thinking that it was really today."

    "Yeah, the summer heat sure isn''t letting up this year. At least the cicadas stopped chirping, but it still feels like a summer afternoon."

    Even so, the seasons are slowly changing. Back a few weeks ago, when the entire ind was colored red during the heatstroke warning that came on TV, it''s now changed into somewhat of a yellow. The sunflowers growing at the corner of the streets had started to wither as well, and the clouds in the sky had stopped glowing deep red in the evening. Instead, they were a calm fall color.

    The lights from the streetmps didn''t give off a warm, oppressive light, but rather one that allowed you to calm down, creating a rxing walk home during the sunset. The shadows we cast on the street grew longer and longer, until Shinjou-kun slowed down, eventuallying to a halt altogether. Seeing no other option, I stopped as well. I realized that Shinjou-kun''s face was turned towards me. The way his gaze was fixated on me caused me to feel restless.

    "I like you."

    He said, and right when I was about to raise my voice, I swallowed it back down. He must have felt anxious because I stayed quiet, because he made up his mind, and repeated his words.

    "I like you, Ayase."

    "Oh, really."

    Wait, hold on. That''s not the right response. We both went quiet, and an awkward silence followed.

    "¡­Um, thanks. I''m happy you feel this way, but¡ª" I searched for the right words.

    This is a confession, right? What should I do? I never would have expected Shinjou-kun to feel this way towards me. How should I turn him down... But right when I thought that, I was surprised at myself. Why am I immediately thinking about how to reject him? I know how charming of a person Shinjou-kun is. After watching him all day, I realized that he isn''t a bad person in the slightest. I know that several of my female ssmates are watching him with gazes of interest and affection. Thinking about it rationally, he''s the type of person who anyone would totally be fine with. He''s kind and considerate. If I were his younger sister, I''d surely feel blessed.

    When he called out to me a moment ago, I somehow felt restless. I probably had guessed something like this would happen, but I had decided to ignore it.

    "¡ªI''m sorry." I turned towards Shinjou-kun, deeply lowering my head as I apologized. "I can''t see you in that way¡­"

    "But you''re not going out with anyone, right?"

    "Eh, that''s¡­ true¡­"

    "If so, then I''d like you to go out with me. You might start to see me in that way eventually, no?"

    That''s¡­ I don''t know.

    "Or is it just that you have someone you like, but you haven''t confessed to them yet?"

    "I¡­ don''t."

    "Even so, you won''t go out with me?"

    "Even so, I won''t go out with you."

    I wonder why. I simply can''t see a future where I evere to like him. I know that he''s a good person, and I''m sure he''s a great older brother, and yet¡­

    "So maybe you actually¡­ towards Asamura¡ª"

    "Eh?"

    "No, it''s nothing¡­ I understand. I''ll give up. I don''t want to ruin my rtionship with a ssmate I''m on good terms with."

    "¡­Shinjou-kun."

    "Yeah, I guess I should hang around Asamura some more."

    His words made me twitch in shock.

    "Why?"

    Why did he mention Asamura-kun now?

    "You like your older brother, right?"

    "That''s¡­" I couldn''t immediately deny it.

    I found myself not wanting to affirm it.

    "Ahah, so you''re not denying it. Even though you immediately rejected me in a heartbeat."

    "As an older brother, that is."

    "Hmm? Well, I''ll leave it at that. If I can understand what kind of guy he is and why you like him so much, maybe I''ll still have a chance myself." He said it like he was joking, but I couldn''t really follow his logic.

    Even if you act like the older brother of the person you confessed to, you''ll only end up being liked as an older brother type of person, no? That logic felt odd to me, but he''s not a bad person, so I would be happy if Asamura-kun made some more friends with him. Just then, I heard voices calling for Shinjou-kun and I. They came from our ssmates, who were waiting for us to catch up with them.

    Night was starting to push away the sunset. The curtain had started to lower, bringing an end to this day, pulling the next season closer. By the time we reached the train station, the world had gone dark, and night fully weed us.

    I was about to call for the elevator when I realized that I had gotten a LINE message from Asamura-kun, saying that he was going to take a detour on the way home, and that he would be homete. When I think of him being together with Yomiuri-senpai again, I felt my chest tightening up, gloomy feelings filling the void. That damn delinquent, I cursed him, but I also felt relieved for some reason. My head feels hot. I think I should refrain from looking at his face tonight.

    ''However, in the event that you interact with another interesting boy, and your own feelings still don''t change despite that, then make sure to treasure whatever feelings you end up with.''

    What Professor Kudou said came back to mind. Her words made it sound like she knew the whole truth, which gave them an odd charm, and they felt like they pushed me forward, even if the end of it all would be me going against modern ethics and morals.

    I need time to cool down. I should keep my distance from him for at least one day, making sure I don''t run into him. But if tomorrowes, I''ve calmed down, and my conclusion still hasn''t changed, then¡­

    "Um¡­?"

    "Eh? Ah, I''m sorry, please go ahead!"

    Another resident of the t called out to me, and I realized that I had been standing in front of the elevator this entire time, simply spacing out. I watched the person enter the elevator, waving my hand at them with a wry smile until the door closed.

    ¡ªI''m totally messed up.

 Chapter 49 - 13

    <h4>Chapter 49: Chapter 13</h4>

    28th of September (Monday) ¨C Asamura Yuuta

    The rumbling sound of the A/C was a lot quieter than yesterday. It''s probably because of the temperature going down day by day, but by the time I actually notice the seasons changing, it always seems that it happens on one day. That Monday, my old man left the house earlier than usual. He still had a mountain''s worth of work waiting for him, so he left early without even eating breakfast. Akiko-san herself had yet toe home from work, which meant it was just Ayase-san and I. With high expectations, I opened up the rice cooker that morning and let out a voice of admiration.

    "Woah, that looks delicious."

    A pleasant sweet scent drifted upwards, and I saw small yellow pearls swimming in the sea of white rice. Are these small yellow fragments possibly¡­?

    "We''ll be having chestnut rice today." Ayase-san turned around while warming up the miso soup.

    "Chestnut¡­ I see, it''s that season already."

    This was yet another small but significant change. These kinds of changes pile up, influencing your perception until you finally realize that the season has changed.

    "I was thinking of eating breakfast together today. Do you mind?"

    "Not at all."

    Since it felt like Ayase-san had been avoiding me a lottely, I was surprised to hear that response. However, I also felt the same, so I was more than happy to. Not to mention that there was something I wanted to talk about anyway. So we prepared everything for our first breakfast together after a long break and put our hands together.

    "That reminds me, I also bought some ginkgo nuts and shiitake mushrooms."

    "Ginkgo nuts and shiitake mushrooms? Are you making chawanmushi1?

    "Correct. I''m busy in the morning, so I don''t have time to boil them, but I figured I''d make it for dinner at least."

    "That sounds great."

    This nonchnt but enjoyable conversation began, and we started talking about everything that had happened recently, almost as if to make up for theck of conversation we had over the past month.

    "Oh yeah, you mentioned you ate out somewhere with someone yesterday, right?"

    "Yeah, at an Italian restaurant. It was cheap and affordable, just like everybody says." I answered, and asked a question myself. "That reminds me, I thought I saw you yesterday, Ayase-san. I think you were shopping at a convenience store?"

    "Eh?" Ayase-san''s eyes opened wide. "Ah, now that you mention it, I saw an Italian family restaurant across the street. You were eating there, huh?"

    "So it was you, Ayase-san. I thought I was just seeing things. I think you were with one of your ssmates."

    "Probably when we were out shopping. His name is Shinjou-kun. He''s one of the members of our study group. He also went with us to the poolst summer."

    Upon hearing his name, I remembered something. He''s the guy who called out to me after the parent-teacher meeting ended. The one carrying the tennis racket. A faint sense of unease filled my heart. Even though I have no right to feel this way, I can''t fight against it.

    "We didn''t have anything to eat for lunch, or snacks in general. We also couldn''t make something at home with the number of people we had."

    "Ahh, so that''s why."

    "Yep. I was actually nning on going alone, but in the end, Shinjou-kun helped me a lot while tagging along."

    I see. That exins a lot.

    "Can I ask you something as well?"

    "Sure, go ahead."

    "Yesterday, you came home fairlyte, right? You told me beforehand that you would. Where did you go, though?"

    I found it rather odd and surprising that Ayase-san would ask me that.

    "After my shift at work ended, I took a stroll through Shibuya."

    "Simply walking around? With Yomiuri-san?"

    "No, no. The two of us ate lunch together, and she then invited me out for the evening¡ª"

    "Wait."

    I closed my mouth.

    "That person¡­ is a girl?"

    "Huh¡­?"

    That''s what you''retching onto?

    "Well, yeah."

    "Hmm¡­ I see. So?"

    For some reason, Ayase-san sounded a bit agitated. Then again, it might just be me interpreting that reaction the way it would be most convenient for me. When I thought about that, my mind once again drifted towards that particr thought.

    ''I won''t have any great expectations from you, so I want you to do the same for me.''

    The meaning behind Ayase-san''s probing expression back then¡­ Did she really not expect anything? And that question goes for me as well. Because in reality¡ªI was hoping for something from her. Hoping that she would show a special kind of emotion only directed at me.

    "So I''ve been thinking about some stuff."

    This time, what Fujinami-san said was what was ying back in my mind.

    ''That''s why I don''t think you should lie to yourself. A lie can''t continue forever.''

    This emotion growing deep inside of my chest won''t go away. If so¡ª

    "I''d like us to adjust to each other." I dered with determination in my voice.

    "In regards to what?"

    "You see, I¡­ towards you, Ayase-san, I¡­ have this special emotion in my heart, it seems like."

    The moment these words left my mouth, I did feel a lingering regret in my chest. However, once I''ve said those words, I can''t take them back. I may be determined, but regret will always follow any decision. Even so, the moment my words reached Ayase-san, her expression changed drastically.

    "Wha¡­ Huh? Um¡­ wait¡­ you''re lying."

    "I''m not lying."

    "¡­Is this some sort of joke?"

    "I wouldn''t joke about something like this."

    "Yeah¡­you''re right. You''re not the kind of person who would say these kinds of things, Asamura-kun."

    Ah.

    "Wait, did you just¡ª"

    "Eh? Ah¡ª" Ayase-san closed her mouth.

    "No, never mind, that''s not important right now," I said.

    "You''re¡­ right. So, this, well¡­ emotion." She urged me to continue.

    "I like you¡­I think."

    Ayase-san''s eyes opened wide. Her lips were about to form a smile, but she quickly closed them tightly again.

    "Is that the kind of emotion a man has towards a woman? Or something you feel as a brother towards your younger sister?"

    I didn''t think she would answer my confession with a question.

    "Wha?"

    "Wanting to touch them, wanting to hug them, feeling jealous when seeing them with someone else, is it that kind of emotion?"

    I nodded. After all, this perfectly described how I felt. I realized itst summer, and I thought ''Ah, I like her.'' I don''t want to believe that I could feel something like that towards my younger sister. And yesterday, when I saw her with another boy, I was filled with this nasty and grotesque emotion. If not jealousy, what else would you call it? That''s why I''m sure these feelings I have are not directed at her as my younger sister, but as a woman. That''s what I told her.

    "But there''s no way this kind of emotion would be born between siblings, right?"

    This time, I couldn''t argue back. But at the same time, I remembered something. I remembered Akiko-san, Ayase-san''s mother, at the parent-teacher meeting. She was so overwhelmed upon hearing what I said that she hugged me so passionately. Is that something normal for the Ayase family?

    "No no no, wait a second, Ayase-san."

    "Just the other day, I was told about this myself¡­ When two people of the opposite sex suddenly live together, and if they both didn''t have much experience with the opposite sex, the moment they interact more with each other, it''s easier to develop something resembling romantic feelings, you know."

    I started thinking. Basically, because I was never satisfied while living with my biological mother, I would immediately develop something close to romantic feelings the moment I lived with a woman?

    "No, but, it''s just something that can happen, right?"

    "But it''s not impossible."

    "That''s true, but¡­"

    "What about the possibility that your affection for your younger sister has just gotten stronger?"

    No, there''s no way that''s¡­ possible, right? However¡­ When Ayase-san says it with such confidence, the determination and certainty I had until now started to feel like it had burned up in mes.

    "If so¡­ then I myself can''t say for certain."

    I personally was confident that I am not well-acquainted with this kind of emotion. Being confident in not being confident sure sounds pathetic, to be honest. Eventually, Ayase-san''s expression changed, and she averted her gaze. After that, no proper conversation was born, and we simply continued eating breakfast in awkward silence.

    Over this past month, I''ve continued to avert my eyes from this emotion. Because I am Ayase-san''s¡­ older brother. I tried talking with other people, other girls, seeing the good sides about them. But in the end¡­ this emotion that I have for Ayase-san is something different, something¡­ special. But she says that this emotion might only be something I feel as her older brother?

    After we finished eating breakfast, Ayase-san quickly cleaned up her dishes and prepared to head off to school as always. I chased after her. At this rate, the same back and forth I''ve experienced over this past month will repeat. I rushed towards Ayase-san, who was changing into her outdoor shoes at the front entrance. Once she was done with that, she stood up and stopped moving entirely.

    "Ayase-san."

    "You know," Ayase-san said, her back still turned towards me. "I don''t hate it."

    Huh? What do you mean by that¡ªI wanted to ask, but before I could even open my mouth, Ayase-san turned around towards me. The shoes she had just put on were thrown off in a hurry, and she grabbed my hand, pulling me after her with strength you wouldn''t expect from her slender arms. Overwhelmed by her sudden and unexpected pushiness, I could simply follow her as she dragged me to her room. She closed the door, locked it, and confirmed that all the curtains were pulled close as well, and then turned towards me again¡ª

    "Huh?"

    Time¡ªstopped. It took my head a few moments to fully grasp what just happened, what she had done to me. The first word filling my head: Warm. And then, I don''t even know how to describe it, but what appeared next in my mind was a simple word that almost made me burst out smiling¡ªI felt happiness.

    The sensation of our touching bodies, ovepping, sharing, and melting each other''s warmth into one. Her arms tightly squeezed me, as they wrapped around my back. Even though such an action symbolized restriction, which we both despised, it now made me feel happy that I was needed by her, and I was about to wrap my arms around her back myself, returning my emotions. However, she had already moved away from me at that point.

    "Did that¡­ calm you down?"

    "Huh?"

    "Thank you for being so courageous, Asamura-kun. If I had to think about all of that, all on my own, I wouldn''t even know how painful that could have been¡­ But you carried something so heavy."

    "That¡­ is true, I guess."

    "But, don''t worry. I think I can share that baggage with you."

    In reality, before any happiness set in, I just felt relieved. My confession could very well have led to our rtionshippletely breaking apart. It''s not like I have any particr charming traits, and I''m not nearly as popr as that Shinjou guy. We''re also tied down by our family''s situation. It was definitely a possibility that I could have lost everything with that confession. That''s why this hug from Ayase-san right now felt like a justification, or a stamp of approval.

    "This emotion you mentioned, even if it''s from the point of view of an older brother, or anything beyond that, I don''t hate it at all. In fact, I''m happy."

    "Ayase-san, do you¡ª?"

    "I don''t know. Do I feel this way because we''re siblings, or not?"

    "Ayase-san¡­"

    "But, my desire to reassure you with this hug was real. Because I would be happy if someone hugged me when I was going through a tough time. Without putting a special tag to it, simply stating my feelings, this would be it."

    "¡­Yeah."

    I was probably the same.

    "Let''s adjust like we always would. I don''t want to trouble our parents. You''re the same, right, Asamura-kun?"

    "Yeah. I want them to be happy because they deserve it."

    "Following that line of thought, if you''re close with other girls, I will feel jealous and gloomy. How about that?"

    "Same here. I don''t want to restrain you, but I didn''t really like the sound of that study session."

    "Got it. Me either. I don''t like the idea of you walking around Shibuya with that girl you just mentioned."

    "Sorry."

    "There''s no need for you to apologize. We both have our own rtionships we have to tend to¡­ So you know. This jealousy, I think that it''s very possible to exist between simple brothers and sisters."

    "¡­Maybe."

    I slowly started to see what she was getting at.

    "If we suddenly said that we wanted to be a couple, I''m sure we''d surprise our parents. That''s why, I''ll go with ''Asamura-kun'' as always, and in front of them, it''ll be ''Nii-san''¡ªSo that we''re just siblings¡­ No, not quite." Ayase-san shook her head. "As step-siblings who have a specially close distance, gradually growing more attached¡­ how does that sound?"

    "So we''ll hide it from our parents?"

    "¡­It''s not something we should do. I know."

    Carrying what could be romantic feelings and hugging each other¡­ The moment we did something like this that we couldn''t show our parents, we had strayed off the path of what was right. However, if I wanted to remain just and right, I would be unable to be honest with my true feelings. The only way to break this dilemma was to ept the fact that we are in the wrong, and still keep pushing forward our own desires.

    "No matter what shape it may be, simply knowing that you''ve epted me like this is more happiness than I could ask for."

    "¡­Same here."

    Once again these days with my step-sister changed form, and were filled with secrecy under the pretense of prolonging our rtionship as siblings. Honestly speaking, I can''t say with confidence that we can keep this up for too long. Right now, I''m satisfied with just this one hug, but once these emotions grow stronger, I don''t know how far they will go, and how good I will be at holding them back.

    As we left the t, a chilly fall breeze immediately blew against us, signaling the beginning of a new season. However, I felt no need to wear warm clothes and protect myself against the cold, as my heart and every part of my body was filled with a pleasant warmth.

    ©¤©¤©¤

    1 Savoury steamed egg custard with chicken, mushrooms, etc.

 Chapter 50: Afterword

    <h4>Chapter 50: Afterword</h4>

    Thank you very much for buying the 4th volume of the novelized "Gimai Seikatsu" series. I am the original creator of the YouTube series, as well as the author of this novel series, Mikawa Ghost. Since we had a lot of painful developments during the course of volume 3, I''ve decided to add a few more sweet and heart-warming scenes in volume 4. Personally, I believe that the people who enjoy the happy life of these two together will be satisfied. As for how their rtionship, which is hard to define as ''lovers,'' will progress from now on, and how their lives will change while adapting to this, I''d be happy if you stayed around and continued to watch over them.

    After this, I have a bit of an announcement for a change. As part of this year''s ''Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi! 2022'', Gimai Seikatsu managed to achieve third ce in the neer category. This, of course, is all thanks to all of our fans passionately voting, so I am eternally grateful. I will do my utmost to continuously bring you a series worthy of such a position, so I hope for your continued support.

    On to thanks. To my illustrator Hiten-san, Nakashima Yuki-san who ys the role of Ayase Saki, Amasaki Kouhei-san who ys the role of Asamura Yuuta, Suzuki Ayu-san who ys the role of Narasaka Maaya, Hamano Daiki-san who ys the role of Maru Tomokazu, Suzuki Minori-san who ys the role of Yomiuri Shiori, the video director Ochiai Yusuke and everybody else involved in the YouTube video production, as well as everybody else who helps with publishing and distribution, and of course all my dear readers, thank you very much as always.

    I may not have much space to fully convey my gratitude, but it really means the world to me.

    This has been Mikawa Ghost.

    ©¤©¤©¤

    This is a fan trantion by Cws Trantions,piled together into a file by a fan.

    Please consider buying the official release to support the author, illustrator and their team.

 Chapter 51: Table of Contents

    <h4>Chapter 51: Table of Contents</h4>

    This is a fan trantion by Cws Trantions,piled together into a file by a fan.

    Please consider buying the official release to support the author, illustrator and their team.

    Table of Contents

    Prologue

    Chapter 1

    Chapter 2

    Chapter 3

    Chapter 4

    Chapter 5

    Chapter 6

    Chapter 7

    Chapter 8

    Chapter 9

    Chapter 10

    Chapter 11

    Chapter 12

    Afterword

 Chapter 52: Prologue

    <h4>Chapter 52: Prologue</h4>

    Prologue: Asamura Yuuta

    That day, I, Asamura Yuuta, was strolling around Suisei High''s cultural festival. It was the second week of October, the time of day a tad bit past noon. Upon looking outside the window, I was greeted with the sight of a clear sky and the trees rustling with a cool breeze. Wherever you looked, you would encounter signs that fall hade upon us. Despite the sun still standing tall in the sky, you couldn''t help but crave something warm to drink away the chilliness settling onto your skin.

    When I directed my gaze downward, I spotted arge number of people making their way up a small hill from the school gate, entering the school building like ants entering their nests. It didn''t take much detective work to deduce that Suisei High''s cultural festival was in full bloom this year, too. Us students were excited about this special day of the year, and the asional cheers or apuse filled the cozy air.

    It wasn''t too rare to spot either unfamiliar school uniforms from distant schools or other adults such as guardians or parents and the like. Some of the children running around screaming in excitement were periodically reprimanded by their parents. Amidst the chaos, I spotted a boy and girl holding hands. I hadn''t seen either of them before. And despite that, the way they kept their bodies close to each other, spending time in absolute bliss, caused me to find myself unable to tear my eyes from them. Boldly holding hands in front of other people must be something that only those who openly admit to dating are permitted to do.

    I personally don''t perceive this as something the two of us should be doing in front of others, let alone so confidently. Along with that thought, the appearance of a girl came to mind¡ªAyase Saki. My little sister¡­ or rather, my step-sister.

    About four months ago, the two of us became siblings through the act of our parents'' marriage. Since I had lived through hell with my biological mother, I''d set my mind on not expecting anything from women in general. Ayase-san experienced something somewhat simr and acquired a dry and distant attitude. Despite this grand rift between us, for the sake of our parents'' happiness, we decided to work with each other, to adjust to each other, and to try to be the best kinds of siblings the situation permitted.

    However, through certain events, I''d begun to see Ayase-san not as my little sister but rather as a woman I might or might not be romantically interested in. At the end of September, Ayase-san and I revealed our feelings to each other and adjusted ordingly. We certainly hadn''t reached the status of a clearly-defined lover''s rtionship, but instead we arrived at a decision that would let us meet halfway. We''d continue as siblings the way we''d done before, although being a bit closer and more intimate than an average brother and sister, which will allow us a certain level of physical intimacy that we won''t be too quick to show in public. It''s a mysterious and confusing secret life, that''s for sure.

    Walking around the festival, holding hands while doing so¡­ For a couple like those two, it was something they didn''t have to think twice about, but my current rtionship with Ayase-san won''t permit something like that. At the very least, not in front of other people. Naturally, I''ve given up on keeping secret the fact that Ayase-san and I are siblings. During our parent-teacher meeting, both of us decided that it would ease the burden on our parents if we chose not to attempt to keep it secret any longer. However, that very fact makes it exceptionally difficult, as nobody is allowed to see us as lovers. Brothers and sisters are not societally permitted to be lovers.

    Thew states that, as long as we''re not rted by blood, there are no hurdles standing in our way, but the view of the world and its perceptions is an entirely different matter of conflict. I don''t know how strict thews are, or to what extent they cover our specific case, and the people who don''t bother considering our circumstances and feelings will most likely raise the cry of immorality in the blink of an eye. That in itself seemed far too much to deal with, and we wanted to avoid it.

    I bought two bottles from the ss that was selling drinks, one of them being coffee, the other ck tea (both hot), and quickly made my way away from the noisy hallway. Next I made my way to the special ssroom building''s highest floor, specifically to a certain corner thereof. Upon opening the door there, I found myself on the emergency stairs. There I was greeted by a solitary female student who was standing next to the wall in boredom: Ayase-san.

    "I bought them, Ayase-san."

    "Thanks."

    The highest point of the emergency stairs was the ce farthest from all of the festival noise, and it made it virtually impossible for anybody to spot us. It was probably to be expected that we would decide to meet up here. I handed Ayase-san the bottle of hot tea and sat down next to her.

    "How''s it going?"

    "In what sense?"

    "Are you enjoying the festival?" I asked, and Ayase-san made an expression like she was lost in thought.

    Was my question really that philosophical in nature?

    "Yeah, I think I am. How about you, Asamura-kun?" Ayase-san threw the question back at me.

    Ah, she did it again.

    "Hm? Is something wrong?"

    "No, it''s nothing¡­ Don''t mind me."

    The way she addressed me reverted from her previous "Nii-san" back to "Asamura-kun." As ofte, she''s only been calling me "Nii-san" when we''re at home.

    "I''m enjoying it as well¡­I think."

    I don''t like crowds, nor do I like all of this noise or chaos, but I certainly don''t despite the cheerful atmosphere of the festival.

    "Did you find any interesting ces to check out?"

    "Err¡­Not really, no."

    "Oh, really?"

    "Then again, I think that''s just me. I don''t really know how to¡­ enjoy them."

    "How to enjoy them?"

    "Like¡­my perception of them, I guess?"

    "I see?" Ayase-san''s intonation showed that she wasn''t exactly sure what I meant.

    The fortellers, haunted houses, and other booths I had encountered along the way are bound to be fun with friends or lovers, I''m sure. But if I said that in front of Ayase-san, it''d just sound like a snide remark. Before the actual day of the festival, Ayase-san and I discussed what would and would not be eptable for us to do at a public event like this, and we reached the conclusion that we should resort to only actively talking to each other in isted ces such as this. Naturally, I agreed. However, that doesn''t change the fact that walking around the festival all on my own wasn''t exactly the kind of exciting experience you would envision when picturing a cultural festival.

    "Did you see anything that looked fun?" I asked Ayase-san.

    I tried changing the topic before she could guess how I truly felt.

    "Over there," Ayase-san said, pointing towards a corner of the courtyard.

    Located in the corner of the roughly 400-meter-long circr track in the sports grounds was a small stage with audience seats. The music from therge speakers there was audible even from all the way up here. Since it''s not indoors or under a roof, the words are a bit hard to make out from this distance, but that''s about what you could expect from the limits of a school cultural festival''s PA system.

    "A concert?"

    "Yep. The girls in our ss are doing this¡­err, visual kei band1 thing? I tagged along with a girl who wanted to see it."

    "Oh, interesting. I''ve heard of it, but I can''t say I''ve ever looked into it much."

    I only knew that they dressed in a shy, abstract way. Ayase-san was kind enough to give me an exnation, which pretty much was just a quote from her friend, since she previously thought the same as I. ording to her friend, these bands not only focus on the songs and sound they create, but also the kind of visual image they imprint on the viewers, creating their own personal worldview¡­ or something along those lines. Even the boys from that ss were wearing simrly gaudy clothes with surreal makeup, but the fact that they were handsome made them popr with the girls from other schools. That much I can follow.

    Makeup, stylish clothes, supernatural-looking hairstyle¡­ all of these things aren''t exactly on the list of things I excel at, so I can''t help admiring the people who wholeheartedlymit to it. Even more so if they actually get up on stage looking like that. Well, since I''m not nearly as handsome as them, nor am I even able to y an instrument or sing, thinking about any of this is a waste of effort.

    "Oh yeah, what about your ss, Ayase-san? What are you guys doing again?"

    "A maid cafe."

    "A what?"

    Hearing such an unexpected response from Ayase-san made me bewildered.

    "It was Maaya''s idea, of course."

    "Right."

    "If she brings it up, everybody else will join in no matter what."

    "Yeah, I''d expect as much."

    Ayase-san''s friend Narasaka Maaya-san is exceptionally skilled when ites to talking to others, which makes her famous not only among students of her year but also students throughout the entire school.

    "Then I guess I might check it outter with Maru."

    "Is that a friend of yours?"

    "Yep. We have a lot of cafes this year, right? He said he wanted to check out all the cafes and their special concepts, or something like that."

    "Is it such a big deal?" Ayase-san sounded slightly bewildered.

    "Well, you rarely get to experience something like this."

    The image of Ayase-san dressing up as a Victorian maid, saying ''Wee back, dear master,'' came to mind, which filled me with the desire to actually see it.

    "I''m not dressing up, okay?"

    "Ah, okay."

    I guess I was showing it on my face.

    "My job was to help with the preparations, so I finished up all my work for today."

    "As expected. Good work."

    It''s a bit of a shame, to be perfectly honest.

    "That kind of affectionate customer service is way too much for me," Ayase-san said.

    "Too much how?"

    "It''s more like¡­ I can''t deal with it?"

    "Oh, I see."

    "If I''mpensated for my work, I can see it as necessary customer service, but I have trouble otherwise."

    "That makes sense."

    Whenever our shifts ovepped at work and I got to see Ayase-san''s customer service, she''s never impolite. It''d be more urate to say that she interacts with everyone in a normal way, nothing more. That exins why she has trouble providing services that go beyond the bare minimum.

    Well, I''m having trouble imagining Ayase-san drawing a heart on the omurice someone ordered and carrying it to the table like a maid. Overly-friendly treatment, huh? Would that also refer to an emotional distance¡­ one that a couple would have? I mean, it''s not as if I''m experienced enough to understand exactly what that means.

    A shadow appeared on the emergency stairs. The bright sun up in the sky started to be covered by clouds. Shadows covered the world, and the cold breeze sunk deep into my bones, making my body shiver. The same thing seemed to happen to Ayase-san, and she sat next to me.

    "Should we head back?" I asked.

    "I''m okay."

    I had raised myself halfway up, but I sat back down. If I''m being honest, I wanted to stay like this a bit longer myself. I nced at Ayase-san''s small hand which she had ced right next to my waist. I can''t exin why, but her hand seemed cold to the point that I wanted to ce my own on top of hers to give her warmth. Could I really do that? I never got an answer to this question, as Ayase-san quickly moved her hand away again and started holding her bottle of tea with both hands.

    "It sure is getting a bit cold."

    "It really could have been sunny and warm at least for today." I looked up at the sky, cursing whoever decided to make it so chilly today. "If you''re feeling cold, we don''t have to stay out here, you know?"

    "I''m fine, okay?"

    So Ayase-san said, and she tilted her hips slightly to close the distance between us. I did the same, bringing our shoulders closer. We soon were close enough that we may or may not have been leaning our shoulders together. At the very least, it felt like I could feel Ayase-san''s warmth next to me.

    With this being the case, I abruptly remembered the incident at the end of September, specifically when she hugged me out of the blue. That was the definitive moment where I could directly feel her warmth mixing with mine. And of course, the sheer act of reminiscing in that bliss made a bit of extra heat rush to my cheeks. However, the warmth and happiness I felt back then had now grown hazy and dim. Needless to say, ever since that incident, we never shared physical intimacy to such an extent.

    That hug of hers was a means of reassuring and calming me down after I had gotten anxious, and certainly not of light feelings that we could just replicate whenever we wanted to. I was painfully aware of that. We may have reached the conclusion that, although they might not be of purely romantic origin, we do hold positive affections for each other, and we adjusted in that regard to fit each other''s interests best. If you asked me what had changed since then, though, I would have a hard time finding anything worth mentioning. We simply exchanged our genuine feelings towards each other; nothing more, nothing less.

    That being said, the fact that we hadn''t indulged in any further physical intimacy since then showed that both of us were satisfied with where we were right now. She knows about my feelings and openly epts them. That is something I have confirmed, but it''s more important than anything else, and touching each other is nothing more than the first step¡­ or so I think, at least.

    And despite that, somewhere deep inside my heart, I find myself wishing for more. Not necessarily on the level of holding hands at this point in time, but simply spending more time together. Maybe I should invite her out somewhere? But is that really something she would want? As ofte, these thoughts keeping to mind on a periodic basis.

    Hold on¡­ Is this really okay? Should I really be pondering this all on my own? Interpreting her desires, twisting them to my own convenience, then expecting her to understand what I feel and what I want¡­ Isn''t that the exact type of forcedmunication and attitude that both of us despise? Honesty and adjustment beat everything else. I can''t believe I almost forgot about that.

    "It sure is chilly today," Ayase-san said as she gazed up at the sky.

    "Fall has started, after all."

    "Yeah, you''re right. It is Fall."

    "With such cold breezes left and right, it sure makes me feel like winter''s gonna be right around the corner starting tomorrow."

    "I feel like that''s a bit of a stretch."

    "So anyway¡­ once it gets cold out, it''ll be even more of a pain to go outside, won''t it?"

    Ayase-san is pleasantly perceptive, so she must have already guessed what I was trying to say. However, I couldn''t just let it end there. I needed to finish what I wanted to say. That''s what it means to take the first step and adjust.

    "If you''re okay with it, I''d be happy if we could go out somewhere sometime. Together, you know."

    The few seconds before the response felt like hours, making my heart beat harder than during a marathon. At the same time, a slight change urred in Ayase-san''s expression. It was barely recognizable¡ªalmost to the point where I doubted it myself¡ªbut it felt like she seemed relieved, almost happy.

    "Okay." She faintly nodded.

    I immediately sighed in relief. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. And then I went back to thinking. If we were any normal high school boy and girl couple, we''d probably be enjoying this cultural festival to the fullest. We''d be walking around the school, creating countless precious memories. And yet we met up in an isted location, not even holding hands as we simply sat next to each other. We''re adjusting to each other, making promises to head out somewhere together if time permits it.

    It''s half-baked, and dare I say¡­awkward. We haven''t even properly defined if what is driving us closer is romantic affection or familial love. However, there is one thing I can be absolutely certain about. Sitting on these emergency stairs, distanced from all the noise of the festival, simply enjoying a bit of casual conversation without much meaning to it¡­is what made me feelfortable. And if Ayase-san feels the same way, I would have no greater joy in life at this point.

    The clouds in the sky moved, revealing the bright afternoon sun. Once our bodies had warmed up through the natural sunlight bestowed upon us, we stood up from the emergency stairs and left that isted space one at a time, with a bit of time between us. After that, until the school broadcast dered the conclusion of the festival, we never ran into each other again. Mine and Ayase-san''s cultural festival ended without any particr incident worth mentioning.

    ©¤©¤©¤

    1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_kei

 Chapter 53 - 1

    <h4>Chapter 53: Chapter 1</h4>

    19th of October (Monday) ¨C Asamura Yuuta

    Another week began. I woke up on Monday morning, roughly around 7 am. Upon opening my eyes, I was immediately notified that I had received a LINE message while I was asleep. I turned my phone''s night mode off and ran my eyes over the message. It was a message from Narasaka-san. She sent it at 2:07 am¡­Hold on, after 2 am?

    "She was upte, huh?"

    I definitely don''t think I''d be able to get up on time if I stayed up thatte. Anyway, moving on to the actual message she sent me¡­

    An important notice from Maaya.

    Attention! The uing 21st is actually the day Narasaka Maaya has been blessed upon this earth! In other words, I''ll be holding a birthday party! I know this is pretty abrupt, so you don''t have to worry about a present or anything like that! I just want you to participate, that''s all!

    Sooo¡­she''s inviting me to her birthday party, right? And she''s nning her own birthday party? I rarely ever hear of people doing that. Most of the time it''s just surprise parties thrown by other people. Well, I''ve never held a birthday party of my own, so I''m not exactly one to talk¡­nor have I ever been invited to one. What bothers me most is that Narasaka-san and I aren''t even all that close. If anything, the only connection the two of us have is Ayase-san. And we rarely ever talk at school, let alone run into each other. So she invited me because I''m a friend''s friend? Oh wait, there''s still more to the message.

    Saki ising, too.

    Upon spotting Ayase-san''s name, my heartbeat elerated ever so slightly¡­Err, why is she emphasizing that? Did she catch on to the faint change in our rtionship or something? No, rx. When we nned the trip to the pool, Narasaka-san invited me because I''m Ayase-san''s older brother. She''s the type of girl who sees everybody she''s talked to once as a friend, too, so there might not be any hidden meaning behind it. But that still left me thinking.

    "There''s bound to be a lot of other people, just like back at the pool."

    I remembered my first proper meeting with all of the other students from the different sses. There were people from Ayase-san''s ss, as well as people frompletely unrted sses. The onlymon ground between all of them would be¡­that they''re exceptionally sociable. Leaving me out of the count, of course. Thinking that far, I happened to envision Ayase-san''s rtionships with other people that I did not know, which made an oddly gloomy and hazy emotion grow deep inside my chest.

    I''m jealous, huh? It''s pretty pathetic if you think about it. On the day we confessed how we felt and started adjusting to each other''s wishes, I should have rid myself of this emotion, and yet it''s showing roots once more. Well, noticing its growth and trying to pull it out from its roots is bound to be some kind of positive change I must have gone through. Or so I''d like to think.

    Then there''s also the male student, I think his name was Shinjou, who I spotted at that convenience store together with Ayase-san. I''m not too sure how to react if I were to run into him again. As a basic principle, things will probably work out if I just read the mood as I did during our day at the pool.

    "No, hold on."

    Is it really the same as back then? I read through Narasaka-san''s message once more, only to feel a sense of difort creep up my back. Back then, as a means of showing consideration for everyone participating, she told us to wear our uniforms. However, I don''t see any of that in this message. And there''s another point of concern. Suisei High is seen as a high-level high school inside the city, with rtively strict student and life guidance at work, making it risky to bring goods unrted to the sses to school.

    She said that we didn''t have to worry about presents, but I doubt anybody would really show up with nothing at all, so all participants would have to temporarily head home to then head over to Narasaka-san''s ce.

    "So in other words¡­"

    All participants will probably change into casual clothes. That''s the most logical oue I''m seeing here. I''d stick out like a sore thumb if I was the only one participating in my school uniform. I''m d I realized that so early. I sighed in relief and read the final line of Narasaka-san''s message.

    You and Saki make sure to dress up, you hear me?

    Yep, it seems like my deduction was right on point. Still, she''s prepared quite the hurdle for me to clear, huh? Not only do I have to wear casual clothes, but I''m also supposed to dress myself up? What a terrifying condition you''ve thrown my way, Narasaka-san. I''m about as average as a high school student can be, but when ites to fashion, I''m an absolute novice with no sense at all.

    I''ve never thought of fashion and appearance as an armament like Ayase-san does. That, of course, makes perfect sense, as I don''t see my daily life as a never-ending battle. I wouldn''t need something like an armament. However, now I think I might understand how she feels. Upon thinking about all of the other people who will attend this birthday party, I saw myself as an outcast with no sense of fashion or style. Is this how a soldier feels if they step out on the battlefield without wearing any armor?

    It''s weird. I''m not defending myself or fighting anybody. Yet Ayase-san has been experiencing this on a daily basis. She styled herself up to not be colored by her surroundings, all that she would stand out from the rest of society around her. That thought alone made a shiver run down my spine.

    Fashion, huh? I guess I should look through some fashion magazines for starters. Know your enemy, know thyself, and you shall not fear a hundred battles, as they say. My brain was finally allowed a moment of rest after endless thinking, and I sent Narasaka-san a brief response to the tune of ''I''ll be asking Ayase-san for advice.'' I feel like this is going exactly how Narasaka-san wanted it to go.

    I finished preparing to head out for school and made my way to the living room, only to stop in surprise. Ayase-san isn''t around. Maybe she overslept? Only my old man was sitting at the dining table, not doing anything.

    "You''re not gonna eat, Dad?"

    "I wasn''t sure if I should eat without you two."

    "I see."

    He probably wasn''t too keen to storm in on Ayase-san to wake her up. When I looked at the table, I saw that he had already set up breakfast. There were even some vegetables.

    "But I really should be eating in a bit."

    "Are you still busy at work?"

    "Hm? Yeah¡­ Sure am. Though it''s gotten a lot more rxed as ofte."

    As soon as fall season started, my old man ended up hammered with work, which was why he''d been arriving hometer andter. Akiko-san even seems concerned about him, and I catch her muttering about him from time to time. Well, he never lets on that he''s stressed when he''s at home, which doesn''t help I guess.

    "Should I warm up some miso soup?"

    "The heat''s still on, so you can just put it on there."

    "Gotcha."

    I turned the burner up a bit, put some miso soup into the bowl, and ced it down in front of my old man.

    "Ah, thanks."

    Now, as for the breakfast prepared by Ayase-san¡­I see. Ham and natto along with toasted seaweed, is it? Also, what''s that over in the small bowl? The green-colored food must be boiled spinach, but what''s that white thing? Sardines? I looked over at my old man, who had mixed the natto with the eel, dipping it into soup stock soy sauce. So this is a natto-sardines dish with dressing?

    "I never knew you could eat it that way."

    "Yeah, Akiko-san used to make it for me pretty often. It''s so simple that it really made me wonder why I''d never tried it myself up to this point."

    That''s an easy question. It''s because the food being delicious or not used to not matter to him. He spread the natto-sardines mixture over the white rice and gulped it down. Maybe because he''s busy, or possibly because it''s actually tasty, but he seemed to be scarfing it down quite quickly.

    "The prickly consistency of the nattobined with the gritty sensation of the sardines tastes great, let me tell you. Add some green peri into the mix too, if you''d like. And you can use enoki mushrooms as a supplement for the natto."

    He''s sounding like some kind of cooking show host. But if he hadn''t gotten married to Akiko-san, he''d probably still be eating white rice with raw eggs and soy sauce, so it doesn''t hold that much credibility.

    "I''ll try someter."

    I looked at my old man, who was hurrying to finish his breakfast.

    "Dad?"

    "Hm?"

    "Ah, you can keep eating, it''s no problem. I was just wondering if you were ever concerned about how you looked while standing next to Akiko-san."

    "In what context?"

    "Err¡­ well, she''s always very stylish-looking, right? But you''re not really¡ª"

    "I''m always handsome and stylish, you know."

    "I''m not sure if you should say that in front of your own son." I retorted, and he grinned in response.

    "After Akiko-san and I started going out, I did go through various changes in that regard, but I was always your average sryman, you know?"

    And you still are. Don''t act like you''re hot stuff now.

    "To get back on topic, I don''t force myself to look exceptionally stylish and all that. Not more than what is expected from an adult, I guess?"

    "Oh, I see."

    "I mean, if my profession was something simr to Akiko-san''s, I bet I''d have a different opinion about it, but as long as I don''t look filthy, that''s about all the attention I give my appearance."

    He kept exining his views while munching on his breakfast. ording to him, a businessman wanting to look modern and stylish is an entirely different focal point of fashionpared to the desire of looking more attractive to the opposite sex. Concerning the former, my old man still has the impression that he looks like one, but since he''s married, he doesn''t see any value in dressing up simply to impress. What valuable information he''s giving me.

    I also asked him if he wasn''t concerned about all the men swarming around Akiko-san presumably during her work hours. He paused for a moment, closing his mouth to think about it for a bit.

    "Hmmm¡­ not really? Back when I was still a student, I definitely pondered about the rtionships my crush had with boys and other people in general, but once I started working full-time, I stopped caring about that sort of thing."

    "Working full-time¡­ so you mean after you be a working adult?"

    "Pretty much. Or rather, once I found myself a job, the points of concern in my life changed, I guess? How stylish and hip I looked didn''t influence how much money I earned, if that makes sense."

    "Ah, so that''s why you still care about how you look as a businessman?"

    "I was part of the sales department before, even if it doesn''t look like it. Also, I guess it''d be more urate to say that I had other worries than looking like a model on a catwalk."

    "I see."

    I get what he''s trying to say. There are things that I never bothered with when I was a child, only to slowly but steadily pay more attention to them in high school and beyond. My old man always finished his breakfast with an egg on rice, but up to now, I never felt bothered or inconvenienced by this lifestyle at all. It''s simply amazing of him to even preserve that situation. Even if he''s a blockhead at home.

    "Things were different when I was a student. I was practically trained to be conscious of how I looked inparison to all the other stylish guys around me. In a co-ed school, you''re perpetually surrounded by love and horny teenagers, so the environment engraved that kind of conscious thinking into my brain."

    Or so he says, but¡­

    "Is that really the case?" I pondered.

    "I think so? You must have experienced that as well, right?"

    "I wonder¡­"

    Hearing my vague response, my old man made a worried sigh. Does he think I''m insensitive and dull when ites to trends and that sort of stuff? That I''ll change once I grow up? There''s no way to confirm if he''s speaking the truth or not for as long as I''m still a child.

    "Well, if Akiko-san were working in the samepany as I, I''d probably wear clothes that''d make me look like a rapper in a vain attempt to stand out."

    "I''m quite d I don''t have to see that." I verbally jabbed my old man as he finished his breakfast.

    "That was delicious."

    "I''ll wash the dishester, don''t worry about doing them yourself."

    "Gotcha. I''m heading out, then." He left these words behind as she rushed out of the house on his way to work.

    I checked the clock on the wall to confirm the time. If Ayase-san doesn''t get up sooner orter, she''ll run the risk of ending upte. I figured I might as well call out to her from the hallway, so I headed over to her room. Right as I got there, the door swung wide open. Ayase-san appeared with a panicked expression, only to stop dead in her tracks right in front of me.

    A few seconds passed, giving me the illusion that time had stopped. She had a severe case of bed hair, strands of it standing in every direction, and she was even still in her pajamas. It was a defenseless sight I had never seen on her before, not even after she moved in with us. Ayase-san finally rposed herself from her shocked state, immediately rushing toward the nearby bathroom. Immediately after, she mmed the door in front of me.

    "Err¡­"

    I had the sneaking suspicion that this entire ordeal, namely seeing Ayase-san right after she woke up, made my heart race faster than hers did. Explicably so, as I had never once seen her in such a vulnerable state as her sleepwear. While I realized my heart was beating painfully fast, I also realized how absurd this entire situation was, considering that this was the first time this had happened despite us living together for all these months. But as long as she''s awake, that solves this major problem, at least.

    "¡­If you''re okay with toast, I''ll prepare some for you," I said.

    A few secondster, a faint response came from the opposite end of the door.

    "Sorry, and thanks."

    I returned to the kitchen. I put the bread into the toaster oven and set the timer. I also turned on the burner to warm up the miso soup, took the sliced ham out of the refrigerator, and put it on a te. The door to the bathroom swung open once more and Ayase-san hurried back into her room. During that time, I turned my back toward her to try to reassure her in a way. I imagined she didn''t want to be seen the way she was right now.

    I took out the crispy hot toast and put it on a te, sliding it towards Ayase-san''s seat. The miso soup was close to boiling point, so I turned off the burner and poured a good amount of it into a small bowl. To make a really stylish breakfast with toast, it''d probably be ideal to have some kind of fancy soup with it, but that''d just cause the miso soup to go to waste. When your cooking is limited to a domestic environment, you don''t have to worry about the values of cooking show hosts or critics. It''s all freedom here for us.

    On a somewhat rted sidenote, ording to my observations for the past few months, Ayase-san doesn''t eat natto in the morning. Maybe it''s typical for a girl her age, or maybe it''s rted to her personal preferences, but I nheless decided to leave the natto in the fridge for now. With that, preparations for a perfect breakfast wereplete. At around the same time, Ayase-san entered the living room and sat down on her chair. She had finished dressing up for school, once again showing her perfect armament. I found myself internally pping out of respect.

    "Sorry about that, and thanks for taking care of everything."

    "This much is nothing. And you prepared everythingst night, too. Is this even enough? Should I get out something else?" I nced at the fridge while asking this.

    "It''s more than enough. Really, sorry about this."

    "It''s totally okay. But it''s pretty surprising to see you oversleep."

    "I was on the phone with Maaya untilte at night. It went past my bedtime."

    When she said this, I remembered Narasaka-san''s LINE message.

    "That reminds me, I got a LINE message from Narasaka-san. You''ve probably heard about it already?"

    "Ah¡­ yeah."

    "What should we do about it?"

    I just bluntly asked without giving it much thought, and Ayase-san suddenly froze in ce. She had picked up the boiled spinach with her chopsticks, only to move the toast towards her mouth instead. She noticed this before taking a bite, and she dropped the spinach on top of the toast, added the edible seaweed on top of that, and started munching away. I was a bit bewildered at this strange way of eating your toast, and she made a somewhatplicated expression. She probably didn''t even realize what she''d done.

    "¡­What do you mean? I was thinking of celebrating it with her. What about you?"

    "I''m totally fine with going if she''s okay with it. I just don''t know much about Narasaka-san. She said she was fine without us getting her anything, but turning up empty-handed goes against mymon sense."

    "Ah, yeah. Right. Well, we''re both still in high school, so I don''t think you need to wrack your brain about it that much."

    "You think so? But I''m still a bit confused about what I should get her. I''ve never given a girl a present before."

    "Oh¡­ never?"

    "Nope, never."

    "I see. So this is a first for you¡­ Yeah, it can''t be helped, then. Uhh¡­ Would you like to go buy presents together?"

    "Yeah, good idea. But¡­" I started pouring some tea into my teacup.

    I nced at Ayase-san, using my gaze to ask if she wanted some as well, to which she shook her head. I guess she''s good for now. Then again, toast and tea aren''t the bestbination, I guess. I took my time with the tea and decided to wait until she was done eating. I think this depends on the person, but I try not to clean up any dishes from the table while somebody is still eating. If I did, it''d just make the other person feel rushed, ruining the great taste of the food with that. Well, it''s a trivial thing to be concerned about, I know.

    "¡­If we go shopping around the area here, people from our school might spot us." I continued our discussion from before.

    "Yeah, that makes sense. Going out shopping as just the two of us¡­is not something that should be seen by someone else, then?"

    Rephrasing that, she was asking if it was more eptable if we went out shopping as siblings. I thought about it for a moment and answered.

    "I think it''s something perfectly normal for a couple of siblings who are close to each other to do."

    "Yeah, I agree. But I¡­ don''t want that." Ayase-san mumbled only to continue after choosing her words carefully. "Well, since we''re heading out somewhere together¡­ I don''t want to think about unnecessary things like how other people look at us¡­ and all that."

    "Ahhh¡­that''s a good point."

    Leaving aside the debate if you could call this a date or not, we''re still spending time together. Obviously, I''d prefer if that was a time where we could rx and ignore any possible onlookers and resulting stress.

    "Then let''s do that tomorrow after sses. We both have a shift tonight, so today won''t work anyway."

    "Yup."

    Hearing my suggestion, Ayase-san nibbled away at the corner of her toast and faintly nodded. Since Ayase-san would usually eat breakfast ahead of me and rush out of the house, we rarely have a chance to eat breakfast together. I''m d I got to ask her about this now. I''m feeling oddly thankful to Ayase-san for oversleeping, to be honest.

    "Do you remember what we talked about during the cultural festival?" Ayase-san asked.

    "Of course."

    We promised that we''d take the time to head out somewhere together. It seems like the chance arose a lot faster than we had initially thought.

    Fast forward to the end of this week''s first morning homeroom. A listless atmosphere filled the ssroom as us students either mentally prepared for another tough week ahead of us or indulged in passionate conversations to exchange impressions of the past weekend. I personally am part of the faction that prefers drowning in a listless sensation. I can''t help but admire that the others have so much energy on a Monday morning.

    "You seem oddly exhausted, Asamura."

    My friend Maru Tomokazu loudly pulled his chair back and sat down at the desk in front of me. Since his stature was a good bit taller than mine, whenever he appeared out of the blue, it made me feel like I had been fishing in the woods only to encounter a wild bear.

    "Oh, Maru? I was just admiring the seemingly endless amount of energy everyone has."

    "Are you going to die?"

    "It was just a busy morning. Rx."

    Because of how deep I had been in thought earlier this morning, I had to rush over to this ssroom from the shoe locker to not bete.

    "Sorry to hear that, but I''m afraid there''s still more on your agenda today."

    "What do you mean?" I asked, feeling an ominous premonition.

    "That stalker of yours has been quite relentlessly bothering me. They really want a chance to talk to you, ya hear me?"

    "What kind of manga have you been readingtely¡­?"

    "Don''t try to y this off as some kind of joke. I''m dead serious here."

    "So you say, but who would even bother to stalk me of all people?"

    There aren''t many people at this school I''ve personally talked to. Excluding Maru, there''s pretty much just Ayase-san, Narasaka-san, and the people who were with us on our day at the pool. However, I didn''t have to do much guesswork, as I immediately found the answer. Maru nced over at the hallway and waved his hand, and a male student entered the ssroom with a pleasant smile on his face.

    "Thanks for putting this together, Tomokazu¡­ And it''s been a while, Asamura-kun."

    "Huh? Ah¡­yeah?" I was bewildered for a moment, which dyed my greeting.

    It was none other than Shinjou Keisuke, the smart-looking tennis club regr with his short, dyed hair. He''s one of the people who were with us when our group headed to the pool, and also the person I had previously seen with Ayase-san, which was what made me feel jealous in the first ce. It wasn''t his fault in the slightest, but I had an awkward feeling when dealing with him, so I had to make sure that I didn''t openly show it.

    "He wanted to get to know you better, so he used any possible source of information to look into you. The guy gives me the creeps." Maruined.

    "Oh, really? We''ve talked before, so you could have juste up to me."

    "I still barely know anything about you, so I didn''t want to suddenly impose on you if I was too pushy."

    "And that''s why he came to ask me for help. He told me to introduce you to him." Maru audibly sighed.

    Oh yeah, Shinjou just called Maru "Tomokazu," didn''t he?

    "Are you two close?"

    "Not really, we''ve just known each other since middle school. And since we''re both part of sports clubs, we sometimes exchange information with each other."

    "Oh, wow. That''s a connection I didn''t expect." I was genuinely surprised.

    Two people I encountered at different times turned out to be acquaintances all along. That''s the type of trope you''d expect from a novel. Like when all the puzzle piecese together to exin the greater picture. I guess reality really is stranger than fiction.

    "So what did you want to talk about?" I asked Shinjou-kun.

    To be perfectly honest, I had no idea what it could be.

    "Yeah, about that¡­ Have you got a minute?" He said, leaning over towards me as he nced at Maru.

    He probably meant to say that this was a private conversation only meant to be heard by the three of us. After that, he started talking in a hushed voice.

    "You''re friends with him, you should know about his rtionship with Ayase from my ss, right?" Shinjou said as he looked at Maru.

    "Hm¡­?" He nced at me.

    He probably wanted confirmation that Shinjou-kun was allowed to know. I nodded in silence, and the conversation continued.

    "Sure do. They became siblings after their parents remarried. What about it?"

    "In other words, you should know Ayase the best out of all of us, Asamura-kun."

    "Well, I guess so."

    ¡­Or so I said, but I was genuinely baffled by my own words. What I said just now wasn''t representing my actual feelings in the slightest. We may be living together, but assuming I knew even the slightest bit about Ayase-san would be nothing short of arrogance and conceit. Even her appearance after having overslept is something I had witnessed just today. Yet I bluntly agreed with Shinjou-kun''s assumption¡­ Maybe this impulse sprouted from the slight amount of mental resistance I still had.

    "I reached the conclusion that, if I got to know you better, I might understand Ayase more, and how she ticks."

    "What am I hearing here? Shinjou, are you gunning for Ayase?"

    "Err, well¡­ Yeah, I guess I am." Shinjou-kun awkwardly scratched his cheek after being questioned by Maru''s sharp remark.

    Looking at his face, I was filled with a small glimmer of admiration. I was admiring the fact that he could openly admit and voice his feelings. What surprised me the most was that I wasn''t particrly jealous of his feelings for Ayase-san, but rather his ability to be so honest about them.

    "You too, huh? There''s been some kind of surge in numbers ever since this summer break. Well, she''s always had the looks, and once people found out that those nasty rumors regarding her were fake, it makes sense that guys would start swarming after her."

    "Could you not make us sound like moths gathering around amp?"

    "From the view of an older brother, that''s exactly what this looks like, you know. Right, Asamura? You wouldn''t allow some lowlife to act friendly with you if he''s just gunning for your little sister, yeah?"

    "Now hold on, I''m not asking for this with some ulterior motive like that! Well, I would be lying if I said that wasn''tpletely the case, but I was also curious about what kind of guy he was to end up in a family with Ayase of all people!"

    "Ahaha, you''re not in court, you don''t have to be so desperate with your defense."

    Seeing Shinjou-kun genuinely panic made me burst outughing. Then again, I think he''s being serious here. If he really were focusing on that goal, he should have definitely used a different approach altogether.

    "If it''s just us talking at school like this, I''m fine whenever, to be honest."

    "Seriously¡­?! You''re a huge help, Asamura-kun!"

    "Only at school, though. I''m busy with work once sses are over, so I''d have a hard time finding an open slot."

    I wasn''t just saying that to avoid him as effectively as possible. Besides the one time Maru took me to the anime merch store, we''d never met outside of school.

    "Also, using an honorific with me makes me feel weird. You call Maru "Tomokazu," so feel free to do the same for me."

    "Gotcha. Yuuta it is."

    "Yep, and I''ll go with ''Shinjou''."

    "Wha, not ''Keisuke''?!"

    "I''d rather keep it to second names, to be perfectly honest. Plus I do the same for Maru."

    "I see¡­ Well, I won''tin if that makes it easier for you. Anyway, I''m d to have you around, Yuuta!"

    "Yeah, likewise. And to celebrate our newfound friendship, I have something of a question. I need your help with this as well, Maru."

    "Of course, fire away. Just make sure that it''s a question I can actually answer." Shinjou made a smug expression.

    "Someone''s passionate, all right¡­ but sure. Let''s hear it, Asamura." Maru shook his head.

    Like a godsend during a time of peril, Shinjou looks to be the type to be knowledgeable about fashion, so I might be able to ask him for a tip or two. Naturally, I had a glimmer of hesitation in my mind, considering he has feelings for Ayase-san, but that is that, and this is this. Looking at it from a neutral perspective, his feelings have nothing to do with my question.

    "Leaving aside the potential of being a couple and all that, let''s say there''s a girl you''re interested in, and this girl is participating in a party. Just think of anybody thates to mind, really."

    "I see. And?"

    "What kind of clothes would you wear to that party? The same stuff you usually go with, or something different?"

    Maru prepared his stuff for the uing first period as he thought about it. Shinjou made a serious expression like he was lost in thought. Carefully considering his answer to my question and not justughing it off shows that deep down, he really is a good guy.

    "I wouldn''t go as far as to buy new clothes entirely, but I''d definitely choose the best clothes I have on hand."

    "I see, I see."

    It''s an answer very much like you''d expect from Shinjou, seeing how he cared so much about looking stylish. Maru seemed to agree.

    "Yep, same here."

    "Wait, Maru? You too?"

    "Why so surprised?"

    "I mean, knowing you, I figured you say that your normal clothes would be best."

    "I''m not telling you to go all out. But the other person should at least understand that you''re trying."

    "You want them to understand? Not to make them feel like you''re forcing yourself?" I was surprised to hear Maru''s argument.

    "This depends on the other person, of course. Under any normal circumstances, I''d agree with you. The people who really care for the convenience of others try to keep their very hard work towards that goal a secret. However, this time it''s different. We''re talking about the O of TPO. And in this case, the asion is different."

    "Agreed. The fact that the girl you''re interested in is participating ys a huge role. If anything, not being concerned with your own appearance would be bad manners, I''d say."

    "What Shinjou said, yeah." Maru nodded and continued. "It''s important to show off how you care for a person you hold romantic feelings for, even in the smallest possible ways. Be it a bird or a beast, courting is always made to be visible by the person you are trying to woo."

    "Woo¡­?"

    Hearing that word out of Maru''s mouth made me temporarily perplexed, and I lost my train of thought for a second. Maru didn''t miss that chance, and he proceeded to drop a bombshell of a follow-up.

    "Out with it. Where did that questione from? Have you finally found your Cindere?"

    And why does he look so happy?

    "Not at all, I just asked because I was curious."

    "Spill the beans."

    "No beans for you. And also, there really isn''t anything to tell."

    "And? How did you get to know each other?"

    "Seriously, listen to me¡­ I just wanted to know how you two feel about fashion and all that."

    "Pfft¡­ Hahaha! You''re a great guy, Yuuta."

    "Huh? Did I say something funny?"

    I found myself flustered when Shinjou suddenly burst outughing.

    "I just had to admire your thought process for a second. Like, what kind of clothes you''d wear when heading somewhere with a girl. Discussing something I never really gave any thought up to this point really surprised me."

    "¡­So you usually don''t think about clothes all too much?"

    "Not at all, to be honest. I think this is the first time ever that I''ve actually given it some thought. It feels¡­ refreshing," Shinjou said, smiling.

    What I''ve considered being normal and self-exnatory turned out to be something he had never done before. If you put it in reverse, he saw fashion and the thought behind it as so natural that he didn''t even have to think about it, whereas I had to consciously consider my clothing choices. I always thought some people had it, and some people didn''t, but I guess this is more a "the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence" type of thing.

    "By the way, Shinjou might look like a stylish kind of guy, but he''s not exactly ying fair."

    "Ah, hey, Tomokazu!"

    "What do you mean?"

    "Ack¡­" Shinjou scratched his cheek and exined, seeming reluctant. "Well, err¡­ I have a little sister myself. She''s in her third year of middle school, so whenever we go shopping for clothes and I pick up something that''s not to her liking, she''ll tell me ''You lookme, Bro'' or such."

    "Your sister does that?"

    "Yep. She''s a girl, all right. So having a girl''s opinion when buying clothes is always greatly appreciated."

    "Meaning that you don''t necessarily have to be the greatest fashionista. I see. I never even thought about it that way."

    "Why not ask your own sister to give you some advice on fashion, Yuuta?"

    "Have Ayase-san help me? I don''t think I should¡­"

    "You moron. Ayase''s more like a ssmate to him than a sister, so don''tpare their situation to you and your own sister." Maru jabbed his elbow into Shinjou''s nk.

    He apparently didn''t show much restraint in that, and Shinjou held his side, gasping for air for a bit before he continued.

    "I-I guess so¡­ Then should I ask my sister for help, instead?"

    "That''d probably be even worse."

    I''d just feel bad for getting his sister involved in this mess.

    "You should know that girls are actually into this sort of thing. She has a st looking at pictures of my friends, which then leads to me giving the guys from the tennis club advice on their hairstyles or clothes."

    "So that''s what you two are always up to¡­? Ah, that exins things."

    Students who have siblings generally have a lot more senior-junior connections than only-children students. It''s something I''ve witnessed ever since middle school. I was always curious as to why that was the case, but I guess this is where the siblings-rted conversation skills areing into y, helping them form new rtionships among their surroundings. Maybe the reason a lot of stylish and handsome-looking guys fill Shinjou''s friend group isn''t that they''re trying to constantly one-up each other, but it''s just a result of their constant exchange of information and sharing of the same environment.

    "And since the other guys are doing it, you''re totally A-OK to get some of her advice, Yuuta. If you send me some pictures of you over LINE, I''ll ry them to her no problem."

    "I don''t have any urgent need for that¡­ but I''ll keep it in mind, thanks."

    "Well, that''s about the same for the fashion sense inside the baseball club. Either it''s circumstances that make it easier for guys to pick up on what it means to be stylish, or they study their butts off and learn about it the hard way for whatever possible reason. Without either of those two things, you''re not gonna make much progress. Not to mention that you''re never really up with the newest trends and such, so there''s genuinely no need to rush things." Maru said.

    He should have no way of knowing the minor details of my current predicament, and yet his advice was as good as if he could read my thoughts. That''s my reliable best friend, all right. In that sense, maybe it''d be best to avoid any problems rting to Ayase-san when he''s around. At this rate, he''ll make me ''fess up to everything¡­

    "Oi, Shinjou, the bell rang already. Back to your ssroom! Shoo!"

    "Oh crap, it''s already thiste?"

    We quickly exchanged our LINE IDs.

    "That was fun, you two. I''ll stop by again sometime!"

    "We''re not waiting," said Maru.

    "Catch you around."

    Shinjou left our ssroom while waving his hand at us. I genuinely felt d that I was able to talk to him. I always thought of him as some different type of creature, but this conversation made me realize that we''re more simr than I initially thought. And at the same time, I decided to properly give my own fashion sense some more thought.

    Since we''ve found ourselves in thetter half of October, the sunsets happen a lot quicker than during the summer. After my sses ended, I opted to immediately head over to work without taking a pit stop at home. Around the time I made it to my workce, the sun had already dropped close to the horizon to the east. I''m pretty sure it''s supposed to be all gone by 5 pm.

    Well, give it another two months and we''ll be in the middle of winter. It won''t be long before this chilly breeze changes into a cold wintry wind. It''s already reached the point that I can''t ride my bike anywhere without wearing a thick sweater. But for work, I had to take that off in the changing room, so after that was done and I finished changing into my uniform, I immediately encountered Ayase-san and Yomiuri-senpai upon entering the main office. Today, I have a shift with both of them.

    "Morning, Junior-kun."

    The first to turn around was Yomiuri-senpai, who greeted me ad-hoc. She was wearing our bookstore''s in uniform with our ssic apron on top, rocking the looks of a Japanese beauty with long, glossy ck hair.

    "Good mor¡ªWait, we''re almost done for the day. Isn''t that a bit too early? This is the time to say ''good evening,'' no?"

    "It''s industry terminology, okay?"

    "I don''t know what kind of industry you are secretly a part of, but I''m fairly certain it couldn''t be further from working in a bookstore. So what''s up?"

    "Don''t just let my joke slide into obscurity. A mature reaction is way too boring for a mature adult like me, sniff sniff."

    All I can see is childish behavior from a middle-aged man in the body of a young woman.

    "Saki-chan and I are doomed to be on register duty today."

    "Oh, I see."

    Now it makes sense why Ayase-san has the eyes of a dead fish. I don''t particrly mind cash register duty too much, but it is the most annoying part of working in a bookstore, that''s for sure. Anything rted to the cash register or counter is the most tedious type of work.

    "There''s so many things to remember."

    "But my dear Saki-chan, you learned about everything there is to know in the first two weeks."

    "Just about everything, yes. I still mess up here and there."

    "Diligent, very diligent. It took me three months to get totally used to it. Not to mention that I''ve gotten more sloppypared to when I first started."

    "Is that so?"

    "Nowadays, there''s an even greater choice of possible payment methods. Not just credit cards; there are also a lot of customers who pay via an app. Though we should soon be getting machines that allow for both cards and apps to work simultaneously, thank goodness."

    "Oh, so it''s finally reaching us, too?"

    That is some great news to start the shift. It should make things a lot easier at the cash register.

    "Well, as much as methods of payment have gone up in number, we also lost some things along the way. You rarely see anybody using a library card anymore."

    Ayase-san seemed bewildered to hear that. "What''s a library card?"

    "Wohaaaaa?!"

    How did you even produce such a voice, Senpai?

    "No way, it''s here! This is the generation gap I''ve heard so much about! Junior-kun, did ya hear that just now? That''s what you would call a shiny-sparkly high school girl move. We''ve been blessed with a zoomer!"

    "I find it hard to believe that a gap in generation would cause such a difference in knowledge¡­"

    "It''s all over¡­I''ve be ady-in-waiting¡­a courtdy nobody would dare to woo. Wahhhhh."

    "Why are you verbally crying now? Also, I''ve never heard anybody cry while saying that."

    "Then what about waaah aaaah waaah?"

    She''s just adding more sybles now.

    "So, um¡­ What''s a library card?"

    Before it was time for our shift to start, we tried our hardest to exin the ancient payment method called a "library card" to Ayase-san, but it never really clicked for her. Both library cards and other paper cards like stationery vouchers have all been lost to history as ofte. Even physical cards for phones have been starting to die out.

    I watched the two girls enter the cash register area from the corner of my eye as I moved the trolley behind me towards the bookshelves. On top of the trolley was an empty cardboard box to be packed with returns. I grabbed the list I was given with all the books that will be leaving today and mentally prepared myself.

    "Now then¡­"

    I should start with the bigger stuff. The trick to this kind of work is to get the bigger books out of the way first. Since you''re not exhausted and tired of work yet, your energy should go towards the bigger hurdles. And it makes you feel like you''ve aplished a lot already, which increases your motivation even further. If you were to start with the smaller books, it''ll give you a false sense of lethargy and that you''ve been wasting too much time instead of actually getting work done.

    In this case, I was dealing withrger magazines. I looked through the t table in front of the shelves, picked out the magazines that will be getting their new issues tomorrow, and stuffed them into the cardboard box. If there were only one or two left, some of them could end up being moved from the t table towards the bookshelves, so that required attention, too. Identifying them with just the binding took time, but I made sure to grab everything.

    During my work, I spotted a men''s fashion magazine that seemed like it had never been touched before, its pages ready to cut your fingers¡ªwhich has happened to me before during the winter season. It showed a handsomely-dressed man on the cover. Generally, books of the same genree and leave on the same day, so the fact that we''ll get new magazines tomorrow is merely a coincidence. I''ve probably run my eyes over such fashion magazines countless times before, but I''ve never really given it any proper thought.

    I see, so these kinds of clothes are in fashion right now¡­ Honestly, I wouldn''t be able to tell either way. That reminds me, they usually split these up between men''s and women''s fashion magazines, but do people check out what''s popr for the opposite sex? Or do they put more emphasis on their own fashion sense over what the other people might think? Namely, just as I might not think of a weird women''s hairstyle as cute, a woman might not see any refined taste in the clothes shown in a men''s fashion magazine¡­ maybe?

    I was blessed enough to hear the opinions of Maru and Shinjou, two men, earlier, but I''d love to hear a woman''s view on that. Conveniently enough, Yomiuri-senpai is here. Once I hadpleted all my necessary work, I immediately pushed the trolley to its original ce and made my way to the cash register. Ayase-san spotted me entering the inner perimeter and shot up.

    "I''ll take over for the maintenance," She said and left for the area with the bookshelves.

    Why''s she so restless? I feel like she nced at me in passing, but what was that about¡­? As the time of day was close to evening, the inside of the bookstore was less crowded than a few hours ago. As a result, we ended up practically sitting around bored at the cash registers. There was no line on either of our sides, either. With nothing else to do, and Yomiuri-senpai at my side, I decided now would be a perfect time to consult with her.

    "Were you discussing something with Ayase-san?"

    "Nothin'' at all! Don''t sweat it~"

    "¡­If you say so?"

    Well, it''d be rude to pry into their conversation. Especially considering the possibility that they may have very well been talking about me behind my back. Just the thought gives me shivers.

    "Hm? Is something up, Junior-kun? You''ve got the face of a sleepy frog."

    "What kind of face would that be?"

    "Something like this."

    She half-closed her eyes, jutting out her chin to direct her gaze upwards, with her mouth open like a small chick waiting to be fed¡­ The heck even is this? Was I really making that kind of face? I was worried that I''d be dragged into a weird conversation otherwise, so I decided to just bring up what I had been meaning to ask while redacting any sensitive material.

    "Okay, this is just a hypothetical question. Let''s assume you found yourself a boyfriend, and you two go out on a date."

    "¡­Hee, hee."

    Huh? Hold on, why''d sheugh like that?

    "Anyway¡­ you would probably like your boyfriend to dress up¡­right?"

    Taking in my question, Yomiuri-senpai put one finger on her chin and once more looked up at the ceiling. The way she pursed her lips and stared into the void above her was quite adorable to say the least. She truly resembled a prim and proper university student, but if that''s true, how can she even copy the face of a sleepy frog in the first ce?

    "If he dressed up too much, I''d probably be put under a lot of pressure."

    "Pressure, you say?"

    In other words, it would force the girl to pay more attention to her appearance, and inflictrge anxiety and mental exhaustion. I see, that''s some crucial intel.

    "Then again¡­"

    "Hm?"

    Yomiuri-senpai''s voice showed a faint glimmer of caution.

    "Leaving that aside, there''s no need for him to dress up excessively. Just knowing that he''s trying to make me happy by giving me an easier time would be enough to give me a sense of being treated right."

    These words made me gasp. Maru said something simr along those lines this morning. That showing care and consideration for one''s partner is just as crucial as anything else. At the same time, Yomiuri-senpai''s argument focused more on the idea that one''s partner could be dressing up in an attempt to match the other person, which showed how much they cared. If a boy did this for her, she apparently would think that he was being cute, and would ultimately feel happy.

    "Thank you very much for all of these pointers. I understand where you''reing from, but calling a boy ''cute'' isn''t that much of apliment, is it?"

    "Oh, is that how you feel?"

    "I wouldn''t be too happy to be praised in that particr way¡­"

    "Words hold meaning in the context in which they are spoken, Junior-kun. As the book lover you profess yourself to be, that should bemon sense!"

    "Context¡­Indeed. So, what would be the meaning of ''cute'' in that particr context?"

    "Respect!"

    "I shouldn''t have asked¡­"

    "Just kidding, what it really means is¡­"

    Yomiuri-senpai spotted a customer walking towards her cash register and switched to work mode while saying her next sentence so quickly that I wasn''t even able to react.

    "''I love you a lot, you lucky guy'' is what that means."

    The fact that she could say such an embarrassing line with a straight face made me feel nothing but admiration for her for a split second, but upon closer reflection, that line invoked no doubts or further questions inside my mind, so this is most likely how Yomiuri-senpai would feel in this context. Needless to say, the same thing isn''t guaranteed for Ayase-san, and I would bet good money that there are quite a few women in the world who would vehemently disagree. In the end, I''d be best off buying a fashion magazine to studyter¡­

    10 pm rolled around, and after the end of our respective shifts, Ayase-san and I made our way home. I had to push my bike as always, with Ayase-san walking next to me. I could see her hands poking out from the sleeves of her winter clothes, which looked a bit cold to me. Since the sun set earlier, the temperature naturally had started to drop quite quickly.

    "Do you not have any gloves on you?"

    "It''s still too early. It''s barely October. But it is a bit chilly today."

    The thermometer at Shibuya train station said it was currently 9¡ãC. Considering the season we''re in, you could say this is a rare cold snap.

    "Should we go buy something warm at the convenience store on the way home?"

    "I''m fine. We''ll be home soon, anyway. It''d just be a waste."

    "Okay¡­ Well, I guess so."

    In times like these, I find myself unsure of how to handle the situation, considering our current rtionship. Holding hands may have been an option if I didn''t have to keep both my hands on my bike. In the manga I read a long time ago, the protagonist forcefully stuffed the girl''s hand into his own pocket to warm them up, but I fear that kind of embarrassing action is reserved for people who are strictly a couple. If somebody asked me if I''d like to do that, I would probably politely decline to save my face in public.

    In other words, maybe my ideal rtionship with Ayase-san isn''t that of lovers, but rather that of normal step-siblings who care for each other. That brings up a question: Is this emotion I feel towards Ayase-san really that of romantic affection, or is it not? I still have yet to find a definitive answer to the question she posed that day. And while I was lost in thought once again, Ayase-san had already stuffed her hands into her pockets.

    "What?"

    "Ah, well¡­"

    There was no way I could confess the thoughts filling my head at that moment, which is why I frantically searched for any possible way of changing the topic. I attempted this by closely observing Ayase-san''s current appearance, and then I thought of something.

    "Your outfit¡­"

    "Huh?"

    "I mean, we first met in the summer, right? Seeing your winter clothing just felt so¡­fresh to me."

    "Does it look weird?"

    "No, not at all. Um¡­ it looks great."

    Ayase-san''s body tightened up to the point I could faintly see it, and she directed her gaze forward.

    "You won''t get anything from praising me."

    "That''s just my genuine impression."

    "Oh really, now. That''s so like you, Asamura-kun¡­"

    I wonder what she meant by that.

    "I''m looking forward to going shopping tomorrow."

    "Me too."

    The me of our conversation burnt out with that final exchange, and we continued to walk the rest of our way home in silence. Each time we passed through the ring of light provided by the street lights periodically ced on the side of the road, I could see the faint image of Ayase-san''s face. For a moment, I indulged in her profile as she walked on ahead with a straight back.

    Stunning, I thought to myself. We may not have talked much, but I didn''t feel discouraged in the slightest. Instead, even this small stretch from work back home, and the short time of being together with her that it gave me, filled me with plenty of happiness.

 Chapter 54 - 2

    <h4>Chapter 54: Chapter 2</h4>

    19th of October (Monday) ¨C Ayase Saki

    Shortly after midnight, I once again found myself lost in thought. The main thing on my mind naturally was the promise Asamura-kun and I made on the day of the cultural festival¡­ that we''d head out and go somewhere. Just the two of us. Ever since then, my mind had been filled with questions such as where to even go, how to invite him, and what there was for us to do.

    The biggest problem of all was Asamura-kun''s attitude. The way he interacted with and around me filled me with anxiety that he may have forgotten about our promise, which is why I am agonizing about it in silence. It made me feel like I was the only one who was constantly thinking about it, that I was the only one who genuinely was looking forward to it, and this caused me to toss and turn in my bed over and over. Come on, I''ll end up missing precious sleep if this continues. So I keep telling myself, and yet¡­

    It''s Monday already. Once I wake up, it''ll be time for school. I pulled my nket up over my head and forced my eyes shut. I need to sleep. It''s time to sleep¡­ I kept telling myself. I was still telling myself this when my phone''s ringtone pierced through the silence.

    "Oh,e on now¡­"

    I grabbed my phone to check who''d bother me thiste, which unsurprisingly turned out to be Maaya. I had a LINE message from her.

    "What time do you think it is?" I grumbled to myself as I ran my eyes over her message.

    ''I can''t sleep, help meee!''

    You too? I sighed to myself and typed a response.

    ''Sleep.''

    ''But I''ve been thinking about it for hours on end now! I just watched a video and the guy in it said something so weird!''

    ''What did he say?''

    ''He said "We''ve thoroughly confirmed everything!", which in itself is fine, but think about it! When we are sure of something, we use ´_ followed by the verb ofpiling something with the kanji ÕJ to form the word ''confirm'' and the kanji ´_ÕJ. It''s been like this forever. Yet the fall Âä from a horse ñR is what we put together in ÂäñR. The kanji for the verbs are switched, and it''s driving me nuts!"

    Who the hell cares about that?

    ''So I was thinking; what if we changed that up? But the deeper I went down the rabbit hole, the more messed up my head became! It makes me want to stop using that phrase!''

    That mattered even less than her previous dilemma.

    ''Go to bed.''

    ''Nooo! Let''s think about this together!''

    ''Why are you watching videos at this hour anyway?''

    I asked her that in the heat of the moment, and Maaya immediately returned a lengthy message exining the reason. Maaya would always send messages that are dense in content. I''m always a bit surprised how quickly she can type them up. To sum up what she told me in a few words, she had watched thete-night anime she couldn''t miss, which is why she was wide awake. In an attempt to get sleepy again, she started watching someone''s livestream, which achieved the opposite effect.

    My very firstment on that would be: Don''t involve your friends in your own problems. Secondly, I''m pretty sure there are streaming services that allow you to watch anime episodes on demand. There''s no actual reason to stay upte to watch them anymore. And Maaya herself had made that very argument not too long ago. So why did she have to watch the episodes in real-time?

    ''I do use streaming services like that, but it doesn''t beat the feeling of watching them in real-time! The feeling of being connected to all sorts of people across the world as they watch the same anime episode as you are and feel the same emotions in that very moment is something you can''t easily replicate!''

    ''You have no way of knowing if they''re feeling the same emotions, do you?''

    ''  ! Don''t spoil my fun, Sakinosuke! I do most humbly have to admit I am unquestionably disappointed in you!''

    Sakinosuke? Is that me? When did this turn into a historical drama?

    ''¡­Ah, my fingers are all tired now. I''m gettin'' cramps.''

    How do you get cramps from texting?

    ''If you''re still up, should we call instead?''

    Again, don''t drag me into the mess you''ve created¡­ Sheesh. I was really hoping to get some sleep, but I happened to coincidentally remember something I''d been meaning to ask, so I agreed. The instant I sent her my response, the notification for the iing call popped up on my phone. So fast. She probably had her finger on the call button.

    "Aloha, Saki~"

    "Did you move to Hawaii?"

    "I''m feeling lonely so I wanted to warm up my dampened mood with some good vibes."

    "¡­I''m gonna hang up."

    "Ahhh, nooo! Pay attention to meee! ¡­Oh, also."

    "What is it now?"

    I was surprised by Maaya''s sudden change of tone.

    "Saki, there''s something you wanna ask me, right?"

    "¡­Huh? No, not at all."

    "Reallyyy? You usually go through life at your own pace, so normally you wouldn''t agree to a phone call thiste, right?"

    "Ack."

    "And I figured you said ''yes'' because you need my advice on something, no?"

    "Seriously¡­ sometimes you''re way too sharp for your own good." I sighed in defeat.

    I was thinking of guiding the conversation in a direction that''d allow me to ask it naturally, but my good friend seems immune to such techniques.

    "I knew it."

    "Well, you know¡­ Let''s take a hypothetical scenario where you''re going out somewhere with a random boy."

    "Going where?"

    "Um, the ce doesn''t matter much. You just want to go anywhere with this boy."

    "Okay, I got it."

    "How would you invite him in a natural way?"

    "Are you going out somewhere with Asamura-kun?"

    Wha?!

    "I-I never once mentioned Asamura-kun''s name, right?"

    "Saki, you wouldn''t care about some random person, right? If it weren''t somebody close to you, you''d act like the world''s greatest sniper and keep your distance from everyone with a cold attitude like the second ice age befell all of humanity."

    "¡­Is that how you see me, Maaya?"

    "I mean, Asamura-kun would be about the only person who''d make you worry and concerned about inviting someone out."

    That''s not¡­

    "Shinjou''s attacks have simmered down as ofte, so it''s gotta be Asamura-kun."

    "Maaya. Before you get any weird ideas, even if we assume that this boy is Asamura-kun, the reason we''re heading out together is definitely not whatever you''re thinking."

    "Oh really now?"

    I don''t think I''ve ever heard such a distrustfulment from anyone in my entire life. I subconsciously gripped my phone harder than before. Maaya continued talking with a dubious tone of voice.

    "The excuse is crucial here. If you don''t have a genuine-sounding reason to invite him, it would make it sound like you have an ulterior motive, and it''ll cause them to be more cautious."

    "I don''t have any ulterior motives."

    "Hmmmm¡­"

    "Again, that''s not¡ª"

    "Then that''s even more of a reason toe up with a good excuse. You don''t want him to reject you, right?"

    "Well¡­ I¡­"

    I hadn''t even considered that possibility. But she''s right. Why did I never even consider that? Maybe Asamura-kun doesn''t actually want to head out somewhere with me. He never brought up our promise again after that day, after all. What should I do if he actually says no?

    "Just for example... Hey, are you listening?"

    "Ah, yeah, of course."

    "Two days from now, your friend named Narasaka Maaya will be celebrating her birthday."

    "Ah, congrats."

    "So flippant! And too early!"

    "Should I have told you on the actual day instead?"

    "I don''t mind. Anyway, you could use this as an excuse to invite him. Say that you want to buy a present for Narasaka Maaya''s birthday party, you know?"

    "You''re nning on having a birthday party?"

    "Not at all. Or more urately, I didn''t¡­ I was thinking that maybe I could hold one so that you have an excuse."

    "Isn''t that too much effort on your end?"

    "Not at all. After all, it''d only be you and Asamura-kun who''de."

    Can you actually call it a birthday party then? How is that any different from just visiting her ce like we''d sometimes do anyway?

    "That''s what makes it great. You don''t have to be nervous, and neither does he. And you''ve got the perfect excuse to invite him!"

    I see. I''ve been to Maaya''s ce before, and if it''s under the pretense of Maaya''s birthday party, Asamura-kun surely wouldn''t be as hesitant.

    "But are you sure?"

    "About what?"

    Unlike me, Maaya''s popr at school. If she said she was holding a birthday party, she''d gather participants not only from our ss but across the whole school. I wouldn''t be surprised if she held a party every year, to be honest. So when I asked her about that, she exined that with the sheer number of possible attendees, she wouldn''t even be able to fit all of them under the same roof, thus forcing her to reject people who want to attend. To her personally, she''d rather not hold a party at all than hurt people that way. Seriously, how perfect can she be? She cares about everybody equally.

    "But this time around, my only goal is to support the blooming love between you and Asamura-kun, so this much should be fine~"

    "Again, it''s not what you think."

    "Anyway, I''ll be sending Asamura-kun an invitation after this. Also, keep it a secret that I''m only inviting you two. It''ll be a surprise for him, tee hee."

    I heard her giggle from across the phone when I checked the time. It was already past 2 am, and my shoulder poking out from beneath my nket was starting to feel a bit chilly.

    "Oh man, it''s already thiste¡­ What if I''mte tomorrow¡­"

    "I can recover fully with a minimum of three hours of sleep!"

    "Are you fit enough after that?"

    "Are you worried about lil ol'' me? I''m fine. I''m still sleeping a total of six hours."

    When do you get those six hours, exactly?

    "I''m not too fond of that¡­ I''d like to get up before Asamura-kun to tidy myself up."

    "Looking perfect 24/7 isn''t going to earn you any bonus points. Show an opening here and there, and I''ll bet he''ll find it cute. Adorable, even."

    "That''s not¡­"

    Back during the cultural festival, I realized that I''m not very skilled at showing cuteness like that.

    "Well, I get what you mean, but¡­"

    "Ohhh! Are you finally being honest with me, Sakippe?"

    Again, who''s that?

    "Boys secretly like that kind of stuff, or so I''ve been told."

    "Oh, oh, oh! News sh! Who''d you hear that from? Oh, right. Then you should take a detour to go home to change before youe to the party."

    "Even though it''s just us three?"

    "Surprise is the best spice, after all! And that''ll allow you to go on a date two days in a row, right?"

    It''s just a random birthday party, there''s no reason to go all the way, geez.

    "¡­I''m heading off."

    "Okaaay. Nighty-night!"

    We said good night to each other and ended the call. It''s all teasing and teasing when I''m dealing with Maaya, geez. But¡­ show some openings, huh? Is that necessary so that he''d call me cute? No, there''s no way. Think about it, Ayase Saki. You shouldn''t put that much faith in Maaya''s words. Purposefully showing sleaziness will only backfire. I think.

    I pulled my nket up over my head once more, forcing my eyes shut¡ªYeah, there''s no way.

    To the surprise of no one, I overslept the following morning. Worst of all was that I ran into Asamura-kun on the way to the bathroom¡­ while still wearing my pajamas. God, that was so embarrassing. When I looked in the mirror, I had crazy bed hair everywhere. I felt like I would die from embarrassment. How could I create such an opening myself?

    As for Maaya''s birthday party, Asamura-kun brought it up himself during breakfast. He asked what we should do about it. All the words I hade up with ahead of time were reduced to atoms. My heart was beating so hard that I was worried he might hear it from across the table. I focused really hard on keepingposure and responded.

    "I was thinking of celebrating it with her. What about you?" I returned a question.

    I had nned to nonchntly bring up the talk of buying a present, but Asamura-kun got the jump on me. I was terrified. I genuinely thought he could read my mind. He thenmented that this was his first time giving a girl a present. I see. So he''d never had someone like that before¡­ Wait, why do I feel relieved to hear that? Well, Mom''s the only person who''s ever got presents from me, so I''m not one to talk. I steeled my resolve and brought up the question I''d been meaning to ask.

    "Would you like to go buy presents together?"

    I think my voice was shaking when I asked that. At first, Asamura-kun responded with a blunt "But," which made my chest tighten up to the point it hurt. However, he didn''t say no. Instead, he seemed to be worried that people from school would spot us if we went shopping somewhere near here. I felt the same. After thinking about it for a brief moment, Asamura-kun proposed that we could go somewhere a bit further away to enjoy our shopping trip. I replied with a faint nod.

    "Do you remember what we talked about during the cultural festival?" I carefully asked.

    Asamura-kun is a kind person, he might just be on board with this in order to buy a present for a friend of mine. But he responded with¡ª

    "Of course."

    I''m so happy. I''m d I went ahead and confirmed it thoroughly.

    I''m still working part-time at that bookstore. Lately, I''ve been on the same shifts as Asamura-kun. Today, there are three of us. Yomiuri-senpai and I were tasked with manning the cash registers, whereas Asamura-kun went to make room for the new iing magazines. As the line in front of my register decreased in length, I found myself ncing over towards Asamura-kun. Yomiuri-senpai naturally called me out on that and started to tease me, saying that I must be interested in "Junior-kun" after all. I vehemently denied her usation, saying that it was just happenstance.

    "Really now?"

    Yet again, another person who has close to zero faith in what I tell her. Since barely any people were there wanting to buy something, and since we were fairly bored as a result, she probably decided to strike up a conversation.

    "Halloween''s pretty close, isn''t it?"

    "It''s on the 31st, right?"

    "Yep, at the end of October. Because Halloween is the small festival before the big event¡ªAll Saints Day."

    "All Saints¡­what?"

    "All Saints Day, which is November 1st. It''s the day you pray for all the saints in the world. The day reserved for all the fools is April 1st."

    "April Fools'' Day, you mean?"

    "Exactement. For all the April fools. But, we don''t call November 1st November Saints'' Day, right? Or do we? Do you know anything about that?"

    "No, sadly not."

    "Anyway, Halloween''s a big thing here in Shibuya."

    The topic was tumbling and rolling all over the field, but this was nothing new when talking to Yomiuri-senpai. I''ve finally gotten used to following her strange trains of thought. Her thought process is terrifyingly fast, as a matter of fact. Well, she''s always bumping heads with Assistant Professor Kudou, so I''m not surprised at that. I thought back to the day I attended her university''s open campus event and I found myself feeling slightly disheartened.

    "Halloween''s the event that turns Shibuya into the city that never sleeps."

    "You''re not wrong. It''s been feeling a lot like the Holy Land with all the costumes as ofte."

    Especially the city center of Shibuya, which always gathered enough costumed people walking on the streets to warrant a broadcast about it. The crowd is always so dense that you''d always be bumping into someone.

    "The crowd is honestly nauseating. I definitely want to avoid the city center during that time."

    "Saki-chan, there is a reason why we poor human beings have to force our way through the city center despite all that."

    "Wait, really?"

    "Because we have work."

    Ah. I remember now. Both Asamura-kun and I have shifts on the 31st. I guess Yomiuri-senpai''s another victim like us.

    "How about we at least have some fun and wear costumes during our shift?" She asked.

    Despite being at work still, I shook my head as fiercely as I could. How preposterous.

    "I''m sure you''d look cute dressing up as a witch with a triangr hat, you know?"

    "Cute¡­?"

    "Ah, bulls-eye?"

    "Not at all," I tried to act calm, but my words had no strength to them whatsoever.

    Yomiuri-senpai once again used this opportunity to tease me, saying "I knew you were thinking about Junior-kun," which made the blood rush to my head. As if that wasn''t bad enough, Asamura-kun returned from his work at the bookshelves.

    "I''ll take over for the maintenance," I blurted out and ran away from the cash register.

    ¡­He didn''t think that was weird of me, right?

    Later, we made our way home. The air was cold, which made it feel like winter had arrived. I rubbed my hands together to keep them warm. Asamura-kun was walking next to me, pushing his bike along. Moments like these truly show how myck of humanity. I can''t evene up with any topic to talk about. I failed to brew up a conversation he''d enjoy partaking in. Instead, I just searched for a way to make him think I wasn''tpletely lost. The best I could do was blow warm breath on my shivering hands.

    He praised me, saying that my clothes looked good on me¡­ He''s probably trying to not make me feel bad, right? I shoved my hands into my pockets, gripping them tightly. I finally managed to force the words out of my throat.

    "I''m looking forward to going shopping tomorrow."

    I''m going to cry for real. Why am I like this? And yet, Asamura-kun¡ª

    "Me too."

    ¡ªResponded with that. I felt embarrassed, thinking I was the only one who was excited, but he immediately agreed. I nced at his profile while he walked next to me, filling me with joy. I slightly opened and closed my hands inside my pockets. Finding a conversation topic that works both ways is so difficult. Instead, we just ended up walking our way home in silence. But I guess this isn''t so bad, either.

    When we opened the door to our apartment and distanced ourselves from each other, I was hit with a wave of regret.

 Chapter 55 - 3

    <h4>Chapter 55: Chapter 3</h4>

    20th of October (Tuesday) ¨C Asamura Yuuta

    Ever since the afternoon rolled around, I had been feeling restless. My first ss of the afternoon was supposed to be modern Japanese, and yet my ssmates reading from the textbook sounded like they were speaking a foreignnguage. Everything was entering one ear and leaving through the other. There was only one thing my simple-minded brain could focus on¡ªThe shopping dateter with Ayase-san.

    My mind was solely focused on working up ns to make the date a rousing sess. I''m nowhere near confident enough to expect she''d have fun just by being with me, but I at least don''t want to bore her into oblivion.

    "What are you groaning about now, Asamura?"

    I raised my head and was met with the sight of Maru turned towards me.

    "Oi, Maru. We''re in the middle of ss."

    I thought I was the one being reasonable, and yet Maru gave me an exhausted stare.

    "What are you on about? sses have already ended."

    "Wha?"

    I frantically looked around and saw that my ssmates were packing up to move ssrooms. Oh yeah, today''s 6th period is a chemistry experiment in a separate ssroom, isn''t it?

    "You''re flustered again. I don''t mind hearing you out. Though I won''t promise I''ll be able to help."

    "Not going all the way with your promises is just like you, Maru."

    "I won''t promise to help with stuff I can''t do."

    This is exactly why I trust him. That aside, however¡­

    "Is this a continuation fromst time?" He asked.

    "Not exactly¡­"

    When I saw the dubious look on his face, I was reminded of what he had told me before.

    "You mentioned that it''s crucial to show the person you like how much you care for them, right?"

    "I sure did, but what''s important is the process. You can''t trust the results by themselves."

    It seemed that he had expected me to bring up that topic again. I can''t tell him that he''s wrong, sadly, but I want to. Then again, he''s not entirely wrong, either. On a different note¡­

    "What do you mean you can''t trust the results by themselves?"

    "This ising from a guy with no interest in make-up, so take it with a grain of salt. Let''s say you see a girl that styled herself up with makeup. Can you really judge for yourself that she''s worked hard to impress you?"

    "Err¡­"

    "The only guys who can confidently say that are those who use makeup themselves. That''s how I feel, at least."

    "Mhm, that makes sense."

    I thought back to Ayase-san. Because I had seen her in such a defenseless state, namely with just pajamas and bed hair, I now understood how much effort goes into her usual get-up.

    "Results are just¡­ well, results. Nothing more, nothing less. It''s the same in baseball."

    "Isn''t it bad in sports especially?"

    "It''ll swing you from joy to sorrow. It''s ten years too early for me to be confident in my results. If you can''t even see how much effort your opponent puts into their training, you yourself aren''t going to make any progress. I''m not going to let down my guard for even a moment."

    I see, I guess? That''s a pretty stoic outlook.

    "That''s why it''s important to see the process behind the other person''s efforts. Even if it''s the woman you''re dating." I tried to summarize his argument.

    "Exactly. Again, the same goes for baseball. I have no intention of showing off my efforts under any normal circumstances, but the argument changes if it involves the person I''m interested in. Compare it to eating food from a restaurant and eating homemade food your girlfriend made. You''d be a lot happier about her cooking because she did it for you, even if it doesn''tpare to the taste of restaurant food."

    Good point, although Ayase-san''s cooking is better than most of the food I could eat in restaurants.

    "Working hard in itself also helps your appeal. Well, I personally wouldn''t tell you to follow my advice, if I was you."

    "¡­Aren''t you basically contradicting yourself? Telling me to not follow your advice."

    "Asamura, you are the exception to the form."

    I slightly tilted my head to emphasize my confusion. I failed to understand why I would be an exception.

    "You actually don''t know?"

    "I''m lost."

    "It''s because you''re so obvious and easy to see through. You''ll be just fine."

    For a split second, I was at an utter loss for words. I''m easy to read¡­?

    "So just be you. Act normal and it''ll get through."

    "Uhh¡­?"

    "No worries, my dear Asamura Yuuta. You''re way too clumsy to do any of this. You''re also too clumsy to actively hide any effort you put into something¡ªor someone. Don''t try to be candid, just go all out. Full force, no brakes."

    Do you think I''ll be relieved to hear such a statement? What the hell does ''normal'' mean? Act normal? How do I usually act, anyway?

    "Now I''m only more confused."

    Maru, however, justughed at my misery for so long that we were almostte for our next ss.

    Once sses ended, I made a temporary return home to change my clothes. I figured that if I went there in my uniform it would only make us stand out. All the same, I may not be an experienced casanova, but even I''m aware that a school uniform isn''t proper attire for a date between a man and woman. But more importantly¡­ clothes.

    After hours of pondering, I couldn''te up with an outfit I was confident in wearing. Another problem I only caught onto a little while ago is that having your date partner living in the same apartment makes it exceptionally hard to check how you look in the bathroom mirror. She''d definitely hear me stomping around if I keep making trips from my room to the bathroom and back.

    Maru said I should be proud and own it, but that''s impossible for me. However, since I am nothing but an average highschool boy, I don''t have a giant full-body mirror in my room, either. After agonizing back and forth, I decided to use humanity''s most resourceful and portable tool of the modern age¡ªmy smartphone and its camera function to take selfies. I set it up at eye height and stood back far enough from the phone to show off my entire body.

    "Yep, it''s gotta be this."

    In the end, I found an outfit that felt best to me. The problem was just that it turned out to be about the same I usually wore when going out. It''s totally normal. A ck jacket with a light grey knitted sweater and matching ck denim jeans. It''s not bad, or so I''d like to think, but I can''t exactly be confident in my own tastes.

    "¡­Other guys wear stuff like this too, right?"

    I pondered on it for a moment to then send one of the pictures I had taken over to Shinjou via LINE. I added a message that I''d like his sister''s refined opinion. Under any normal circumstances, there was no way I''d rely on such a method. However, weighing it against the risk of Ayase-san potentially thinking that I wasme, I''d take the possibility of being roasted by a random middle school girl in a heartbeat.

    However, all this back and forth dyed my realization of the fact that Shinjou should be in the middle of this club activities right now, and I doubt his sister is any more avable than he is. I won''t be able toin if I only get an answer after I''m already out with Ayase-san. I can''t believe I didn''t even think that far ahead¡­ Or so I was ming myself when I saw that my message had been read already. He was probably taking a break at this very moment. Not to mention that I got an immediate response.

    ''She answered me.''

    When I read those words, a cold sweat started running down my back. Only now did I feel embarrassed from sending my selfie to someone who''s practically a stranger, seeking their evaluation. All I could do however was type up a response with quivering fingers.

    ''What did she say?''

    ''It''s normal.''

    ''Huh?''

    ''That''s all she said. Normal.''

    He sent me a screenshot of his chat with said sister. Doesn''t this just mean she''s not interested enough to give an actual response? Maybe my outfit is just so tasteless that it seems nd?

    ''Sorry, break''s over.''

    He left me that final message. I sent him an emote to convey my gratitude and sighed to myself. I''dpletely messed up. Getting a response as vague as that only makes me more confused, so there was no benefit to that whatsoever. It was wrong of me to try and rely on others with the small amount of time I had been given.

    "But aren''t his little sister and him a bit too close?" I muttered to myself while checking the screenshot of their chat.

    Being able to immediately hop into a conversation at any given moment truly shows how close they are as siblings. Then again, he''s the only person I can measure myself against in that regard, so there''s no guarantee that this kind of rtionship is normal or not. I continued that train of thought andpared it to Ayase-san. If a boy I knew sent me a selfie of him, asking me for Ayase-san''s opinion, would I ry it to her? I had a hunch that I probably wouldn''t. I''d think up some sort of reason not to do it. I desperately didn''t want to hear Ayase-san''s opinion of another boy, no matter the subject.

    Inparison, Shinjou and his sister have reached a bond where they trust each other, allowing him to just randomly send over pictures for her approval and evaluation. The fact that neither of them have any problem with that shows proper interaction between a pair of siblings. So keeping that in mind, maybe my feelings differ from that concept after all?

    "Are you ready to head out?"

    A voice called out to me from the other side of the door to my room, which interrupted my train of thought. It seemed like Ayase-san had already been prepared for a bit.

    "Yeah, I''m all good here¡­I think?"

    I''m still devoid of any confidence in my outfit, but standing around worrying about it won''t do either of us any good. I had to run with it and pray it worked. Upon opening the door, I saw Ayase-san getting up from the living room sofa. She walked in front of me and I immediately swallowed my breath when Iid my eyes on her. All I could think was¡ªThat''s Ayase-san for you.

    She was wearing a knitted, wine-red top with a moss green jacket that emphasized the difference in color quite well. They''replementary colors and yet it''s not too bright to look at. Once again I was impressed by her admirable sense of fashion and outfit coordination. I could see a small triangr pendant dangling on her chest as well. Her uniform aside, the majority of outfits I''d seen her in were a casual shorts kind of look, so this was quite different. She''s wearing a skirt today, not to mention a long one that goes well below her knees, which gave her a calm and peaceful image.

    Her usual armament was something close to the image of an average high school student, yet today it felt like she had loosened her defenses a tiny bit¡­ like she was a bit more approachable. She''s just as beautiful as ever, she''s cute all the same¡­ Then again, I''m no fashion critic, this is just my personal opinion.

    "Then let''s go."

    "Ah¡­ Right, wait a sec."

    "Hm?"

    Ayase-san was about to put on her boots, but she stopped in her tracks to turn towards me again.

    "Did you forget something?"

    "Not exactly. I was just wondering if walking to the train station together would be such a good idea."

    "Because we''re both wearing casual clothes? I think it should be fine. This is something normal siblings do, too. I don''t particrly mind."

    "That makes sense, then. Sorry for bringing up something weird like that."

    "Don''t worry about it. It''s important, so I''m thankful you reminded me. Whenever we''re troubled with a decision, let''s adjust to each other the same as ever." Ayase-san said, and it made me feel relieved from the bottom of my heart.

    ¡­This is it. This is what I really like about her. And with thatst check out of the way, Ayase-san and I left the t behind us.

    While waiting for the next train at Shibuya train station, I was filled with a strong sense of difort. At first, I didn''t even know what exactly I was so bothered by, but then I realized that our gazes kept meeting as we stood next to each other. It''s Ayase-san''s face¡­ or rather, her expression. It seemed like she was trying to hold back herughter.

    Whenever she nced at me, her mouth twitched¡­ I think, at least. Is sheughing about my outfit? I don''t think that''s the type of person she is¡­ I hope. Maybe she spotted a part of my outfit that made her giggle? If I asked about it, I might leave the conversation with a knife stabbed into my chest. So I can''t. Maybe she''s just trying to be considerate by not mentioning it.

    The more I thought about it, the more it seemed realistic to me. I quickly shook my head to rid it of these wicked thoughts. Both correct and wrong answers would probably make things awkward, so I decided against bringing it up. But even so, it sure does feel weird¡­ Okay, enough! I shouldn''t be constantly ncing at her expression either. She''ll just think I''m being rude.

    I tore my attention from Ayase-san and tried my best to not look at her while we boarded the train.

    After roughly twenty minutes, we finally reached Ikebukuro station. After walking down the stairs from the tform, we briefly traversed through the underground path and slipped through the ticket gate. We walked past the famous stone statue at the east entrance that was frequently used as a rendezvous point, up the stairs again, and left to the surface. As we walked down Sunshine Street, we were greeted by the sight of crepe stalls, cafes, shoe stores, antique fashion shops, apparel shops, a game center, a movie cinema, and many other establishments.

    The city''s entertainment district certainly didn''t bring any shame to its name, which exined why it was filled with people, ranging from normal groups of friends to couples. You could see all sorts of people no matter where you looked.

    "Woah¡­"

    At the corner of the street, I could see a couple sharing a passionate kiss with their bodies glued together, which made me subconsciously blurt out a baffled voice. This of course earned me a light jab to my side by Ayase-san.

    "It''s rude to stare like that."

    "Sorry. I just spoke before I thought."

    "I understand how you feel¡­ You''re shocked when you see that out of the blue."

    We both made wry smiles to each other and reprimanded ourselves. A human being''s feelings are trulyplicated and odd. It''s each person''s freedom what they do and where, and an outsider''s perspective shouldn''t influence their actions. That''s the principle I''d like to live by. And despite that, once I''m met with the sight of a kiss being disyed right in front of me, I bite my own philosophy in the neck.

    If I were asked ''If a couple kissed in front of you, how would you feel?'' in a survey, I''d normally answer bluntly ''I wouldn''t feel anything,'' and yet in that one moment, my judgment was clouded because of the unexpected scene in front of me. Part of me probably upheld my philosophy, whereas the other part gave in to my instincts. The values as part of my philosophy that I had built up for years with experience and knowledge now had crumbled to pieces as my brain cells froze in ce, allowing me to see beyond the facade I had been relying on.

    "Is that something you''d like to do, Ayase-san?"

    "Not really, no. And I''d be a bit taken aback if someone asked if I wanted to."

    "Agreed. There''s no need to adjust in that regard, I guess."

    "It''s fine. That was also an important question."

    Kissing in front of others isn''t something we want to do, nor is it something we see as desirable. As a matter of fact, if siblings did that in public it''d create an uproar, so it shouldn''t be something even worth considering, but the devil is in the details, as they say. After I had regained myposure, Ayase-san and I kept on walking down the street, making our way into a smaller one. Soon after, a giant blue billboard greeted us from above. It was so shy that it stood out even in the center of Sunshine Street, and there was a crowd of people at its entrance.

    "Oh? Is this¡­"

    "A store for anime merchandise. It''s pretty famous, and it stocks a lot of different things."

    I know this one. Another branch is located in Shibuya, and Maru had dragged me to it several times before. I was a bit taken aback because of everything that filled my mind, so it took me a moment to remember why we had evene here in the first ce.

    "Err, Ayase-san?"

    "Hm?" She looked at me.

    "We¡­ are buying a present for Narasaka-san, correct?"

    "Yep."

    "¡­We''re going to buy one from here?"

    I feel like the things on sale here couldn''t be further from the usual presents you''d get a high school girl in her prime.

    "She''s actually into this kinda stuff." Ayase-san pointed at an anime character on a poster hanging in front of the store.

    I was baffled. Since I''m the guy who reads light novels in my spare time, I don''t have any prejudice toward that particr hobby. I''m just not the type of person who''d run around buying merch for anything, but I guess I probably look the same when I''m rummaging through the new book sales¡­ but my case doesn''t matter right now. More focus should go toward the fact that such an outgoing and normie kinda girl would be interested in anime¡ªand this isn''t prejudice. It just didn''t feel that way whenever we''ve talked up to this point, hence my surprise.

    "She''s got a group of younger brothers at home, remember?"

    "Now that you mention it¡­"

    "She says she watches anime with her brothers on some kind of streaming service she''s subscribed to, which is why she''s pretty knowledgeable about new anime and all that. And she can watch it while doing chores, which is also a plus for her."

    "So she''s influenced by her siblings, huh?"

    "At first, yeah. Now she herself has gotten addicted to it, she told me."

    Thus, Ayase-san came up with the idea of buying anime goods to make Narasaka-san happy, which made perfect sense to me. We somehow managed to slip past the crowd in front of the shop and entered inside.

    "It''s huge. I don''t even know where to start looking."

    "Just walking around and looking at whatever strikes your fancy should get us somewhere. I don''t know where they disy which products either, nor do I know what Narasaka-san is into."

    "It''s fine, you can leave thatst part to me."

    In our quest for the perfect birthday present, Ayase-san and I slowly trotted through the store from one corner to another. While we did so, I learned how modern anime goods are handled when it came to each sex. The area for goods targeted at women isn''t like the full-blown ''ABSOLUTE ANIME GOODS'' type of ce you''d normally see. Instead, they offer particr goods for favorite characters, mostly in the form of student badges, keychains, or notebooks. Since they only had the designs engraved in the corner, they looked likepletely normal essories at a nce.

    "This is pretty normal¡­"

    "Yep, it''s stylish."

    "That''s how it looks to you?"

    "Over here is¡ª" Ayase-san said and pointed at a bookshelf next to us.

    It contained plush toys and keychains from characters even I knew from anime I watched when I was still a child.

    "¡­These might be a bit harder to use."

    "I see, I see."

    In other words, themercialization of anime goods has been increasing? Now that I think about it, Maru mentioned something simr to me once before. The growth of the otaku goods market is brought about by the generalization of otaku culture, which leads to a greater diversification of goods. That being said, since I never had the perception that being an otaku and looking stylish were ideas that could co-exist, I was slightly surprised at this discovery.

    I looked around in shock, witnessing that the majority of customers in the shop were all dressed up perfectly normal to even stylish. I could even see an equal number of male and female people¡­ No, there are more women than men at this moment. Oh yeah, a while back, Ayase-san mentioned that she was jealous of the shape of my eyebrows despite not doing anything about it. Many of the men around me looked the same in that regard, not just the women. And if their genes didn''t do them a favor, they most likely tried to tidy them up.

    I see. That''s why Ayase-san nonchntly assumed that I tend to my eyebrows. Maru mentioned that more and more otakus have been taking greater care of their outer appearance as ofte, so it must be part of that.

    "Since we''re dealing with someone as socially open as Maaya, I''m pretty sure she won''t particrly care either way."

    "Makes sense¡­"

    No matter what we get for her, anything feels fine since it''s Narasaka-san, after all. Although I can''t tell if that''s a good or bad thing. In the end, we still have to choose something for her. As a bit of a reward, I''d at least like to see her smile. I periodically listened to Ayase-san''s opinion on things, and we eventually ended up with a mug from an anime she''s recently gotten into (whose target demographic is primarily children, which exins why I hadn''t heard of it before). In this case, it had the emblem of the anime engraved on the cup.

    With arge family like Narasaka-san''s, she should be fine with some more tableware at her disposal, and since it''s from an anime her brothers might watch, she can always let them use it in case she didn''t want to.

    "Phew. Thanks for helping me out, Ayase-san. You gave me some great pointers."

    "Really? I''m d I could help."

    With the stic bag containing the wrapped present in hand, we dered our business here finished and left the shop behind us. The time of day had already started to turn to evening, as the sky was turning dark despite it only being past 5 pm.

    "Now that I think about it, you didn''t buy anything, right, Ayase-san? Do you already have something?"

    "I changed my n of action, actually. I''ll go buy something tomorrow."

    Or so she said, but she never told me what exactly she was nning on buying in the end.

    We made our way home, gently shaken left to right inside the moving train. Thinking back on it, today really didn''t feel like a date at all. Walking around the store while exchanging opinions and cracking a few jokes was fun for sure, but we didn''t even hold hands. When evaluating the location we went to, it wasn''t particrly a date spot for boys and girls to go together. Rather, it was a ce people like Maru would visit frequently. Now that I think about it, there were both game centers and apparel shops at our disposal, but Ayase-san showed no interest in either of these, which is why we didn''t bother making a pit stop¡­ Even though they were all prime date spots.

    And right after I finished buying my present for Narasaka-san, we just both decided we''d head home for the day. It was supposed to be a date between just the two of us, but I feel like something iscking. Now that I think about it, we could have stopped by a fast food ce to take a quick break. Well, there''s dinner waiting at home anyway, so I guess there was no need.

    I also realized that, although Ayase-san had been smiling today from start to finish, something felt awkward about her. Of course, I had no way of knowing what exactly that was. I was simply gued by this vague difort I couldn''t directly put into words. If I just knew what it was, I could adjust to it with her. But instead, I''m over here brooding over it¡­

    Just like the traincar we were seated in, my inner feelings were shaken left and right. After spending minutes upon minutes counting the sporadic street lights shing by as we passed them, I decided to jump over my own shadow and ask her. We exchanged a few idle works and then I brought it up.

    "Is there something weird about my outfit?"

    "Huh? No, not at all. Why do you ask?" Ayase-san seemed bewildered by my question, which made me feel relieved¡ªor so I''d like to say, but I''m not nearly confident enough in myself to do so.

    "Compared to you, I''m pretty inattentive when ites to my outfit and hairstyle, right? I''m pretty insecure when ites to my own fashion sense, see." I blurted out my genuine feelings.

    "I think it''s good. It fits you best."

    "Mhm, thanks. But¡ª" I expected her to say that, so I continued. "Your outfit is coordinated so well that it''d make peoplement on how stylish it is, right?"

    "I guess?"

    "So, after carefully considering the matter, the clothes you''re wearing are the ones you think are the best for the given circumstance, no?"

    "Most likely."

    "I also think you look great in that, you know."

    The second I said that, Ayase-san''s expression shattered, and I thought I heard a faint ''Wha¡­''ing from her.

    "¡­Thanks."

    When she thanked me, it felt like her smile froze up in an awfully awkward way, but my head was full with way too many other things, so I couldn''t trace her change in expression back to its origin.

    "But, you know, I don''t even know what kind of outfits would look good on me. I don''t have the knowledge to judge that. And since I have about zero confidence in my own style, I can''t follow at all when somebody says it''s ''very much like me''."

    "Erm¡­ So in other words, you''d like to try and dress up in a way that''d make you look stylish in the eyes of the world? You don''t seem the type of person who''d particrly care about that."

    "I feel like it''d be an important lesson to go through at least once. Whether I eventuallye to like it or not, I''d like to know the formal dress code for these kinds of asions."

    "Ahh¡­I see, I see. That sounds like something you''d be concerned about."

    I think it''s just my insecurity ying a huge role in all of it.

    "Basically, youck the knowledge for a¡­ regr date outfit, or clothes in general, and although you''d like to learn more about it, youck the confidence in your own judgment?"

    That''s Ayase-san for you. She catches on quickly.

    "Exactly."

    "Hmmm¡­" She cast her head downward and started thinking.

    After passing one train station during our ride, she suddenly raised her head once more.

    "We could take a quick detour on the way home."

    "Wait, right now?"

    "If you''re fine with my tastes and what it means to look stylish, then I don''t mind helping you pick out something."

    I didn''t even think of that. If it''s Ayase-san''s personal choice, then I can definitely put my faith in that, and I can even find out her personal tastes in clothing and outfits, so this scenario would kill two birds with one stone.

    "Then please do."

    "Don''t get your hopes up too much. I''ll just go with my own preferences."

    That''s exactly what I''m hoping for.

    "So where do you have in mind?"

    "Daikanyama is pretty close by, so that''d be my first choice."

    "True¡­ But I''m really sorry about this. If I''d just brought this up sooner, we could have gone to a ce in Ikebukuro." I spoke with an apologetic tone, but Ayase-san responded with a pleasant smile.

    "It''s fine. Don''t worry about it. Both of us miss the right time to speak up all the time."

    "Ahaha, that is true. Thanks."

    And with that decided, we hopped onto another train at the Shibuya train station and made our way to Daikanyama. Trusting Ayase-san''s sense of direction, we walked down the street to the store in question. The lights of the stores around us had yet to turn off, and the dazzling light from the windows illuminated the asphalt ahead of us. After a brief walk from the train station, we entered a men''s fashion shop.

    Immediately upon entering, I was reminded that this couldn''t bepared to nonchntly visiting a supermarket or convenience store. I looked for a shopping basket or shopping cart but found absolutely none. I was still looking around in confusion when a female employee smoothly approached me.

    "Can I help you, Sir?"

    "Ah, um."

    "We''d like to look around a bit first." Ayase-san appeared from behind me, offering me a helping hand.

    The employee faintly smiled, looked at both Ayase-san and I with a quick nce, and lowered her head.

    "Very well. Don''t hesitate to call me in the event you need help with something." She left these words behind and walked away without creating any noise.

    "That scared me¡­"

    "Maybe she thought you were here alone?"

    For some reason, Ayase-san''s tone sounded faintly aggravated. Is that because my outfit didn''t match hers at all, which made us look like separate customers? I was starting to feel nervous and quite frankly almost felt stranded in a foreign world. I knew I was the only person putting this much pressure on myself, but there was nothing that could be done about it. In contrast to how flustered I was, Ayase-san couldn''t have been any more confident. She walked ahead of me with an attitude that''d make you think she owned the ce.

    "Do youe here often?"

    "Huh? No way."

    "Oh¡­"

    "They mainly sell men''s clothes here, remember?"

    Well, I guess that makes sense.

    "I mean, wearing an outfit coordinated with men''s clothing is more than doable, but Asamura-kun¡­ do you really think that would look good on me?"

    Her question intrigued me, so I gave it some thought. Last night, before heading off to sleep, I took some time to check through the fashion magazine I bought the other day. But despite that, I still felt like I wascking reference material, so I looked up "men''s clothing" and "matching", but I only got photos of female models as a result. When I looked at some of the sites in the search results, I found that it was some kind of genre that focused on men''s fashion targeted at women.

    They weren''t clothes a man would wear, but rather outfits that had male "vibes," so many of the outfits looked a lot more rxing and chill rather than stylish outfits with high heels and such. I do remember seeing suits and jackets in there, too. There should be something simr here that can answer Ayase-san''s question¡­

    A lightly-colored denim jacket that emphasizes her shoulders¡­ Yeah, something like that one over there. I spotted a mannequin wearing a ck jacket with a thick men''s belt and imagined it on Ayase-san. It felt like I had bought currency for a mobile game to dress up my in-game character. I''m stillpletely lost in terms of fashion sense, but thanks to the mannequin being dressed up properly presumably thanks to the store''s employees, I could easily picture it with the actual Ayase-san standing in front of me. Using my imagination, I dressed up Ayase-san the way I imagined. Her ck jacket was hanging from her shoulder, she was stretching out her back as she posed like a model on a catwalk.

    "I think you''d look handsome."

    Immediately after I said that, I heard a sound like a cat getting stepped on, and I quickly nced in that direction. At that exact moment, I saw Ayase-san turning her head away.

    "I-I don''t wear stuff like that."

    "Huh? Ah, yeah, of course. I''m sure you won''t. But if you asked me if you looked good in it or not¡­ then I''m sure you''d look stunning. Particrly in something like that¡ª" I pointed at the mannequin wearing the ck jacket while continuing. "I bet you could easily pull off something like that¡­ Wait, what''s wrong?"

    Ayase-san frantically waved her hands in front of me.

    "Enough. Enough, okay? We came here to pick out an outfit for you, Asamura-kun. Not to talk about my own outfits!"

    "Right, right. So do you have any rmendations right off the bat?" I remembered our initial reason we came here.

    "Geez, you''re just¡­ Um, let me think."

    Ayase-san grabbed a random piece of clothing and its hanger, raised it in front of me, andpared it against my current attire. She then made me turn her back towards her, and she checked the shoulder width as well as the length.

    "Hmmm. Asamura-kun, this way."

    "Mmm, hm? You''re already done there?"

    "I''m done checking."

    "R-Right¡­"

    That was one piece of clothing, right? After that initial event, Ayase-san dragged me around the store, stopping at certain intervals to grab a piece of clothing or two, checking it against my body. This was repeated over and over. Maybe she''s trying to check what kind of outfit looks good on me. She''d grab the clothes with the hanger, hold them against my chest, then pull them away again in an endless cycle. Each time her fist bumped into my chest, I was assaulted by a tickling sensation.

    "Hey, don''t move."

    "Ah, my bad."

    "Hmm? Not this. This isn''t it. Ah, stand still just like that."

    "Y-Yes."

    Following the orders of Ayase-san, I seemed to have turned into a mannequin myself. The other customers walking past us were all grinning for some reason. Ayase-san was so focused on picking out clothes that she didn''t even realize, though. I was starting to feel like this was a lot more like a date.

    Shopping in Ikebukuro was great, the ce we visited was fine, the atmosphere we had going was good, and yet it differed greatly from the ssic image of a date I had in mind. Yet this current scenario that had reached a point where we were close enough to sometimes bump into each other¡­ this very moment felt much more like something you could categorize as a date.

    ¡­But is that really true? Shinjou''s rtionship with his sister came back to mind once more. They also would go out shopping together, with his sister picking out clothes for him, I''m sure. The point is, that''s the exact same thing Ayase-san and I are doing right now. It''s something that even normal siblings would do. We decided that this course of action would be best for now, and yet it felt like a small bone had gotten stuck in my throat, leaving me restless.

    Am I satisfied with just staying as siblings who get along with each other, or am I secretly wishing for something that goes beyond what we currently have? More than anything, what do I want to do with Ayase-san? How far would I like to go with her?

    ¡­And why exactly am I constantly thinking about her like this? If people knew what I was thinking at this exact moment, they would probably think I''m a creep. Realizing that I had been caught in my ownbyrinth of thoughts, the blood throughout my body started boiling, rushing to my head. I was starting to sweat despite it being fairly cold outside, so I''m sure the heater in this ce is running way too hot.

    "Okay, got it," Ayase-san spoke up, grabbing two pieces of clothing. "I''d go with this."

    "Um¡­ What am I looking at?"

    "The jacket you''re wearing right now is perfectly fine, but this tailored one seems like a good match, too."

    Met with this unfamiliar vocabry, I subconsciously found myself taking a step backward.

    "Tailor¡­ what now?"

    "You don''t know? It''s a type of tailored jacket."

    "Ahh, tailored at a tailor."

    "So you do know?"

    "I read about it in a book before."

    I read a novel that took ce in Ennd during the 1870s, basically during the Victorian age. It was the story of a girl who worked as a dressmaker. That was why I had heard that word before. The tailored jacket Ayase-san was holding was a light grey color, and its cor seemed rather thin. If youpared it to a normal jacket you''d wear over a suit, it emphasized the shoulders a lot more, while also providing a pleasant atmosphere thanks to its light colors.

    "I kept it in so it''s easier to match."

    "Isn''t staying in bad?"

    "When you''ve got one with a pattern or peculiar design, you''ve got to match it with the rest, and¡­ Oh, I guess I''ve already reached the point where an exnation is needed."

    "My sincerest apologies."

    "And this is what you''ll be wearing underneath that. I wouldn''t rmend wearing this during the deepest parts of winter, but it should be just fine for November." She said, handing me a simple white t-shirt she had been carrying over her arm.

    That one, like the jacket, looked in and simple with no designs or drawings or anything on it. The chest pocket was so small and uninteresting that I had to look twice to even spot it. Along with the jacket, the shirt also had sloping shoulders as part of its design. It was very simple, but since it cost at least twice as much as the regr t-shirts I own, the quality and design must be on an entirely different level. I just wouldn''t know, I guess¡­

    "As for your jeans, you can just go with the ones you''re currently wearing. Not to mention that you''ll go overbudget if you bought a new pair of those."

    "Thanks."

    "Good. Do you want to try them on? Then you can decide if you like them or not."

    "Got it."

    I epted the clothes from Ayase-san and gave her the stic bag with Narasaka-san''s present. After that, I made my way to a changing room and checked out my new look in the mirror. I''m stillcking the vocabry to describe it properly, but it did feel like I looked pretty good with these new clothes. It felt like a chill yet stylish fall outfit. Since it doesn''t emphasize my broad shoulders, it created a much more peaceful impression, one that I didn''t have before. The jacket''s fabric felt great and seemed like it''d be solid against any breeze. Now I should be prepared for the current season.

    However, despite everything previously mentioned, I still failed to see any significant differencepared to what I usually wear. Is this¡­ good enough? I can''t tell. When ites to any field you''re not extremely proficient in, it''s practically impossible to tell the small differences apart. Instead, it''s decreasing my resolve. It''s like a parent in the older generation telling their child not to use their phone, because they lump mobile games, music, LINE, and learning apps all into the same category. They just don''t know any better. I might have improved upon my previous look, but I don''t see enough of a difference to be able to confidently say yes or no.

    "How does it look?" I stepped out of the changing room and showed her my current appearance.

    "Yep, I think it looks good."

    "Umm¡­ Is this enough? Like, maybe I should dye my hair while I''m at it?" I spoke with a worried tone.

    Since Shinjou''s sister called my previous look "normal", I couldn''t help but think that this small bit of tampering probably wouldn''t change much. Maybe a more drastic change was necessary. However, Ayase-san surprised me by speaking like a kindergarten teacher would when reprimanding a small child.

    "Hey, whose impression do you need to be satisfied?"

    "Huh?"

    "If you want to show off to random strangers on the street, then my own fashion sense should make you worried. I totally get that. Is that the kind of stylish look you want to achieve, though?"

    "No, not at all¡­"

    "That''s a relief," Ayase-san said with a smile. "Then maybe you could just believe in me? I chose them for you, and I think you look great in them."

    "I see¡­ Yeah, you''re right. I''m sorry, that was rude to ask."

    "No, you''repletely in the right. Everyone would be worried about how they look in the eyes of a stranger."

    She most likely agreed with me from the bottom of her heart, and when I saw her gentle expression, something finally clicked in my head. I was trapped in an endless circle of my own thoughts and my own standards. My own personal desire to be a man who can proudly stand next to Ayase-san isn''t anything close to caring about someone else''s feelings. Trying not to fall into an abyss of self-loathing, I built up a mental barricade to protect my mind, only relying on a third party''s judgment instead of my own.

    I don''t even know how Shinjou''s sister looks or acts, and yet I had every intent to gratefully ept her opinion, most likely because my true desire had always been to get an opinion from someone close enough to get an opinion from, but also far enough from me to not be dejected at their response. Yomiuri-senpai has already told me something like this before, hasn''t she?

    ''That aside, there''s no need for him to dress up excessively. Just knowing that he''s trying to make me happy by giving me an easier time would be enough to give me a sense of being treated right.''

    The impression, in that case, isn''t from some third party I barely care about, it''s from my own partner. Maru and Shinjou also brought that up. What''s important is the intention of trying to look stylish. The actual result is secondary. The people around me kept pointing me in the right direction, yet I went off-road for so long that now I feel embarrassed. It doesn''t matter what anybody else thinks as long as Ayase-san likes the way I dress. That''s the best kind of fashion that exists.

    I paid for the clothes and the two of us left the store behind us. On the way back to the train station, Ayase-san suddenly spoke up.

    "Asamura-kun, can we make a quick stop at the convenience store on the way home?"

    "I don''t mind."

    "The supermarket might be cheaper, and has arger assortment, but it''d be too much of a detour. I just have to buy some mustard since we ran out a while ago."

    "Why mustard?"

    "I was thinking of making oden1tonight."

    "Ahhh¡­ Well, it''s been awfully chilly these past few days, so that makes sense."

    "I''ve been in a hot pot kind of mood since yesterday. We do have the ingredients, but it''ll be more of a vegetarian hot pot than anything."

    "Which makes it healthier, so I''m down. But if there''s anything else we need to buy, just let me know. I''ll carry the stuff."

    "Thanks... Um, did I say something weird just now?" Ayase-san blinked at me in confusion.

    Probably because I had snickered a second before.

    "No no, not at all. Sorry." I apologized and exined myself. "Up to this point, fashion and matching of outfits and all that shtick felt like an entirely different dimension. Like I had been transported to a different world."

    "It wasn''t that bad, right?"

    "I''m serious. That''s how it felt to me. And yet we''re now suddenly talking about today''s dinner. It made me feel like I came back to the reality I know best."

    "Dwelling in the aftertaste?"

    "Not really. I''ve had enough of that different world for today. Right now, I just wanna go home and eat some steaming hot oden. To be honest, I''m a bit tired."

    "No wonder. But I hope you get lots of chances to wear your new outfit."

    "You bet. As often as possible, considering you''re the one who picked it out for me."

    To my demise, I only realized what I had said after the fact. That statement made it sound like I was hoping that we would go on lots more dates from now on, didn''t it? I was panicking internally, but Ayase-san shed me her usual awkward smile with a brief ''You''re right,'' so I was most likely just worried for nothing. And with that embarrassing statement as the finale, my first date with Ayase-san ended.

    At roughly 7 pm, we finished our shopping trip at the nearest convenience store and made our way back to our house. We slipped through the illuminated entrance and pressed the button to call the elevator.

    "By the way, how did I do today?"

    Ayase-san muttered these words so quietly that at first I failed to realize this question was directed at me.

    "For what?"

    "Was I easier to talk to, easier to have around, or did you notice anything else that was different about me?"

    I stopped in my tracks and turned towards her. Thanks to the LED lights from the ceiling, I could easily make out her entire appearance. Just to make sure, I once again observed her from head to toe. She''s still wearing the same outfit from before: A knitted top with a moss green jacket. Since it''s gotten a lot more chilly the past few hours, she had kept her jacket buttoned up. In other words, she probably isn''t talking about the essory she had on her chest.

    Her hairstyle''s the same as always, too. She didn''t change it at all, nor did she tie it up with a hair tie. I couldn''t make out any extensions either, so she shouldn''t be asking about her hair. But she''s making it sound like there''s something different about her today¡­ Where? Her nails? Perfume? I had that marked down when we first left the apartment. Her pale pink nails looked great on her, but that seemed to have no connection to her hint of ''Easier to talk to,'' so I could rule those out.

    As for her perfume¡­ No, hold on. There''s no way I could just scooch closer to her and get a good whiff. Her fragrance may have been more of a soothing type today, but considering Ayase-san''s personality, it seemed a bit too far-fetched to bet on that. Also, I don''t remember Ayase-san being the type of person who''d ask me a "Find the difference" kind of question. What''s going on?

    Something that''s different¡­ Ah. Could it possibly be the thing that was bothering me all day?

    "Your expression, maybe?"

    "Exactly."

    "You were holding back yourughter, right?" I asked.

    "I tried to be more amiable." She said at the same time.

    We both spoke at the same time, yet said two entirely different things. Our gazes shot towards each other. What did she just say?

    "I was worried the entire time, thinking that something about my outfit was off. Your expression seemed like you were trying to hold yourself back fromughing." I exined.

    Trying to cover up my emotions and thoughts would only tip the scales of the situation in the wrong direction. The rm sirens in my head were ringing like a fire had broken out. A shiver crept up my back, urging me to immediately discuss this before a terrible misunderstanding could befall us. My previous exchanges with Ayase-san were the basis of experience for that.

    "That''s not¡­ I told you, right? You''re fine the way you are."

    "Sorry, but I just didn''t have enough confidence in myself."

    "So that''s what it seemed like to you¡­" Ayase-san slumped her shoulders in defeat, filling me with inexplicable guilt. "I was trying to seem more approachable¡­ to be more fun to have around¡­"

    "Oh, that¡­ Sorry."

    "I guess this sort of stuff is too hard for me¡­ And now we''ve both said something that isn''t much like us, huh?" Ayase-san said and returned her expression to the one I was used to.

    The elevator arrived at our floor. The lights turned on and the doors opened. Ayase-san stepped into it first, with me following after her since I was carrying everything we had bought in both hands. She pressed the button for our floor, and I spoke up as the doors slid closed.

    "But I think you''re fine the way you usually act. It''s who you are, after all."

    "Wha¡­?"

    The way she holds her expression and her attitude are all things she''s worked hard for, so it''d be a waste to try to change that. With no response forting from Ayase-san, the elevator slowly moved upwards.

    That night, while I was working on some math problems I had previously struggled with, I received a LINE message from Shinjou. Content-wise, it seemed to be a continuation of the exchange we had this afternoon.

    ''I talked to her again during dinner, and she actually thought pretty highly of the outfit you were wearing. She said that most of my friends try to dress up to the point that it only bites them in the ass, and she liked that you didn''t do any of that.''

    It appeared as if the word ''normal'' in her vocabry didn''t mean ''cringe'' or me,'' and that it instead held more of a positive meaning. Part of me wished that she''d made that clear from the very beginning, as it could have saved me from a lot of pain and agony, but I kept myints to myself and sent him a brief ''Thanks.'' I think this result is something I''ve obtained thanks to being lost and taking detours. Sometimes that''s better than taking the direct path.

    ©¤©¤©¤

    1 Japanese winter dish consisting of several ingredients such as boiled eggs, daikon radish, konnyaku, and processed fish cakes stewed in a light, soy-vored dashi broth.

 Chapter 56 - 4

    <h4>Chapter 56: Chapter 4</h4>

    20th of October (Tuesday) ¨C Ayase Saki

    Today''s the day Asamura-kun and I are heading out shopping. Just thinking about it makes me feel incredibly anxious. I couldn''t even focus on my sses. Once lunch break passed and the more lethargic sses began, I simply sat at my desk and continued to lose myself in thought without writing down anything that was on the ckboard.

    I was thinking about my attitude and what would make a boy more happy. I was thinking about what it exactly meant to be more than siblings yet less than lovers. I never would have imagined a day woulde when I would worry about these sorts of things. Actually, that''s not quite right. It''s not just any boy. I don''t care about any of the other guys around me. I just don''t want the one boy I care for to hate me.

    While my mind was wandering off in the clouds, fifth period came to an end. Recess greeted me, and so did Maaya, who came from one end of the ssroom over to my seat.

    "What''s wrong?"

    "Huh¡­? Nothing, why?"

    "Liar, liar, pants on fire! You were spacing out the whole time during ss."

    "Focus on ss yourself!"

    How does she know about that? If you''ve got time to stare at me then focus on ss instead. Well, it''s not like I could actually make that argument since she had ranked higher than me during thest standardized test¡­ I''d better change the topic.

    "You''re as popr as ever, huh? It''s not just the girls; even the boys like you. It''s crazy."

    "Hm? Well, well, well¡­ I don''t really get it myself, but people say I''m pretty amiable!"

    "Amiable, huh?"

    I feel like she just dropped a difficult math problem on me¡­ What does "amiable" mean again? I searched through the void in my mind trying to find an answer, but Maaya brought her face closer to me, whispering into my ear.

    "If you smiled some more, you''d be able to capture Asamura-kun''s heart in a sh!"

    "Can you stop bringing everything back to Asamura-kun?"

    "Oh, was I off the mark? Since you emphasized the whole ''boys'' part, I figured there was a boy you had the hots for, a boy you want to think well of you."

    She''s not wrong, of course.

    "Don''t try to make up something out of thin air."

    "Mhmmm?"

    Okay, I get it, you don''t trust me at all. That''s fine. The bell had rung already, so I used my notebook to shoo away the evil apparition that was Maaya. Amiability, huh? Being amiable means¡­ to smile more? I''m not very good with that sort of thing, but if it makes Asamura-kun happy, I could give it a go. Or so I thought excitedly for a moment, but it turned out to be a lot moreplicated than I had initially assumed.

    sses ended and I returned home. After changing into the clothes I had previously picked out for the day, I stood in front of the round mirror standing on top of my desk to practice my facial expressions. Pulling here, stretching there, rxing my cheeks again¡­ It felt like my facial muscles weren''t used to this much exercise, and they started to feel exhausted after just a few minutes. What kind of expression was a smile, anyway?

    Since I usually wore a poker face that does a good enough job at hiding my emotions, seeing the face I was currently making reflected in the mirror filled me with difort. Why am I even doing this in the first ce? ¡­No, you''ll lose this battle if you regain your senses, Saki. It''s not like I would know who I''m losing to, though. After ring at the mirror for a bit longer, I decided that this was the best smile I could muster, and made up my mind to just roll with it. I stepped out of my room with newfound motivation filling my body and gently knocked on Asamura-kun''s door.

    "Are you ready to head out?"

    I sat down on the sofa in the living room while I waited for Asamura-kun, and soon the door to this room opened. I got up from the sofa, but as soon as our eyes met, I immediately averted my gaze. I could feel my heart racing. And I also suddenly became worried about my own outfit, since I had spent most of my time practicing my expressions instead.

    "Then let''s go." I didn''t even wait for this response and practically stormed towards the front entrance.

    We quickly decided where we''d go: Ikebukuro. I know how much Maaya is actually into anime, manga, and all that stuff. She keeps talking to me about it, after all. Or rather, whenever any merches out that she''s interested in, she keeps pestering me about it over LINE. Should I buy them, too? Why does she tell me that, anyway?

    In order to take the Yamanote line leading to our destination, we first headed to Shibuya station. I took some time to sneak a few nces at Asamura-kun while we waited for the next train to arrive. He was wearing a grey knitted sweater with a ck coach jacket on top. It had the same vibe as how he usually dressed, which I didn''t dislike at all. It''s not too shy, it''s more prim and proper. I had no better way of exining his outfit than saying it was very much like him. It all looked better because it suited him quite well.

    In the end, looking good in something is all that matters when ites to fashion. Or hold on, is it just that everything looks stylish if Asamura-kun''s wearing it? Well, either way is fine, really. But when Ipared myself to Asamura-kun''s calm style, I realized that I looked a lot more shy, almost. It''s not like I''m showing an excessive amount of skin or anything like that, but the colors of my outfit were vibrant red and green.

    I had basically gone with a Christmas color palette, so the wrongbination could have turned me into a bit of a clown, but I knew how to match properly. I could see that just fine in front of the mirror at home, but I was curious how Asamura-kun felt about my current outfit.

    I''ve been trying to be a lot more reserved. Attempting to look cute instead of charming was one thing, but this was my limit. Most of the clothes I own are more feminine than innocent, so that was already a lost cause. That sort of clothing and attitude was not meant for someone like me, since I always just say whatever I want without thinking much about the circumstances. During our ride on the train, I tried my best to act as amiable and friendly as possible while talking to Asamura-kun, but I didn''t know at all if I had actually seeded or not.

    Upon arriving at Ikebukuro, I relied on the GPS app on my phone to guide us to our destination. I''ve rarely visited this town before, but thanks to the advancements in technology, we found our way there safely. If youpared the streets here to Shibuya, you wouldn''t see much of a difference. If there was one difference that was worth pointing out, it''d be that high school and university students like us were a lot more numerous.

    Then again, that all stemmed from the fact that a lot of establishments along the eastern entrance of Sunshine street were targeted at younger people like us, whereas the western part focused more on adult establishments like bars and restaurants. Along with that, it felt like I could especially see quite a lot of boy and girl pairs¡ªnamely, couples¡ªaround us. Or maybe I''ve just gotten more sensitive to that sort of thing because of everything that''s been happeningtely.

    "Woah¡­" I heard Asamura-kun''s voice from next to me.

    I followed his gaze and almost had the same verbal reaction. On the corner of the street were a couple, their bodies glued to each other, sharing a passionate kiss. I just barely managed to not gasp audibly. Even though I had nothing to do with that kiss, my own body felt like it was bursting into mes. Though it was subconsciously, I pictured myself and Asamura-kun ovepping with that couple. I couldn''t believe what I was thinking. This wasn''t like me at all. I looked to my side and saw Asamura-kun''s gaze practically glued to them. For some reason I couldn''t exin, I suddenly became anxious that he may very well be able to read my thoughts, so I quickly jabbed my elbow into his side.

    "It''s rude to stare like that."

    "Sorry, I wasn''t thinking."

    He actually apologized to me. I was just trying to hide my own shame and embarrassment, so getting an honest apology in response made me feel even more guilty, so I added a few more words to show my sympathy.

    "I understand how you feel. It''s shocking to see that out of the blue."

    That is genuinely how I felt. Asamura-kun agreed to my statement with a bitter smile, which allowed me to sigh in relief. I''m d I didn''t make him angry or anything like that. After that, we entered the shop in question. As for the present, I was thinking about getting some merch from the anime Maaya had previously told me about. I figured a design she could use during her everyday life would be best, so I started looking for merch along that vein.

    As we went through the shelves of merchandise, we debated back and forth whether each item would be a good gift for Maaya or not. How about this one? It''s a bit childish, but it''d be a good match for her¡­and so on. This allowed me to understand how Asamura-kun felt in regards to Maaya, and I was filled with an odd sense of joy whenever our opinions aligned.

    Once I thought about it, this was the first time just Asamura-kun and I traveled somewhere far away by train to enjoy a shopping trip together. We had gone to the pool before, but that was in arger group. Just because it was only the two of us, I started feeling a lot more nervous, and my heart was beating faster, too.

    Once we finished buying what we wanted, we decided to head home for the day. I had originally been nning on getting a present, myself, but then I realized that''d make it really obvious that we had bought the presents together. Then again, Maaya already knows that we''re siblings, so it shouldn''t matter too much. Still, I might as well go buy something else tomorrow before heading to school.

    Either way, our first date ended, and we hopped on the train home. I felt relieved and lonely at the same time, but then Asamura-kun suddenly dropped a bombshell on me.

    "Is there something weird about my outfit?"

    I had to take a moment to process what I had just been told since it was so out of the blue. Not to mention that I don''t see anything wrong with his outfit. I think he''s fine exactly the way he is. But after a bit of thinking, I decided on something.

    "If you''re fine with my tastes and what I think is stylish, then I don''t mind helping you pick something out."

    In the end, we decided to take a quick detour to the nearest men''s clothing store that I could think of. Along the way, I started thinking to myself. I decided to do my best to style up Asamura-kun in a way I like. After that, I''ll have himpare it to his current look so that he can get a feeling for his own type of preferred style and outfit. It''s another type of adjusting to each other, in a sense.

    I don''t know if we can find something worth thebel of a formal date outfit, but that''s for himself to decide. I have no true role to y in that. Plus, I''d rather not see him change into someone that isn''t true to himself¡­ Maybe this is just me being selfish again?

    From the Daikanyama train station, it was a straight walk to the men''s clothing store. When I confidently entered the ce, Asamura-kun bluntly asked me if I came here on a regr basis. Why would I? This ce has the exact same kind of stuff as any expensive ce, so it''s easy to find my way around even if I''m not a regr. I mean, you might pass through here if you''re interested in men''s styles, I guess. Which I am not, of course.

    We talked for a moment when Asamura-kun suddenly pointed at a mannequin, saying that kind of outfit would suit me well. That really made me feel quite anxious, and I wondered just how exactly he saw me. It was a ck leather jacket with a thick belt. I may not like it when people look down on me, but I don''t want to look like some gang leader, either.

    "I think you''d look handsome."

    What is he even saying? We came here so that I could pick out an outfit for him, so why are we talking about an outfit for me? Geez, what is this? My face feels hot. They''ve really turned up the heater in this ce, huh? After walking around some more, I started picking out any clothes I found interesting andparing them to Asamura-kun''s body. It''s like I''m ying with my very own dress-up doll. It''s so much fun. At the same time, I couldn''t help imagining using here to shop for clothes as a married couple.

    ¡­Wait, hold on. Not as a married couple, but as siblings, right? Jumping to calling us a married couple is a bit of a leap, to say the least. I do enjoy spending time with Asamura-kun very much, but it makes me feel like I''m the only one getting excited. I have to calm myself down so that I don''t rush blindly ahead.

    We walked around inside the shop some more, and I finally chose a jacket and a shirt for Asamura-kun. Both of these I had spotted immediately, and I couldn''t shake off their first impression.

    We returned from our detour and started making our way back home for good. Far off in the distance, I could see the familiar light of our t, which allowed me to sigh in relief. And I was surprised by that sigh, too. I hadn''t even realized it, but this t has now be my image of home. Once we pass through the door to our apartment, I''ll go back to spending my days as a step-sister.

    Now that I think about it, how did I do today? I had no idea that Asamura-kun was concerned about his own appearance and looks. Did Asamura-kun notice that I was trying to act more amiable and friendly?

    "By the way, how did I do today?"

    It took a few seconds before I got a response. But the fact that Asamura-kun guessed it correctly by asking ''Your expression maybe?'' made me feel happy. I did it! I was excited to hear him continue, only for him to say¡­

    "You were trying to hold back yourughter, right?"

    What?

    "Your expression looked like you were trying to hold yourself back fromughing."

    It felt like my knees were about to give in just upon hearing those words. What even¡­?

    "So that''s how it seemed to you¡­"

    I was trying hard to smile to make Asamura-kun happy, and yet it didn''t get across at all. Argh, how embarrassing. The more I thought about it, the more my cheeks started to burn up. I want to dig a hole and hide in there for the rest of my life. Or be reduced to atoms and vanish from the world forever. Do I have a self-destruct button anywhere on me? I felt so ashamed that I couldn''t even look at his face anymore. All I could do was stiffen my expression and act like I hadn''t been affected at all. I''m calm. This doesn''t hurt. I''m not going to cry.

    That''s what I get for doing something I''m not used to. My punishment for trying to put on an expression I can''t make. I can''t be as friendly and amicable as Maaya. I just wish I''d lose the ability to show any kind of emotion. It was all because I had done something I normally wouldn''t. That''s enough, honestly. After all, Ayase Saki is a boring woman who can never show any friendliness to anybody. That''s just how it is.

    "I think you''re fine the way you usually act," Asamura-kun said as the elevator doors closed. "It''s who you are, after all."

    "Wha¡­?"

    I yed deaf and acted like I hadn''t heard him. What is this¡­? Even though it was just a small side remark, my chest feels so warm and fuzzy all of a sudden. This is why Asamura-kun is dangerous. He''ll shake me from left to right, making me lose sight of my feelings and where I should direct them. Are we fine to just be siblings who get along really well, or are we better suited to be lovers?

    What rtionship do I want?

    What rtionship does he want?

    On that day, we both agreed to keep our rtionship the way it was, and yet now I''m hearing the devil whispering into my ear.

    ¡ªAre you truly satisfied with just this?

    Whenever he tells me such kind and encouraging words, I find myself thinking. Wishing, even. I want to touch his cheeks, pull on them, and squeeze them together as punishment for always making me happy with whatever he says. Of course, not in hostility. I just want to¡­ touch him. That''s the desire burning deep inside of me. It''s what I felt back when I passionately hugged him in that locked room. But I can''t. I''d just surprise him. Not knowing when the right moment for that would be, I found myself unable to act at all.

    I should use my favorite bath salts tonight. I need to melt away amidst that fragrance I like so much, waiting for my turbulent feelings to calm down.

 Chapter 57 - 5

    <h4>Chapter 57: Chapter 5</h4>

    21st of October (Wednesday) ¨C Asamura Yuuta

    The cold morning air snuggled up to me under my nket, making me rub my legs together after I woke up. Since we''ll be getting closer to the full-blown winter season from now on, waking up in the morning will only get more painful from here. I immediately began missing the warmth of my nket after I kicked it into the air to force myself up from bed. At roughly the same time, my rm rang. I didn''t for a moment, mming my hand against it to silence the ear-piercing rm.

    "I won."

    Of course, there''s absolutely no benefit to me winning this imaginary battle, but small victories help in shaping my mood for the day¡­ Well, I guess that''s a bit of an overstatement. Either way, today is Narasaka-san''s birthday party. I was assaulted with an odd feeling of pressure because of that, trying my best to ignore it while preparing for school. I''m just a tad bit worried that I won''t get along with the other people she''s going to invite.

    After finishing my preparations, I made my way to the living room. It seemed that Ayase-san had already finished her breakfast, as she was now cleaning the dishes she used and putting them into the drying rack.

    "Morning. You''re up early, huh?"

    "I''ve gotta stop by the train station to buy a present."

    When I called out to her, she immediately grabbed her bag. I see. She''d mentioned that she was going to buy a present this morning. I remember now.

    "I''m heading out."

    "Yeah. Take care, Saki-chan."

    "See youter, Nii-san."

    "Yep. Later, Ayase-san."

    "Mhm." Ayase-san nodded and stepped outside.

    "You''re fine taking your time, Dad?"

    "Yep. I''ve got no need to rush today."

    I guess he''s had a lot less work forced onto himtely? I opened the rice cooker and a bit of steamy air hit my face, greeting me with the sweet scent of golden-yellow rice tickling my nose.

    "This is¡­"

    "Chestnut rice. It''s quite delicious, you know. Saki-chan is so good at making rice that it''s almost unfair."

    If Ayase-san was still us, she''d probably just say something like "All I did was add a few other ingredients in with the rice." But, just as he said¡­

    "It looks delicious."

    I put some of it in a small rice bowl and took a seat on an open chair. What else¡­? Pickled daikon radish with eel, and some plums. And you can''t forget the usual miso soup, either. And there''s even some onions on top today. The rice bowl in front of my old man was already empty.

    "Want another serving, Dad?"

    "No, I''m okay. I have to leave soon anyway."

    "Gotcha."

    The chestnuts mixed into the rice were about the size of my thumb. I picked one up with my chopsticks and stuffed it into my mouth.

    "Hot!"

    I chewed on the steaming chestnut, which quickly broke apart and filled my mouth with a sweet taste. This truly is the taste of fall.

    "Yep, it''s delicious."

    "Right?"

    "I could eat this all day."

    Ah, that''s why she had kept the side dishes to a minimum. My old man eventually headed off to work, and I proceeded to clean my own dishes and put them into the dishwasher. I even had two extra servings today. I feel a bit bloated now. Ayase-san left the house quite a while ago, too. Thankfully, if I take my bike today, I''ll still make it in time before sses start. I ended up being fairly ufortable because of the cold air making my hands hurt as they clung to the handles. It wasn''t cold enough to see my own breath, but it also wasn''t warm enough to make for a pleasant ride to school. It''s about to be winter for real, after all.

    I managed to make it to the ssroom three minutes before the bell rang.

    sses ended in a sh.

    "I''ll catch you tomorrow, Asamura," Maru gave a brief goodbye and made his way off to his club.

    Now then, it''s time for the birthday party.

    Ayase-san had sent me a message this afternoon that read: ''I''ll travel there separately, so you can leave first.''

    Ayase-san wearing casual clothes, huh? I would have used to feel tense and awkward when heading out while wearing my own clothes, but things are different now. I just have to walk confidently and trust Ayase-san''s fashion decision. I made my way to the front entrance and changed into my outdoor shoes. There I spotted a boy running around while wearing a jersey. Since he wasn''t holding his student bag, he probably wasn''t heading home anytime soon. He''s probably headed out for a sports club or something simr.

    It''s hard to tell brom the back, but¡­That''s Shinjou, isn''t it? Wait, is he not going to Narasaka-san''s birthday party? I totally expected to see him there. Or is he going to join us after his club practice is over? I didn''t know that he was that passionate about tennis practice, to be honest. Either way, I pedaled my way back to the t on my bike. Ayase-san wasn''t anywhere to be seen. She had probably left already after changing into her casual clothes, or she hadn''t made it home yet in the first ce. Well, we''re meeting up at the actual ce anyway, so there''s nothing to really worry about.

    All I knew is that I didn''t have to worry about my outfit anymore. Trusting in Ayase-san''s skilled and discerning eye was all I needed. I changed into the jacket I had just bought and booted up my LINE app. A few moments after I asked Narasaka-san for her address, she sent me a response with a map attached to it.

    "Around there, huh?"

    It was close to the prep school, and I had happened to run into Ayase-san before when she was headed to Narasaka-san''s ce, so I had a vague idea already. And it has a small area to keep my bike safe and secured, as well. After hopping on it, it didn''t take me much time to reach the area close to Narasaka-san''s home. I opened up the map and zoomed in. After looking to my left and right, I spotted the name of apany on arge green billboard that matched up with the map I had on me. Thanks to that, I managed to pinpoint my location.

    From that point onwards, I continued to push my bike instead of riding it. The sidewalk alongside this narrow street was so bumpy that my bike bounced up and down the entire way. Thankfully, it only took me a few minutes to reach the t in question. I parked my bike at the designated location she had mentioned in her message and headed inside.

    Before ringing the doorbell, however, I instead opted to first send her a LINE message. I''m hoping that she''s home right now, but I''d be genuinely lost if someone else from her family answered the inte. Luckily, there was no need to worry in that regard. Before I got a response on LINE, I spotted Ayase-san and Narasaka-san walking toward the building from the opposite side of the street. The door of the front entrance opened and they approached me.

    Ayase-san was wearing a denim skirt with a fluffy cardigan and a loose knitted sweater that hung off one shoulder below that. It was an outfit very much like Ayase-san. I did feel a bit worried she''d be cold during this cold weather. She spotted me and gently waved her hand. Narasaka-san went above and beyond as always, waving her hands like those people who direct nes across the airport. All of her gestures look so much like¡­I don''t know, a small animal.

    "Did you wait long~?"

    "Nope, I just got here." I also waved my hand and looked around.

    As far as I could see, the two of them were the only ones who had showed up so far.

    "Now, let''s get this started! Into the elevator with you two!"

    Huh? Hold on. Something isn''t right.

    "Where''s everybody else?"

    "Hm?"

    Why are you looking at me with a confused expression that practically says ''What are you talking about~?'', huh? I''m the one who''s baffled here.

    "The other people you invited¡­"

    "Nobody else ising~ I just invited the two of you."

    "Just the two of¡­ Ayase-san and I? Why?"

    "Err, cause I felt like it?"

    I''m not epting that as an answer. What kind of exnation is that?

    "Come on,e on, we shouldn''t be talking out here, it''s cold."

    "R-Right¡­" I was unsure of what to even say, so I looked over at Ayase-san in a plea for help, but she just looked away.

    Wait, did she¡­know about this? I was so focused on Ayase-san''s expression that Ipletely missed the short murmur from Narasaka-san that quickly vanished into empty air.

    We got off the elevator and arrived in front of a door with a wee mat greeting us. She took out a key from her pocket and opened the door.

    "Okay,e on in. There''s no need to be polite. Make yourselves at home."

    "Maaya, can I use these slippers here?"

    "Ah, yeah. You can have these, Asamura-kun."

    I nodded and slipped into the slippers that had a bear motif on them. After we walked through the narrow hallway leading up from the entrance, we reached the living room and kitchen. My first impression was that it was quite spacious. It''s built like the average apartment, mostly the same as my own home.

    "We''re heading over here today!" Narasaka-san said, opening up a door with her left hand.

    "We''re not staying in the living room?" Ayase-san asked, sounding oddly confused.

    "It''s just us three, after all," Narasaka-san nonchntly responded.

    Wait, so we''ll be in Narasaka-san''s room? I was more than just bewildered. When I thought about a girl''s room, I felt cold sweat running down my back. Ever since Ayase-san and I became step-siblings, I''ve tried my hardest to not be conscious of her room at home, even looking away from the door when it was closed.

    And yet, Narasaka-san showed virtually no hesitation as she guided us into her room. Right as she opened the door to storm inside, Ayase-san grabbed her sleeve to stop her, closing the door once more.

    "Maaya, this isn''t going to bite you backter, is it?"

    "Hm? What do you mean?"

    "Well¡­I''m fine with it, but Asamura-kun''s with us, remember? Are you okay with him just waltzing inside?"

    "Errm¡­" Narasaka-san put one finger on her chin, staring up at the ceiling as she delved into the realm of thought. "I was a good girl and made sure to hide all of the adult books I could find in the drawer, I cleaned up any fresh underwear I had lying around, and I put my uniform into the closet, so it should be fine."

    With thisrge number of bombshells dropped on me, I immediately opted to empty my mind and thoughts. I am nothingness. Void. The void is me, and I am the void. I didn''t hear anything just now. How does any of that make you a ''good girl,'' though?

    "Y-You dummy! Keep your voice down!"

    "I''m not saying it in front of my brothers, so no sweat."

    "That''s the least amount ofmon sense I expect from you!"

    "So what''s the problem, then?"

    "Like¡­is it safe?"

    "You''re such a worrywart, really! It''ll be totes fine. There''s no need to be scared."

    "That line alone has only made me more terrified!" Ayase-san sighed and removed her hand from the door, allowing Narasaka-san to open it once more. "Sorry for intruding¡­" Ayase-san mumbled and stepped inside, with me following closely behind.

    The room was about 10 square meters with a bed next to the window. Along the left side of her wall was what seemed to be her studying desk. That much I could tell without having to ogle at every small detail. I simply minded my own business and attempted not to stare too much in the advent that something was still poking out from anywhere. Absit omen! I chanted an ancient proverb to calm my flustered self. This particr one was against snow, as I''d rather not see Ayase-san getting buried by a mountain of snow. Well, I have no confirmation if this chant actually works with a massive avnche that could bury a person alive.

    "Wow." Ayase-san let out a voice of admiration. "So you do keep it clean."

    "If I don''t, my brothers will just have a bad example to live by."

    That makes sense. She really is an older sister at heart.

    "Come on, have a seat."

    She ced three cushions around a round low table, urging Ayase-san and I to enter the room. She was the first to sit down, with the two of us following suit. Ah, Narasaka-san sat on the cushion closest to the door. Right as Ayase-san and I had taken a seat, she immediately shot up again, saying "I''ll go grab some drinks," and leaving the room instantly. As I thought, she chose this position to best treat her visitors. At this rate, we''ll be the ones taken care of, even though this is her special day.

    "It doesn''t really feel like a birthday party, huh?" Ayase-sanmented.

    "Then again, it''s not like we can just walk around like we own the ce¡­"

    "Yep¡­"

    We were both a bit bewildered and unsure of what to do. Narasaka-san swiftly returned with a 1.5-liter bottle of tea, as well as three cups.

    "All right, then let''s get this party started!"

    "Again, stop trying to worry about hospitality and have a seat." Ayase-san grabbed the girl''s hand and shoved her down onto the cushion.

    "But it''s the host''s job to look after their visitors, right?"

    "At least for today, that logic doesn''t work. It''s your birthday, so rx a bit!"

    Narasaka-san made a dissatisfied pout, but Ayase-san was clearly in the right here. That being said, I''m in no position to press my own opinion, I should just leave this to Ayase-san.

    "Stuff like this happens all the time. It''s not a big deal~"

    "It is! Here." Ayase-san slid a stic bag across the table.

    "Hm? Wazzat? It''s not a present, is it?"

    "We haven''t eaten dinner yet, so it''s just a small snack."

    Narasaka-san opened the stic bag and pulled out a white box that contained three small cakes. Ayase-san had apparently bought them at the cake shop near the train station. She hadn''t nned on this at first, buting with nothing at all would''ve made her ufortable, so she bought them in a hurry. At least that''s what she said. I see. That''s what she went off to do beforeing here. I should pay for my shareter. The slices were a shortcake, a mont nc, and a cheesecake. It was a clever idea so that everybody could eat one slice without having to sit one out.

    "Ohh, it looks delish!"

    "Of course. Sadly, I don''t have any candles."

    "Cool, I''ll grab some tes and forks!"

    "Again, stay down. There''s no need to go overboard with the hospitality."

    "Hmph."

    Narasaka-san sat back down again, and her birthday party truly began. I know I grumbled about this before, but¡­ it really is just the three of us, huh?

    Before we started eating the cake slices, we decided to give her our presents. I gave her the mug from the anime she liked so much. It didn''t have a giant picture of a character imprinted on it, so it should be just fine to use at home. She epted the mug dly. Seems like she''s happy, at least. Ayase-san followed up with a teaspoon and cake fork set. They had flower motifs on the handles, and the tip looked like a crown.

    "Ooo, it''s so cute!"

    "Sadly it isn''t genuine silver."

    "This is more than enough! Thanks, Saki! Now we can eat the cakes properly!"

    "I didn''t think that far ahead. There are only two pairs, too."

    "Ah, I''m fine. I''ll use the one they sent with the box." I grabbed the stic fork from inside the cake box.

    "I''d like to eat with the new fork," Narasaka-san said and picked up the fork.

    "You should probably wash them first, no?"

    "Good idea. I''ll do that real quick. You''ll allow me to do that much, right?"

    "Well¡­"

    "Okie-dokie! Be right back!"

    Narasaka-san left the room to wash the tableware, quickly returning after a minute or two. In the end, she''s still the person caring for us¡­Well, old habits must die hard, I guess. She''s been an older sister for basically her whole life, I guess. We filled our cups with tea and made a toast. As we started eating the cake, Narasaka-san''s mother came in to greet us with some sweets in hand. She really resembled Narasaka-san a lot, and she seemed like a gentle and caring mother. Of course, we had no reason to turn down said sweets, and I started getting slightly worried we wouldn''t leave room for dinnerter.

    That reminds me, my old man mentioned he''d being homete after eating dinner with his coworkers. And Akiko-san won''t being home untilte at night, so we won''t have to worry about preparing dinner for tonight. At the very least, my old man seems to have survived another crunch at his workce.

    Once we finished eating everything, Ayase-san and Narasaka-san started talking about that one time we went to the pool together. I was a bit nervous at first, but I finally managed to rx a bit, and I ced my hands behind the cushion, simply listening to their conversation¡­ only for my back to bump into something, which made me jolt forward. The room was pretty small, and it had a bed, a study desk, a low table, bookcases, and so on, so I didn''t have much room to stretch out.

    I took a nce at the small box I had bumped into, which looked like it was just a container for holding things. I was relieved to see I didn''t just break something super expensive. I looked around some more and spotted some familiar-looking anime figurines. That supported Ayase-san''s statement that Narasaka-san was actually into anime quite a lot. Though I guess those aren''t technically figurines. They''re more like robots, right? That thought helped me remember instantly. Last summer, Maru mentioned he''d be sending the same type of stuff to his online friend. I guess this must be pretty popr, after all.

    "On the topic of birthdays, yours ising up next in December, right Saki?" Narasaka-san''s voice brought me back to reality.

    I didn''t even begin to notice the topic changing like that.

    "Hey, hey, Asamura-kun, when''s your b-day? Since you''re technically her older brother, it should be before Saki''s, yeah?" Narasaka-san shoved her face towards me as she asked.

    "Also in December."

    "Huh? You both have birthdays in the same month?"

    "Mine''s a week after his," Ayase-san said.

    "Oh, really? So you''re the older brother by a week?"

    Now that she mentioned it, I guess that''s right. A week after me, she''ll turn the same age. Then again, we''re not in grade school anymore, so I won''t feel much more like an adult just because of one week. Nor would I want to be treated that way.

    "Well, on paper," I said.

    "But I bet you must be happy to have a cute girl like Saki call you ''Onii-chan'', right?"

    "Maaya, drop it already," Ayase-san grumbled with a straight face.

    "There''s no need to be embarrassed~"

    "I''m telling you to stop because it makes me ufortable."

    "Then¡­what about ''Onii-san''?"

    "That''s no different from before."

    "Then, then¡­as my final guess¡­ ''Nii-san''?"

    This isn''t a guessing game¡ªis what Ayase-san and I probably wanted to retort with¡ªbut we had no chance to do so. Instead, we both froze up. The mannerism and tone Narasaka-san used made it sound like it hade straight out of Ayase-san''s mouth. For a moment, I thought I was hearing things. As things are now, Ayase-san only calls me Nii-san in front of our parents, so Narasaka-san bringing that up now really shook myposure.

    "Sto¡­p¡­"

    "Huuuh? That much should be fine, no? You''re his actual sister. Or¡­ do you already call him that?"

    "Asamura-kun is Asamura-kun. Nothing more, nothing less."

    "But that''s so boring~"

    "And what does that matter? Enough about this, already!"

    CLAP, Ayase-san pped her hands together. Narasaka-san seemed evidently perturbed and annoyed that she didn''t get to have her fun, only to immediately sh a bright smile that made it look like she had already forgotten.

    "Since you''re here celebrating my birthday with me, we''ve got to n a huge party for the both of you in December!"

    What does ''huge party'' even entail? I''m starting to feel a bit worried over here. I''m really not too fond of the idea of holding a birthday party in the first ce. After all¡­

    "When your birthday is in December, you tend to justbine it with Christmas."

    I spoke from my own experience up to this point, and Ayase-san quickly agreed. I had a hunch that that would be the case. As for the situation of my family at that time, a birthday was something I looked forward to. After all, at least on that day, my parents wouldn''t fight. So if my birthday wasbined with Christmas, I would have noints¡­ However, I now admitted that it felt like a bit of a waste. Ayase-san nodded, showing that she probably had gone through something simr.

    While we were discussing that, I heard a faint creak from the door. When I looked over, I spotted a young boy, probably still in kindergarten, peeking inside the room. Narasaka-san turned around at about the same time.

    "Hey, I told you I''d be spending time with my friends. Go y with Mom for a while!"

    She said, but the boy kept staring at us. Or more urately, when you followed his gaze, he seemed to be looking at the sweets on the table. Narasaka-san seemed to notice this as well, and she calmly shook her head.

    "Nope. We''re going to have dinner soon."

    "Not fair¡­"

    "Oh,e on!" Narasaka-san got up and trotted towards the boy. "You''ll get your own shareter, but dinneres first, okay?"

    "Buuuuuut!"

    Despite him throwing a temper tantrum, Narasaka-san remained calm and spoke with a gentle voice. Her younger brother still didn''t seem too satisfied, but after being patted on the back several times, he reluctantly left.

    "Off you go."

    "Snaaacks!"

    "After you''ve had dinner."

    "It''s not fair that only you get them, Maa-neechan!"

    "Hey now! Is this the mouth that keeps onining, huuuh?"

    "Oufies!"

    Narasaka-san dragged the boy out of the room while indulging in some casual sibling banter. After that, I heard a few otherints from outside the room. How many brothers does she even have? At least it''s gotten a lot quieter now.

    "Sorry about that. I thought he was busy with other stuff."

    "No worries." Ayase-san shook her head at Narasaka-san''s apology, and I nodded along.

    "He''s got energy, all right," I said.

    "He''s one of the smaller ones. He''s basically the youngest."

    From the sounds of it, there was quite an age gap between Narasaka-san and her younger brothers.

    "It''s tough work taking care of so many brothers~"

    So she said, but she clearly seemed to be enjoying herself. It''s obvious that she deeply cares for her brothers, and I think that''s important for a healthy family rtionship. That reminds me, siblings that are close in age usually have some kind of rivalry for who can get more affection from their parents, but when the age gap is far greater, like in this case, it turns rivals more into family members that need protection. Basically, she''s treating them almost like her own child.

    "I bet you''ll be a great mother in the future, Narasaka-san."

    She definitely wouldn''t neglect her children to run off somewhere. I had meant my words as nothing but praise, but Narasaka-san gave me an exhausted look for whatever reason.

    "Asamura-kun, you should only say that to Saki, okay?"

    "Maaya, what are you talking about?"

    Huh? Only towards Ayase-san¡­? It took me a moment to realize how my words could be twisted from ''You''ll be a great mother'' to mean ''I''d be lucky to have you as my wife.'' I guess I really shouldn''t be saying that to Narasaka-san, and instead¡­ Wait, no.

    "Huh? You don''t want him to say that?"

    That''s not the problem here.

    "That''s clearly not the problem here."

    It seemed as if Ayase-san agreed with me.

    "You don''t want to be a mother? You could be a father instead, too." Narasaka-san asked Ayase-san.

    "I have nothing but respect for my mother, but that''s not the point here. I''ve never once even thought about that. Also, there''s no way I can be a father."

    I mean, it depends if you look at it from a biological standpoint or from the social construct of what being a father entails.

    "Ah, understand."

    "¡­What is it this time?"

    "You wanna be the son-inw!"

    "How would you even reach that conclusion?" Narasaka-san was met with a voice cold as ice, along with a stern gaze.

    I have no idea how much she knows that she''s able to tease us this way. Ayase-san shook her head and sighed.

    "Why am I being tortured on Maaya''s birthday?"

    Isn''t that because Narasaka-san is continuing thisedy skit? Narasaka-san noticed my gaze and started sulking.

    "Keep staring some more and you''ll start to drill holes into my body, Asamura-oniichan. See? I''m not scary at all~" She said, pointing her small index finger towards me.

    What exactly am I supposed to do with this?

    "It''s okay, I won''t feel a thing even if you bite it."

    "I won''t, so there''s no need to worry."

    "Right, because Saki''s with us."

    "I wouldn''t do it even without her around."

    "What are you on about, Maaya?"

    It seemed like Ayase-san was blissfully unaware. I dodged a bullet right there. This, however, wasn''t the end of Narasaka-san''s teasing. I''m genuinely impressed Ayase-san managed to keep her poker face during the entire afternoon.

    Since it was about time for Narasaka-san''s father toe home, Ayase-san and I decided to depart from the Narasaka household. From what she said, she''ll be celebrating with her family after this. He''d probably prepared a huge cake with candles on top, which will beplemented by her mother''s cooking to make it a merry celebration. And with her younger brothers sitting around her, I can only imagine them being all smiles and happiness.

    "You''ve got such a happy family. Everyone''s on such good terms." Ayase-sanmented as we left the t.

    Narasaka-san seemed slightly bewildered by thisment, though.

    "What are you talking about?"

    "Huh?"

    "Saki, that''s my line." Narasaka-san formed her hand into the shape of a gun, pointing it at Ayase-san.

    Then she slightly moved her hand to point it at me, next. Without creating a sound, she fired an imaginary bullet as her hand recoiled.

    "You''re pretty close, right?"

    "Seriously, what is it now?"

    "Oh? Maybe you don''t want me to say it? That you''re siblings on such good terms?"

    "Wait, wha¡­?"

    "I see, I get it. You''d rather have me say ''lovey-dovey married couple,'' yeah?"

    "W-Who''s a married couple¡­?!"

    "Your mom and Asamura-kun''s dad, right?"

    "Ack¡­"

    I think this may have been the first time I''ve seen Ayase-san truly defeated like that.

    "But they are, right? You mentioned it before."

    "I-I guess so."

    The reason Ayase-san''s cheeks looked a bit pink most likely wasn''t because of the cold breeze blowing against us after we stepped outside. Especially when you looked at Narasaka-san, who couldn''t hide her bright grin.

    "Hmmmm? Who''d you think I was talking about?"

    "I''m going home. See you tomorrow."

    "Okieees! Bye-bye! Escort her home, Asamura-kun!"

    Seeing that Narasaka-san knew when to stop herself from teasing made it clear that she valued her friendship with Ayase-san. The wise royal clown knows how to make the jokes hit home without letting his head roll, as they say.

    "Have a great rest of your birthday, then." I bowed slightly towards Narasaka-san and trotted after Ayase-san.

    "Geez, all that girl knows how to do is tease people," Ayase-san grumbled to herself.

    "But, you know¡­"

    Ayase-san looked toward me.

    "If we looked like a good pair of siblings, maybe our current distance is perfect?"

    "That¡­ makes sense, but¡­"

    On the way home, Ayase-san did some more grumbling,ining, being flustered, and all of it was rted to the conversations she had with her good friend. It was an endless loop of ''curse that Maaya'' until we got home. To me, they just looked like really good friends. How beautiful it is to have good friends, as Muyanokouji Saneatsu once said. He''s an influential author of Japanese literary history, but I haven''t read much of his work, to be honest.

    It''s not like that mattered right now, though, because I myself was happy that Ayase-san and Narasaka-san got along so well. It''s the kind of joy you feel when you see someone you care about getting along with others. The same goes for best friends, good friends, and even when looking at married couples. I thought about my old man and Akiko-san, and then nced at Ayase-san''s profile. They''re getting along more than well enough to not fight in front of their children.

    I thought about all the possibilities that could happen in the distant future. However, an average high school student like me didn''t have any particr future in mind. My body involuntarily shuddered from the cold, and I heard the leaves of the trees above us rustling in the wind.

 Chapter 58 - 6

    <h4>Chapter 58: Chapter 6</h4>

    21st of October (Wednesday) ¨C Ayase Saki

    I stayed in my room and prepared everything for tomorrow''s sses aftering home from Maaya''s birthday party. I had my headphones on, listening to some pleasant tunes and music. My gaze may have been looking down at my textbook, but I had been unable to focus for the past few minutes, simply wandering around in my thoughts. I''m just reading sentences, only to forget what I read a momentter. I would be hard-pressed to call this a true study session.

    Well, it''s Japanese history, so there''s technically no need for me to go through the questions before the actual ss¡­ Stop, Saki. You shouldn''t make excuses like that. My focus waspletely gone, so I raised my head. The digital clock next to me read 23:33. Ah, matching digits¡­ Yeah, I don''t think I''ll be doing any more studying today. It''ll only have the opposite effect. I should go take a bath instead.

    I gave up on studying and headed to the bath. I drank a ss of water so I didn''t have to worry about dehydration and sank into the hot water. When I stretched my arms and legs out, I could feel all the exhaustion slowly melting away from my body. I sighed for the umpteenth time and started grumbling to myself.

    "Maaya is just¡­"

    When we met up with Asamura-kun in front of her t, she whispered some words into my ear. Every time I remember them, my cheeks start to burn up.

    ''If anything, I wouldn''t mind leaving you two youngsters to yourselves, you know?''

    I just hope Asamura-kun didn''t hear any of that. What kind of birthday party is it if the person being celebrated vanishes midway through, anyway? Geez. I wonder just how much she actually knows or presumes to know. Does she know about my rtionship with Asamura-kun? I mean, we are siblings. So it should be apliment if somebody sees us as being on good terms, and she can keep teasing me about it as much as she wants. She''s just as close with her brothers, right?

    It''s the same principle. It''s part of perfectly normal physical contact. If Asamura-kun were the same age as Maaya''s younger brother, I could interact with him the same way. I wonder what he was like back then? I''m sure he was just as adorable. I''d squeeze his cheeks and pull on them whenever he gave me a cheeky look¡­ Whose cheeks? Asamura-kun''s¡ªWait, I''m getting lost in my fantasies here.

    I shook my head to rid myself of my foul thoughts. What am I thinking? Next topic, next topic. His birthday is in December. Well, so is mine, but his is earlier. Oh, yeah¡­I need to get a birthday present for him. But my timer rang before I coulde up with anything. I usually take baths for 20 minutes, getting out right before I start sweating. The longer I stay in, the more it could dehydrate my skin, after all.

    Skincare after drying myself off is just as important. If I leave my skin as-is right after taking a bath, it''ll dry out. I finished changing, grabbed all my dirtyundry to put it in my room(since I couldn''t keep it in theundry basket for everyone to see), put a thin jacket on over my nightwear, and went to the living room. I opened up the fridge to grab a cup of cold barley tea and gulped it down.

    I heard the sound of the door opening. It turned out to be Mom just getting home from work.

    "Oh, you''re back early. That''s rare."

    Since she works as a bartender, she usually only makes it homete at night or in the early morning. In that regard, she''s early today.

    "Yes, well¡­"

    "Are you not feeling well?"

    "Hehe, I''m fine. I''m not sick and don''t have a cold, it''s just the usual. A bit on the heavy side today," she said and sat on a chair in the living room.

    "Ahhh." I guessed what she was referring to and nodded. "It must have been cold, right? Would you like some warm tea?"

    "Yes, that would be wonderful."

    I turned on the electronic kettle and sat down across from her.

    "So you''re finally taking a rest when you need it?"

    Up to this point, she had continued to work no matter how exhausted or sick she felt. But as ofte, she''d alwayse home early whenever she didn''t feel too well. ''Up to this point'' is, of course, referring to before she got remarried.

    "With Taichi-san, I''m able to get the rest I need." She said while ncing over at the bedroom.

    "Because of him?"

    "Yes. And I also have you, and you can take care of yourself," She said with a smile.

    My inexperience and inability to support her properly had caused her health to deteriorate. If I think about it that way, I couldn''t feel more apologetic. But even so, there was no need for that anymore. Now she had the option to rest. She has faith in her family that somebody could support her even if she copsed. Having somebody to rely on really gives you mental strength, after all.

    The kettle notified me that the water was boiling, so I poured some of it into a cup with some caffeine-free ck tea and ced it in front of Mom.

    "It''s not just him. You can always rely on me if something happens."

    "Thank you, Saki."

    I shook my head. There''s still nothing I can do for her. I can''t do what step-dad does for her¡­

    "What about dinner?"

    "I ate something beforeing home, so I''m fine." She smiled and turned on the TV.

    I heard some random noise, probably from a variety show. A bit after that, I looked over, and orange lights were flickering everywhere in the stores shown in the footage, and there was some sort of performer walking around. It seems to be a special report on Halloween.

    "Oh yeah, about Halloween¡­"

    "Yeah?"

    Watching TV seemed to have jogged something in Mom''s memory, and she spoke up.

    "At first, Taichi-san and I were nning on heading out somewhere and having dinner together. It technically is a festival, after all."

    Only in the West, though. However, with Halloween going on, Mom said she probably wouldn''t be back until morning since she''ll be busy at work.

    "Is Halloween that important of an event?"

    I just saw it as an opportunity for all the costume lovers to go all out at least once a year.

    "Taichi-san wants us to celebrate together. But with Decembering up, I said we''d be better off celebrating then. We n on taking time off for Christmas, so we can celebrate that and your birthdays together."

    "Okay, got it." I nodded in understanding.

    "What''s so funny?"

    "Nothing at all."

    So we''ll be together for Christmas. That thought alone made me smile. I can''t deny it. But it''s not just that. Finally, from this year on, we can celebrate it as an actual family.

 Chapter 59 - 7

    <h4>Chapter 59: Chapter 7</h4>

    29th of October (Thursday) ¨C Asamura Yuuta

    Roughly a week has passed since Narasaka-san''s birthday party. After I woke up in the morning, I changed into my uniform and headed over to the bathroom. We''ve reached the season that makes your feet cold whenever you walk on the floor. I thankfully possessed enough drowsy willpower to keep walking, and I shaved in front of the mirror and put on face lotion. After that, Ibed my hair to keep it fresh. ''Keeping it fresh'' in this case just meant removing any traces of bed hair and calling it a day.

    Ever since the cultural festival, I''ve learned from Ayase-san and made it a routine to take proper care of myself in the morning. After doing that for a while, I realized that I was practically the only one not following through with proper skincare.

    "I never would have imagined that that would be Dad''s."

    The blue and transparent bottle standing on the washbasin was men''s face lotion. I was utterly baffled. Not to mention that it had been standing there long before he met Akiko-san. I remember him saying that he has to deal with customers from time to time. I really can''t underestimate him. And simrly, I realized that I was actually the type of person to not care about things that weren''t directly rted to me.

    I should probably show more care to the stuff around me. Or rather, my desire to evoke affection from others has been far too low up to this point. Ayase-san said I was perfectly fine the way I am right now, but I don''t want to make anypromises when ites to my feelings for Ayase-san. I want to work harder, even if it''s just at my own pace and in my own ways.

    As ament in that regard, the side of the washbasin was now crowded with other bottles and cups that were now not just from me and my old man, but also from Ayase-san and Akiko-san. It''s one of the things that made the realization that my family had grown really set in. When there''s two more people living with you, the number of objects in your vicinity grows simrly. Even more so since it''s not just two men living here. Seeing all the cosmetic goods I''d never even heard of left me baffled. Let alone the fact that, ording to Ayase-san, she doesn''t even keep most of her makeup and skincare products here in the bathroom. Honestly, what else could they even be using?

    After we finished breakfast, Ayase-san left the house before me, and I followed afterwards, leaving a significant distance between us. I pedaled my bike through Shibuya. It''s the time of year when the breeze blowing against me isn''tfortable and soothing anymore. Instead, it''s quite chilly. One more month and that chilly breeze will change to a freezing wind. I parked my bike at the usual ce, arriving at my ssroom exactly five minutes before sses started. I started preparing for my sses. Maru walked into the room, probably having finished his morning practice, and sat down on the chair in front of me.

    "Morning, Maru. Finished with morning practice?"

    "Yep. Well, same business as usual, no biggie."

    "Gotcha."

    "You get used to it. Think of it as special training. If you use something every single day, you stop caring about it."

    The way he worded that sounded slightly suggestive, but isn''t getting used to regr training to such an extent pretty amazing in itself? A few momentster, our homeroom teacher walked into the room, and our morning homeroom started. However, something out of the ordinary happened. Namely, the teacher handed out copies of a document.

    ''Looking for Volunteers.'' It read at the top. I quickly scanned through the document. It seemed like they were looking for people to help with trash collection the morning after Halloween.

    "Shibuya''s famous for the Halloween evening, but the trash on the morning after is atrocious," Maru whispered with a quiet voice, and I nodded.

    I''ve heard about that for years now. I''m happy that my hometown is getting the attention it deserves, but I don''t like the district ending up looking like a garbage dump. And if that weren''t bad enough, the poor crows are going to start eating anything they can get, and rats will patrol through the streets. The big and round ones, too. Let alone the stench¡­

    "Shibuya''s one of Japan''s important cities, but after a night of partying like that, it''s a sorry sight, to be honest," Maru said.

    "Have you seen it?" I asked.

    "During morning practice."

    He and his teammates had apparently passed through Shibuya during their route, which was why he''d seen Shibuya the morning before. He even furrowed his eyebrows, so it must have been a sorry sight. Our homeroom teacher finally left the ssroom after urging everybody interested to participate.

    "This sure is early in the morning. What do you think?" I asked Maru.

    "Why would I have to clean up after somebody else''s mess?"

    "Welp, that''s fair."

    This singr incident robbed me of almost all of my excitement for the uing Halloween night in a matter of minutes.

    Today was another day of prep school. Ever since my supplementary summer sses, I''ve been regrly attending the prep school. Thanks to that, and as a result of my continued effort, my grades have gone up quite a bit sincest spring. I also felt like my motivation to study had increased. Not too long ago, I had just been studying with no particr goal in mind except getting into a prestigious university, but now I have something to actually work towards. Getting into a renowned university isn''t the final objective, it''s the means to reach the destination I have in mind¡ªmy employment. I want to get into apany that pays well enough to secure myself a pleasant future.

    In order to achieve that, I need to acquire the knowledge and academic skills necessary to get into a top-ss university that''s prestigious on the national level. I''m not being forced into this by anybody, nor am I working towards this goal with someone. It''s the goal I''ve made for myself. I haven''t even told Ayase-san. Or rather, I don''t think I can tell her.

    After all, this is my way of trying to make up. To make up for the fact that, despite receiving delicious cooked food from Ayase-san every day, I''m not fulfilling my end of the bargain. I couldn''t find her a well-paid and lucrative part-time job that didn''t steal too much of her time. I couldn''t find a job that would allow her to be independent from us, but I can at least attempt to obtain the ability to provide for her while giving her enough breathing space to not force her into dependence. I''m worried that, if I tell her about my ns, it''d make her feel like she owes me something because I''m going out of my way to help her. Not help her directly, but in a way that puts more work on my te, which is why I''ve opted to keep quiet about it.

    As I reached my prep school''s perimeter, I received a LINE message from Ayase-san herself.

    ''Once you''re done, could we go shopping at the supermarket? I want to get the ingredients for breakfast tomorrow.''

    I had no objections to that, so I told her the time when my prep school would end, and we decided to meet up in front of the prep school after I was done. Yep, I can''t wait. Full of excitement, I opened the door to the ssroom, and my eyes spotted a familiar tall girl¡ªFujinami-san. The seat next to her seemed to be open, so I greeted her and sat down.

    Prep school sses usually go from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm. However, since I had only picked two slots out of three, mine would be over after two hours, which would be at 8:20 pm. And ten minutester, I would get to see Ayase-san. During the sses and the breaks, Fujinami-san and I barely talked with each other, but once it was time for me to pack up, she suddenly called out to me.

    "You''ve changed a bit, haven''t you?"

    While I put my pencils and workbooks I had used back into my bag, I nced over at Fujinami-san.

    "Have I?"

    "Yes. Did you get yourself a girlfriend?"

    "A girlfriend¡­? Not quite, I''m not even sure how to exin it."

    "I see. Congrattions."

    "You epted it that easily, huh? Even though I kept it purposefully vague."

    "I figured you must have a reason for doing so." Fujinami-san removed her sses, wiping them with the microfiber cloth in her other hand. "If your rtionship with the person you have feelings for progresses in a favorable way, then whether it''s as a girlfriend, a sex friend, or anything of that sort, I would personally argue that is a favorable result."

    "It''s thanks to you for giving me a push, Fujinami-san. I''m really thankful for what you did."

    "I''m d I was able to help. That being said, are you sure about acting this friendly with another girl?" She smiled and spoke with a teasing tone.

    "Err¡­I''ve always thought of you as a friend, so¡­"

    "I see. So we''ve been friends? Then there''s no problem."

    I''m d she agreed with me. And while I was talking with her, I came up with another thought.

    "That reminds me, you''re quite familiar with Shibuya, aren''t you?"

    I''ve lived close to the city center and the surrounding area for many years now, so it''s not like I''m a tourist who barely knows my way around Shibuya, but I also don''t have much experience just taking strolls around town or enjoying the nightlife like Fujinami-san would. The best I know is the different bookstore locations to the point I could draw a map, but that''s about it.

    "I imagine you''re well-informed about Shibuya during Halloween."

    "Yes, you could say that."

    "Do you usually check it out?"

    "Yes. I quite enjoy the atmosphere and partying."

    When I heard that, I was a bit surprised. She didn''t seem like the type of outgoing person who''d be fond of partying.

    "I didn''t expect that," I said.

    "Really? I personally feel like, during those times, it''s surprising to see how low people can fall in terms of intelligence and rationality, which makes me think that human beings are fine even if they''re hopeless." Fujinami-san finished herment with an archaic smile.

    It was the exact opposite of Maru''s smile when he spoke against the entire idea of partying, but also felt like part of the same reasoning.

    "It''s fine if they''re hopeless, huh?"

    "Yes. After all, we''re not much different from monkeys."

    "So you''re the type of person who usually has higher expectations of other people?"

    The girl blinked at me in confusion. I guess I said something surprising.

    "Is¡­that so?"

    "You expect something from the people around you, which is why you''re disappointed. When you find yourself expecting too much, you then admonish yourself to keep the bnce."

    "I see¡­ I''d never even thought about it that way before."

    I felt my smartphone vibrate inside of my bag, so I quickly grabbed it to check the screen. I''d received a message from Ayase-san.

    ''I''m here.''

    I stuffed my phone back into my pocket and slung my bag over my shoulder. It''s just a shopping trip, something you''d struggle to call a "date," and yet as soon as it came to spending time with Ayase-san, having her by my side¡ªthat alone made my heart race with excitement.

    "Is it that girl you mentioned?"

    "Yep, she''s waiting outside, and¡­ Oh, I guess looking at my phone while we were talking wasn''t very polite of me, sorry."

    "I''m not bothered by that sort of thing, so don''t worry."

    That answer was very much like her. The way she didn''t intend to force people to do or not do particr things while she was around resembled Ayase-san quite a bit.

    "I''ll be heading out now."

    "Yes, see you soon."

    "Bye." Fujinami-san waved her hand and she left the ssroom.

    Just then, the bell rang, signaling the start of the third ss of the day. I used this as my signal to hurry out of the room. When I stepped out of the building, I saw that the sky had already turned ck. A little ways away from the entrance, I could see Ayase-san standing beneath a street light. Thanks to the light shining on her bright hair and illuminating her face, I could easily make her out from a distance. Our gazes met and she showed a faint smile. Even though it''s barely been half a day, it felt like we hadn''t seen each other for a much longer time.

    "Were you waiting long?" I approached her with that question.

    "Just got here," she said as she shook her head.

    She had changed from her uniform to a casual outfit with a cardigan on top. Considering the time, she most likely had gone home first to change into something morefortable before she came here. It''s just a simple shopping trip, but she showed no opening whatsoever. In contrast, I was, obviously, still wearing my uniform, so I felt a bit embarrassed to be walking next to her. As nned, we stopped by the supermarket on the way home.

    I''d never really given it much attention up to this point, but the entire world was looking like it was preparing for the iing Halloween mood. Right after entering the supermarket, I spotted lots of shelves filled with seasonal sweets.

    "All of this Halloween stuff is hurting my eyes," I said with a wry smile, which made Ayase-san think for a moment.

    "Because of all the orange-colored things around us?"

    "Exactly."

    Even all the packages were colored with bright orange colors. It''s the color of the familiar Western pumpkin. That wasn''t originally the case; thentern from Jack was white. However, when it traveled around the world and reached America, it changed to the image of a pumpkin. It didn''t take long for this image to make its way even over to the sheltered ind we live on. Even the bucket which had the sweets in it was shaped like a pumpkin. My eyes started to hurt from this bright color all around me.

    "The special area of the department store is the same," Ayase-san said.

    "Ohhh, you''re right. I saw it when we bought the present for Narasaka-san."

    "That too, but they''re hanging up lights all around town."

    Now that I thought about it, one corner of the business district even looked like a Tanabata festival with how many Halloween goods I saw.

    "Now that you mention it, yeah."

    "But even this season is going to end eventually and we''ll be greeted by another one."

    I nodded in response to Ayase-san''s statement. Once this event was over, they''d stop selling these goods the next day. And the next thing that would fill all of these shelves would be Christmas items. They''re dead-set on getting us in the mood as quickly as possible.

    "Well, at least Christmas stuff has some green in it, which is a lot nicer on the eyes."

    "You have the funniest outlooks on these kinds of events, Asamura-kun."

    "Oh, you think so?"

    "I''ve never seen somebody judge a holiday by the colorpositions of the sales areas."

    Or you could say that I''m bothered by whatever people don''t care about. Ayase-san and I passed by the shelf for the limited goods and started our shopping for real. The generalyout is pretty much the same in every supermarket, but the order which the customers walk really shows their personality. It''s the same system I''ve witnessed while working at the bookstore. And even if the establishment creates a general path the customers should take, there''s always exceptions.

    "Do we still have all the consumable stuff at home?" Ayase-san asked me as I ced a basket inside the cart.

    Since I''ve been out shopping with her countless times before, I''ve realized that she likes to construct a route from the very start, most likely to keep efficiency to a max. It matches well with her personality to take the quickest route to the goal. It was the same when we went shopping for clothes. She seemed to immediately start deciding the perfect route inside her head. She knew exactly where she wanted to go without hesitation.

    "Hmm¡­ anything we might need¡­" I ran through my memories to check for anything we might need to buy.

    We still had plenty of toilet paper and boxed tissues, for sure. We also have more than enough garbage bags at home if I remember correctly. We should also have several types of detergent and fabric conditioner left. Ayase-san spoke up before I could.

    "I don''t think we''re missing anything."

    "As far as I can remember, we should be fine."

    At least over the past few days, I don''t remember missing anything¡­ I see, I guess I should be making notes for these kinds of situations. It''s a bit of a pain to walk around with a piece of paper in my hand, but I can make notes on my phone instead.

    "As for condiments¡­ Ah, we might need some sweet rice wine. I think we have some pepper left, but not ground pepper," Ayase-san said.

    "I guess we can buy some of that, then."

    "Got it." She said and walked ahead. I pushed the cart after her.

    We walked through the vegetable aisle, with Ayase-san checking the prices of everything as we went past. She''dment about how cheap something was, mumble about another product''s price, and evenpare the radishes and cabbages with each other.

    "Green vegetables are a bit expensive across the board."

    "Oh, I see."

    I get what she''s referring to, but I don''t pay nearly enough attention to the price to know when something is more expensive or not.

    "It''s roughly 20 yen more than yesterday."

    "I''m surprised you remember that."

    "Really? I think this much should be expected."

    Once again, I have to admire Ayase-san. I don''t remember what it cost yesterday, nor do I even bother checking the prices of vegetables on a daily basis. We moved past the vegetables once she finished checking all the prices, and we moved on to the meat aisle. I could see chicken, pork, beef, and so on. Beyond that, I could see racks of fish, and although Ayase-san looked through all of the prices, she never once picked up a package.

    "Are we not buying anything today?"

    "I haven''t quite decided on the menu just yet. If I were shopping alone, I''d buy enough for myself to carry, but with you, I figured I could buy some more in advance."

    So her horizon of options had broadened because she had two more hands that could help carry everything?

    "Okay, just let me know what to carry."

    "It might end up getting a bit heavy, though."

    "You''re always doing so much for me, this much is nothing. Just let me know. I''ll always be here to help." I told her.

    She responded with a quiet "Thanks."

    From her profile, it looked like she was blushing ever so slightly, which made me stop and think. Even if it''s just heading out to shop like this while we talk back and forth, this sort of thing doesn''t feel too bad.

    "Okay, I''ve decided what I need. I need several slices of chicken and packs of vegetables. But before that, we should stock up on seasonings."

    "Roger."

    I think it was sweet rice wine and ck pepper, right? Wait, where was the rice wine again?

    "Over there. You can see tags for soy sauce and other sauces."

    I moved my feet in the direction where she had pointed. After grabbing the sweet wine in question and putting it into the cart, Ayase-san suddenly put it back in its ce and went for arger bottle right below.

    "Is that one better?"

    "Yeah, I think I''ve been using it a lottely, so I figured I might as well get arger bottle."

    "I see¡­ Yeah, that makes sense. You''d only been using half the amount before you moved in with us."

    "I''m still shopping with that kind of intuition, so I really should be getting used to it now." Ayase-san shed a wry smile.

    "Okay, then next up is the ck pepper."

    The opposite side of this aisle held items like salt, sugar, and pepper. I spotted the ck pepper up on the highest shelf and put it into the basket after getting Ayase-san''s go-ahead. We walked back to the meat aisle, and Ayase-san put the chicken and the vegetables into the basket. As we made our way to the checkout, Ayase-san suddenly stopped in her tracks.

    "It''s pretty cheap, huh?"

    "Hm? The pumpkins?"

    "Yep. I figured I might as well buy one."

    Near the checkout was a special corner for all things Halloween. Mostly pumpkins, though. The sign even read "Sale," but they were all the green type of Japanese pumpkin, with no Halloween vibe to them.

    "A single one would be a bit too much, but if we cut it in half we might be able to eat all of it¡­ Can you carry it?"

    I picked up one of the half-cut pumpkins she mentioned. It wasn''t particrly light, but not impossible to carry.

    "I should be fine. I''ve also got my bike''s basket to help me."

    We lined up at the checkout, bought points with the app, and finished the payment. Once we left the building, we were greeted by the dark of night. While we walked through Shibuya center on our way home, we even spotted a group of costumed people. There are still two days left until the actual day, so I''m a bit worried that they''re getting ahead of themselves. Being excited is fine and all, but blocking the sidewalk is a bit insensitive to the people around them. I''m pushing my bike with a basket full of groceries here, can''t you see that?

    By the time we got home, it was already 9 pm.

    "The food for tonight is already done, I just have to warm it up," Ayase-san said.

    "Thanks, but I can do that myself. I don''t want to take up too much of your studying time."

    "Don''t mind me. I can study while I''m cooking," she said and took out a small English memory book from her pocket, seeming proud of herself.

    I wouldn''t go so far as to call it a smile, but I could see a small change in her expression that gave her a childish impression. This difference from her usual attitude almost made me break out into a smile myself. I didn''t want to be rude by thinking that she''s cute that way, so I opened the fridge and stowed away all the fresh produce we had bought. Ayase-san started warming up our dinner in the microwave and a pleasant scent drifted over in my direction.

    "This smells great. What is it?"

    "Teriyaki chicken. Wait just a moment."

    Since she didn''t let me help warm up the vegetableden miso soup, I instead opted to wash the dishes that were waiting in the sink. It seemed like my old man and Ayase-san had already eaten, which exined where the dishes were from.

    "Ah."

    "Hm? What''s wrong?"

    Ayase-san stared at my soap-sudsden hands.

    "You could have let me wash the dishes."

    "Come on, you don''t have to do everything. There''s nothing else for me to give back, so at least let me have this."

    "Nothing you can give back, huh? That''s really not true."

    "What do you mean?"

    "Did you think I wouldn''t notice? You''ve been secretly trying to help our household finances, haven''t you?"

    "Wha¡­?"

    I guess I''m not made out for gambling, huh? I really didn''t think she''d see through me that easily.

    "Well, you didn''t manage to find a lucrative part-time job, so you''re probably trying to help our parents and I in a different way. The reason you''ve been attending prep school more is probably because you''re thinking about the future and investing more time now. It seems that you want to make the most out of the money that''s been paid for the prep school."

    "Amazing¡­ Youpletely saw through me."

    "Considering the timing when you decided to take more sses, it makes sense. Not to mention¡­" She poured some miso soup into a small bowl, taking a sip to check the temperature before continuing. "¡ªI''m always thinking about you, Asamura-kun. Of course I''d notice something like that."

    "¡­!"

    I suddenly started to sweat profusely. It must have been because of the microwave and heater that were running. Despite the water from the sink constantly sshing onto my wrists, it didn''t feel like my body was cooling down anytime soon. I repeatedly told my mind to focus on cleaning the dishes, which only barely allowed me to keep myposure. I checked Ayase-san''s expression from the corner of my eye, but she was hanging her head downwards, not allowing me to figure out how she felt.

    I heard a door opening right as an awkward atmosphere started falling between the two of us, which made me jolt upwards in shock. My old man appeared in the kitchen, grabbing a piece of chicken. He stuffed it into his cheek with a grin. "Tasty!" he said and disappeared to the bathroom. Had he ignored his already-brushed teeth to grab another piece? Geez, I was far too startled to even reprimand him for it.

    My bted dinner consisted of miso soup, white rice, and some delicious teriyaki chicken for the main course. As for the sd, I put somerger slices of lettuce on the side of my te. Eating that along with the chicken was pretty good. Once I finished my dinner, I took some time to rx. I let my stomach get some rest by washing down the food with some tea and exchanged a few words with Ayase-san, who was seated across the table.

    Right now, we were discussing the costumed brigade we had encountered on the way home. More specifically, our sentiments about the entire ordeal, considering it wasn''t even Halloween yet. And how both of us regretted that we had shifts on the 31st.

    "I''ve never gone out during Halloween, so I''dpletely forgotten about it." Ayase-san said.

    I nodded in response. "I bet everywhere will be crowded. They''re already going crazy."

    "There''s bound to be people who will shop at our bookstore while wearing costumes."

    "Even so, our job doesn''t change. Well, we might get jumpscared now and again. By zombies or mummies¡­ Ayase-san, are you bad with scary stuff?"

    "¡­I don''t handle it too well," she said. "But¡­if I have you with me, I should be fine."

    Maybe having the same shift on that day won''t be such a bad thing after all.

 Chapter 60 - 8

    <h4>Chapter 60: Chapter 8</h4>

    29th of October (Thursday) ¨C Ayase Saki

    There were only two days until Halloween. First thing in the morning, I received a document from our homeroom teacher.

    ''Searching for Volunteers.''

    That''s what it said at the top. They''re looking for volunteers to help with cleaning up after Halloween. Therge crowd creates an evenrger amount of waste, or so my teacher said. That reminds me, I talked with Yomiuri-senpai about Halloween around a week ago. She said we might as well wear costumes, considering the asion. She even talked about cat ears adding the right amount of cuteness into the mix, which left me thinking for a moment.

    My armament isn''t designed to increase how cute I am. Dressing up and looking cute may have simr threads woven behind them, but are definitely not the same thing. The only reason I''d never thought about it more up to this point was because I hadn''t found anybody I wanted to look cute in front of. Actually¡­ before I graduated from grade school, I think I always felt happy whenever Mom called me cute. However, I don''t think I misunderstood what that word meant. I think I was fine with ''handsome'', ''beautiful'', ''stylish'', or everything along those lines. Rather than the urate meaning of the word, as long as a child understands it as affirmation from their parents, they''ll be happy about anything.

    However, my father was different. Whenever I wore the clothes Mom chose for me and received praise for it, my father didn''t like it. The more I was praised for my looks, the more my grades rose, the more the people around me thought of me, and the less he would give me attention and appreciate my existence.

    "You''re just like her, making me suffer."

    He kept mumbling these curses under his breath, which probably made me feel so resentful and confused when it came to the word ''cute.'' But even so, I continued to choose my clothes carefully and care for my looks. All so that I would show absolutely no opening in the eyes of the world around me. Not in order to draw attention and interest. And yet¡ª

    "Sakiii!"

    Maaya''s voice caused me to raise my head. It seemed like morning homeroom had already ended while I was lost in thought, and Maaya was now standing in front of me.

    "Maaya, sses are going to start soon." I said.

    "Heh, heh, heh. Trick or treat! Gimme sweets!"

    "Yes, yes, you can y pranks on me all you want, I''m not giving you any."

    Maaya''s innocent smile quickly changed into an ominous grin.

    "Then¡­ you''ll have to dress up as a maid wearing cat ears, singing idol songs next time we''re at a karaoke box!"

    "I''m not doing that either."

    Also, that''s not a prank. You''re just using me to satisfy your own desires, aren''t you?

    "Welp, jokes aside, Halloween''s on a Saturday this year, right?"

    "It seems like it."

    "We''re thinking of holding a karaoke party on said Saturday."

    "I can''t. I''ve got work."

    "Between friendship and money, which is more important?!"

    "Money."

    What a foolish question. A job''s a job. I can''t just say no.

    "Makes sense," Maaya grumbled.

    "Indeed."

    "Mhm, okay. Good luck with that. I''ll let everyone know."

    "Everyone?"

    Who might she be talking about?

    "From our ss? You helped with the preparations for the cultural festival, remember?"

    "Ahhh¡­ I guess I did."

    I figured it would be a lot better than being forced to work as a waitress during the actual festival, that''s about it.

    "You helped behind the scenes withoutining once, so everyone is pretty thankful."

    "No need, I just did what I was tasked with."

    I didn''t even know that I did something that could warrant gratitude. But now that I think about it, that would mean that everybody else really wanted to work as a waitress. Wearing such shy and frilly clothes, saying things like ''Wee back, dear master, meow!''¡­ You''re kidding, right? But on that subject, Asamura-kun''s friend¡­ Maru-kun, was it? He had apparently visited all the different cafes that the festival had to offer. Maybe a boy really thinks that clothes like those are cute? Would Asamura-kun have called me cute if I had worn that in front of him?

    "And now you''re thinking about Asamura-kun again, huh?"

    "Wha¡­ what are you talking about?"

    Maaya didn''t give me any response. She just returned to her seat with the biggest grin ever on her face. Lately, it really feels like she can read my thoughts.

    sses ended for the day, and since I had no work to worry about today, I quickly made my way home to work on my studies. Once I made some progress on that, I remembered that Asamura-kun had prep school sses today. He mentioned a girl he''d gotten to know there, and that they''d been getting along pretty well. Does he usually sit next to her while they take the ss together?

    I felt the sudden urge to see Asamura-kun as quickly as possible. I mean¡­ she gets to look at his face the entire time¡­ Ahh, what a pathetic emotion this is. I can guess why he''s suddenly been so passionate about prep school. I shouldn''t be having such conflicted feelings about it. It''s just in rude.

    In exchange for me cooking for him every day, he was going to find a lucrative part-time job for me¡ªthat was our initial contract, our promise to each other. I personally consider that contract invalid at this point, but knowing Asamura-kun, he''s not as epting of this result. He''s trying to give back to me for the cooking I''m doing for him every day. In that context, it''s obvious that the reason he''s taking more sses at his prep school around the end of summer break is that he''s working harder with the future in mind, and all of this as part of his goal to repay me with trust and gratitude.

    As a matter of fact, Asamura-kun''s grades have been getting better. That alone shows that he isn''t just fooling around with that girl he met and instead is diligently working on his studies. However, although my head might understand this logic and is totally fine with it, my heart wouldn''t listen to me. Instead, it''s filling me with feelings of uncertainty and insecurity. I booted up my LINE app and sent him a message.

    ''Once you''re done, could we go shopping at the supermarket? I want to get ingredients for breakfast tomorrow.''

    I was a bit worried that he might be dubious since I had brought that up out of nowhere. Normally I simply work with what I have to make breakfast, so voicing my desire to go shopping thiste might seem unnatural. However, he immediately agreed to it and suggested that we could meet up in front of the prep school. A sigh of relief escaped my lips.

    I put my headphones back on, and I was immediately greeted with pleasant music like I was drifting in the ocean. I indulged myself in the all-familiar lofi beats I enjoyed listening to, which allowed my focus to increase again. With my motivation high, I set a timer for 25 minutes on my phone.

    I calmly ran my eyes through the notes in front of me. Like I was being pulled down into the deepest ocean, all noise and distractions around me vanished. Even the sound entering my ears started to sound much more distant. By the time I solved seven questions, an electronic beeping sound disrupted my focus. All right, it''s time for a break. I set another timer for 5 minutes and rxed my stiff body. This is a new studying method I''ve discovered recently: The Pomodoro Technique. Itbines a 25-minute interval of studying paired with a five-minute break to rx the body.

    At first, I was a bit concerned that the amount of time I''d be studying at a time would be a bit low. It sounded like I wouldn''t be able to finish anything like that. However, after testing it out, I realized I made just as much progress as before. The idea is that a human being manages to shift into full focus mode when they''re on a deadline. By setting a much shorter deadline than usual with only 25 minutes, your brain is trained to feel rushed by the approaching time limit, thus you focus more intensely on the task at hand.

    Needless to say, everyone has their own study methods that work best for them, but I''m doing just fine with this one. I probably should tell Asamura-kun about this when I get the chance. But then he might go even more out of his way to try and equalize our give and take rtionship. After repeating another round of 25 minutes and rxing for 5 minutes, I decided that I should probably start preparing dinner right about now. I stopped studying and took a small English vocabry notebook with me to the kitchen.

    Tonight, it''ll just be Step-dad and I at home for dinner. Asamura-kun will be homete because of prep school, and Mom won''t be needing any either. My n was some rice, miso soup, and teriyaki chicken. It''s easy to make and won''t take much of my time. Around the time I finished most of my preparations, I heard the front door open.

    "I''m home. Oh, that smells great."

    "It''s teriyaki chicken. It''ll be ready in a bit. Would you like to eat right away?"

    "I might as well, yeah."

    "Okay."

    Step-dad waltzed into his room to change. I went ahead and prepared his share as well as my own. Once he returned, we started eating dinner together. After he and Mom got married, we''ve had several times like this when both Mom and Asamura-kun aren''t home, which makes it just him and I. Since this had also happened with my father before, I was incredibly nervous at first. And I doubt I had managed to hide it.

    I imagine he must have had his own share of trouble trying to gauge the distance he should keep from a girl who had now suddenly be his daughter. That became obvious to me from the way he talked with me, a bit awkwardly but different from when I would talk with Asamura-kun. He may have heard about my past from Mom, too. I remember him being very careful with me around, like he was trying to not hurt or scare me. But as of right now, we''re doing just fine. I''m thankful to both him and Asamura-kun.

    But to be perfectly honest, the fact that he is an adult man still somehow hinders me frompletely putting my trust in him. He''s not at fault for that at all, but the memories from the things I went through as a child now make me have an automated response. Maybe it''s thanks to the uing Halloween season, which only made it easier for me to remember my distant past. And yet I found myself asking a question I normally wouldn''t.

    "Dad, what do you dislike about Mom?"

    "Huh?! Cough cough!"

    I must''ve blindsided him with my question, as he suddenly started choking on a piece of chicken. I''m d itnded back on his te, at least.

    "That came out of nowhere. What I dislike? Wouldn''t you usually ask the opposite?"

    "It''s painfully obvious how much you like each other from the way you act when you''re together." I smiled and continued. "I don''t think a marriage can continue for long if you only look at a person''s good side. For as long as people stay together, they''ll always find something negative about the other person¡­ and since it''s been several months since you started to live together, I was curious if there was anything."

    "Hmmm, I see." He wiped his mouth with a tissue and started thinking.

    I don''t know why, but I suddenly felt nervous. I was worried that I might have overstepped my boundaries. But right now, I want both of them to be happy in their new marriage. I don''t want to experience the same things I did with my actual father, so if I hear anyints from him now, I might be able to help prevent somethingter.

    "It''s not strictly something I dislike, but when it''s something I don''t particrly like either¡­ Usually, she acts like she''s so hardworking and stable, but she''s actually pretty lousy at being a functioning adult."

    "Yeah, that is true."

    "Also, when I''m trying to be strict with Yuuta about something, she''ll scold me about itter."

    "Oh?"

    That''s unexpected. I never imagined that they would disagree with their methods of raising Asamura-kun. And I''m sure they''ve been talking about me, as well.

    "Also, she tends to grumble a lot about her work."

    "Huh? She does that?"

    "From time to time. Once she gets riled up, it''s hard to get her to stop."

    "I had no idea¡­"

    Even though we''ve been living together with my whole life, she''s never shown me that side of her.

    "I mean, it''s all the sorts of things you''d expect from a bar. The customers get drunk and pour their hearts out. I don''t think she wants you to worry about that. Before the two of you moved in with us, she apparently relied on her coworkers to listen to herints."

    Ahhh, so that''s why she''de hometer than usual every now and then. One of the reasons my father became unable to trust Mom was because she came home at different times. That led to him using her of cheating. But if he had instead been able to ept her and tend to Mom''s mental exhaustion, she wouldn''t have had to vent all that stress at work, and then she would''ve been able to get home on time. Well, it''s not like I had any way to confirm or deny this hypothesis now. It''s already toote.

    "Um¡­ If all that grumbling ends up being too much for you, then let me know. I can always lend her an ear myself," I said.

    Even though I shouldn''t, I was worried that even these smallints could eventually tear this family apart as well. However, he just calmly met my gaze, letting out a gentleugh.

    "Haha. There''s no need to worry about that, Saki-chan."

    "But¡­"

    "As I said, Akiko-san''s got sides to her that are hopeless. Butpared to me, all that stuff just looks cute, honestly."

    "Huh?"

    "I don''t think I''m any less lousy than her. I''m not nearly as good at scolding Yuuta as she is with you, and Iin a lot when I''m exhausted or annoyed. When I think about how we''re both simr in that way, I can''t really me her for anything, and that goes both ways." He narrowed his eyes as he spoke, reminding me of Asamura-kun''s gentle gaze, which made me realize that he was serious. "Not to mention¡­ both Akiko-san and I have gone through a lot before, which also ys a big part in this."

    "¡­Yes."

    "I think that being married means you''re able to ept even the other person''s bad traits."

    "Bad traits¡­"

    It felt like I had woken up from a long slumber. It took me a while, but I''ve finallye to realize that¡­ maybe I really can leave Mom to him. And¡­ not just Mom.

    "So¡­ for example, what if Nii-san or I became a delinquent? Would you be able to ept that about us?"

    "Of course." He answered without hesitation. "¡­But, err, where did thate from? Are you interested in that sort of thing, by any chance?"

    "No, not at all. It was just an example."

    "As long as you don''t vite thew¡­ No, that''s not right. Even if you break thew, and you''re dealt severe punishment with no room for you to im innocence, I won''t ever deny that you''re part of my family. No matter what it may be."

    "¡­I see."

    I think I like Asamura-kun. Not as an older brother, but as a man.

    Of course, I didn''t have the courage to drop that bombshell of a statement. But I had a feeling that even if I did, he might ept my feelings and my desires. We could hug like we did on that day, like that couple in Ikebukuro¡­ Well, maybe not in front of other people, but kiss in general. The devil is whispering in my tear, saying that he wants to try that sort of perfectly normal physical contact between a boy and a girl, and I''m slowly getting swayed.

    ¡­No, I''m getting ahead of myself. I''m jumping several steps ahead here, and all of my logic and reason are copsing as a result. While I was lost in thought, both of us fell silent and just finished our dinner in tranquility. I checked the time again, and it looked like I should be preparing to head out and meet Asamura-kun.

    "I''m heading out."

    "You''re going shopping now? It''s gotten awfullyte."

    "It''s fine. I''m meeting up with Nii-san."

    "But I can''t let a girl walk around alone thiste¡­"

    "I''ll take a detour through the business district and avoid any dangerous streets, so you don''t have to worry. When just Mom and I lived together, I''d always go outte for thest-minute sales."

    "Hmmm, if you say so."

    He didn''t seem fully convinced just yet, but I at least got permission. I''m sorry, but after talking with you, my desires have only grown stronger. I really want to see Asamura-kun right now. And since the time we agreed to meet was at 8 pm, I left the house.

    I arrived at the main building of the prep school and checked the time. Since his sses should be done right about now, I went ahead and sent him a message.

    ''I''m here.''

    I leaned against a streetmp and browsed the inte on my phone. I checked through some articles and materials for the university entrance exams while taking nces at the entrance of the prep school. While I did, I spotted a tall girl leaving the building. For a moment, I was captivated. She had such great looks and figure that I thought I was looking at a model. Even her hips were high. Though subconsciously, I closely inspected her from head to toe. She was wearing a knitted sweater that hid her proportions and skinny jeans below.

    It might look in at first, but the hoodie she was wearing was colored and styled like thetest trends. If she wore a skirt that showed her bare legs, I''m sure she''d get a lot of attention from the boys.

    "No, I shouldn''t be staring like this." I reprimanded myself in a quiet voice.

    I sighed and looked back down at my phone again, but my gaze immediately drifted back towards the entrance. Finally, a dark silhouette appeared from the inside of the building¡ªAsamura-kun. Once he stepped into the light, I could make out his face much clearer, which caused me to sigh in relief. We greeted each other and headed to the nearby supermarket.

    During our shopping trip, I was once again reminded of Asamura-kun''s blunt attitude, as well as his kindness that wasn''t limited to one person only. He probably isn''t even aware of it himself, but he would grab the ck pepper high up on the shelf for me and ask "Is this it?" He was also polite with thedy handing out free samples. He''s trying not to show prejudice or bias towards people. In that regard, he may be the same as me, but I don''t think I can ever reach his level. It''s like I''m unable to create an inviting air around me¡­ Which is most likely because of my real father''s violent behavior. Since then, it''s felt like I''ve been at a standstill.

    We finished buying everything we''d needed and passed through the Shibuya city center. There we encountered arge group of people who were wearing costumes despite the fact that it wasn''t even Halloween yet. When they brushed by closely enough for our shoulders to touch, I felt dizzy and sick from the crowd, once again realizing that I felt the most secure whenever I kept a safe distance from others. A few of the people were staggering left and right with a tipsy attitude and reddened cheeks, reeking of alcohol even from a distance.

    I almost bumped into a man who came staggering toward me, but Asamura-kun thankfully got between us to act as a shield. He even decided it''d be best for us to take a smaller street, away from this crowd. I nced at him as he pushed his bike with the basket full of the food we had bought and pondered silently to myself. Would it be okay for me to be honest with my wishes and ask us to hold hands? The one more step I needed to take was obstructed by the fact that both of Asamura-kun''s hands were holding his bike, so he didn''t have any hand open for me to hold. At the time, I couldn''t tell if that was a blessing in disguise or not.

    We made it home at around 9 pm. I went ahead and warmed up the leftovers from dinner I had prepared for Asamura-kun. I figured he must''ve been tired from prep school, and yet he just started cleaning the dishes that Step-dad and I had left from earlier.

    "You could have let me wash the dishes."

    "Come on, you don''t have to do everything. There''s nothing else for me to give back, so at least let me have this."

    I couldn''t quite ept that statement.

    "Nothing you can give back, huh? That''s really not the case."

    I wouldn''t have said that under any normal circumstances. The reason he hasn''t told me about his current motives and motivation behind his hard work is most likely so I wouldn''t feel guilty about it. He probably nned to confess to all of it once he achieved his goals. Silence is golden, as they say. I might end up hurting his pride by saying this. He might end up hating me all the same, but I still want to tell him how I really feel.

    "Did you think I wouldn''t notice? You''ve been secretly trying to help our household finances, haven''t you?"

    "Wha¡­?"

    "Well, you didn''t manage to find a lucrative part-time job, so you''re probably trying to help our parents and me in a different way. The reason you''ve been attending prep school more is probably that you''re thinking about the future and investing more time now. It seems that you want to make the most out of the money that''s been paid for the prep school."

    "Amazing¡­Youpletely saw through me."

    "Considering the timing when you decided to take more sses, it makes sense. Not to mention¡­"

    I was so nervous that my throat felt dry. I used the miso soup as an excuse to pause, tasting how warm it was by taking a sip. As I expected, it was still a bit lukewarm. Come on, say it. I can do it. I can tell him how I genuinely feel.

    "¡ªI''m always thinking about you, Asamura-kun. Of course I''d notice something like that."

    I started sweating profusely. It must have been because of the microwave and heater we had running. After I hugged him on that day, I''ve always had this sensation filling my chest. Ever since that incident, I''ve never openly voiced my affection, nor have I made any request to repeat what I did. I didn''t want to force my desires and wishes onto him. I''ve just been waiting for him to realize his feelings and confess them to me. We kept our rtionship vague, calling ourselves siblings that are closer than average, but that left us with no point of reference at all, only making it harder for us to decide when and where we''d cross which line.

    I nced over at Asamura-kun. He was putting his heart and soul into washing the tes. Maybe he didn''t hear me after all? That''d make all of the courage I had mustered go to waste. Blood rushed to my head, and the only thing I could do was avert my gaze. The white wall in front of me was so oddly calming. What now? Should I go for it again? Turn around, take his hand, and voice my desire to touch him? That thought was still busy crossing my mind when I heard the sound of a door opening. After that, Step-dad stepped out of his bedroom with a drowsy expression on his face. The shock of it all made my back straighten.

    Not now. I can''t brazenly flirt with Asamura-kun with him around. He may be a nice enough person to ept my feelings, but there''s still an order to things. He poked his head into the kitchen, grabbed a warm piece of chicken, and disappeared into the bathroom.

    He just ate, didn''t he? But when he grinned and said "Tasty!", I realized something. I imagine he must have been worried. Although he had let me go out earlier, he was probably still concerned about me going out thiste. He had probably been waiting until I came back with Asamura-kun. Now that he has verified that we''re safe, I''m sure he''ll get some proper sleep. My selfishness cost me a piece of chicken. Not to mention Asamura-kun''s share. I''m sorry, Asamura-kun. I''m sorry, Step-dad. Seeing how you two ept me this much, and show how you worry about me, I can''t help but feel at peace. It gives me courage about my rtionship with Asamura-kun.

 Chapter 61 - 9

    <h4>Chapter 61: Chapter 9</h4>

    30th of October (Friday) ¨C Asamura Yuuta

    We''ll be getting a day off school tomorrow, and that also lines up with Halloween. In light of that, you could feel the excitement filling the ssroom when lunch break rolled around. Some people prefer Christmas Eve in terms of festivals, and I''ve even seen an anime where thest day before the cultural festival is repeated over and over. That probably exined why my ssmates were brimming with anticipation. It''s not like I don''t get where they''reing from. Once the day of the festival arrives, you can''t help but think that the end is approaching.

    That being said, I''m surprised that my ssmates are looking forward to Halloween this much. I could hear conversations about it here and there. ''What costumes should we wear? Where should we party?'' Many more questions like these floated around me. Only the radius of 30cm around my desk was free from this mood.

    "Yuuta. Got a minute?"

    "Err¡­ what''s up? You''re scaring me."

    Shinjou entered the ssroom with a serious expression on his face that I hadn''t seen him make before. Something told me that this wouldn''t end well.

    "I''d like to talk about something. Can we step out on the balcony?"

    "You want to talk with me?"

    "Yep."

    "Hold your horses, Shinjou. You''re not nning something bad, are you?"

    "Not at all. I''m dead serious. Please, Tomokazu."

    "Hmph¡­ Well, if Asamura''s okay with it, then I''m not going to stop you."

    "I''m fine, let''s go." I got up from my seat and headed to the balcony with Shinjou.

    Because of how cold the season was, no other students bothered to step out during our lunch break. I could only see a few students below me, so my first thought was that maybe we didn''t have toe all the way out here to talk in secret.

    "The thing is¡­" Shinjou spoke up. "After the Halloween party our ss is going to hold, I want to go to a second party with just Ayase."

    "¡­Oh, really?"

    Since we both had a shift that day, I already knew she wouldn''t be able to participate, but I pretended that I was unaware of that. I didn''t want anybody else to know where she was working.

    "But there''s one thing I''d like to check before that."

    "Which is?"

    "Yuuta, you like Ayase, right?"

    For a moment, I wasn''t even sure if I kept my mouth shut, or if he heard me going ''Huh?''. It felt like all of the noise around me vanished. All I could look at was Shinjou as he held onto the guardrail. I could see the veins on his wrist, so I knew he must be asking that in genuine sincerity. I imagine that he''s nervous. And I was surprised by how serious he was. The way I saw him, Shinjou Keisuke is a smart guy. He''s popr for a reason. All his approaches toward girls are brimming with confidence, giving me the feeling that he wasn''t focused on a single girl. Even his act of wanting to be friends with me, albeit with an ulterior motive, seemed like a top-of-the-mind decision, something he''d do on a whim just because it seemed interesting. I had forced my views and misconceptions onto him.

    Yet his gaze right now was straightforward, with no hesitation. He wasn''t making fun of me, and he didn''t attempt to deceive me either.

    "As a sister?"

    "You know what I mean. I didn''te here to ask you about that, and you should know that much, right?"

    "Let''s say I give you an answer to that question. What will you do then, Shinjou?"

    "Depends on the answer."

    He showed no intention of backing down or running away. Even if I ignored his conviction, though, I didn''t know how to respond. Ayase-san and I had never clearly defined if our feelings were of romantic origin or simply part of familial love. It''s such a vague concept in my mind that there''s no way I could exin it to somebody else. It made me realize how convenientbels such as ''lovers'' or ''siblings'' truly were. Can I confidently dere that I like Ayase-san? Right here to Shinjou?

    When she embraced me on that day, the rtionship that was born, and the definition that originated from it, was that of siblings who simply get along quite well. It shouldn''t be any different than what Shinjou and his little sister have. And despite that, can I really confess my feelings right here, and act like we''re a couple already?

    ¡­Is that really what''s important right now? My thoughts ground to a halt. I don''t know how Ayase-san feels about all of this. But what about me? Let''s go through this with an example. Depending on my answer, Shinjou is going to continue his approach with Ayase-san. Is that what I want? Would I be happy for them if he invited her on a date, and I watched her walk away with him?

    Do I like Ayase-san or not? If I didn''t know it any better, it almost seemed like this was Shinjou''s way of giving me a push. Our vague rtionship may not be a thing that can be categorized with terms or ideas, but I could give it many names as long as it was just part of my world and hers. That being said, when somebody else questions me about it, just like Shinjou is right now, I can''t rely on our vague definition. I''m sure he expects an expression that both of us can understand.

    In reality, I have nothing definite that would allow me to dere if what I feel for her is romantic affection or just care for a little sister. But if somebody forced me to give them a definite answer between the two of these, then there''s one I''d rather choose.

    "Shinjou, I don''t mind giving you my answer, but I want you to promise me something."

    "What is it?"

    "This is just my own personal answer, and it has nothing to do with how Ayase-san feels. The rtionship we have can''t easily be put into words, so I don''t want you to jump to some kind of conclusion."

    "R-Right¡­ I don''t fully understand, but sure."

    Even if either Ayase-san or I came to the realization that we were romantically attracted to each other, this is nothing more than our own individual perception, something that shouldn''t be publicly dered. We''re just siblings, not lovers. All we can do is continue to express ourselves that way, and Ayase-san does not acknowledge me as her boyfriend. At least, not at this very moment. However, there is something I can say myself.

    "I know for myself¡ª"

    If I can''t make him give up on Ayase-san without defining my vague feelings, then I have to use his own words to make them clear for him.

    "¡ªthat I like Ayase-san. Is that answer enough to satisfy you?"

    Now that I had put it into words, everything clicked. I wanted Shinjou to give up on her. That was how I genuinely felt. The instant I became aware of that, I realized that I had a desire to form a rtionship with Ayase-san that went one step beyond what we currently had.

    I suddenly became worried about how Shinjou would react and nced at his face. Since I''d never had a rival in love up to this point, I couldn''t even fathom what attitude he''d have towards me. Would he be angry or sad? Would he start sulking? ¡­Lots of possible situations floated around in my head, but none of them ended up being close.

    "I see."

    His expression was oddly¡­neutral. Even the tone of his voice made it sound like he had expected this answer from the get-go, or that he had yed it out this way in his head earlier. It was just¡­eerily calm.

    "Thanks for the answer, Yuuta."

    "No problem."

    "I''ll catch youter."

    "Gotcha."

    Shinjou stretched, turned his back towards me, and started walking. After I watched him walk off back to his own ss, I pondered for a bit and looked outside once more. What did he feel when I said that? How will he act from now on? These are things only he will know. But his words of gratitude felt genuine to me. I''m sure that we''ll make it through this in some way or another. Or¡­am I acting too self-important by just assuming that? At the very least, by openly stating my feelings for Ayase-san, it felt like I had gotten stronger and gained confidence.

    Upon returning to the ssroom, Maru raised his gaze from the textbook on his desk and spoke to me with a concerned tone.

    "What were you talking about?"

    "Just some stuff. I can''t give you the details, but things should be cleared up now."

    "Hm¡­Well, if you say so." Maru still didn''t seem fully convinced, but also didn''t question me further.

    The silence in our conversation allowed me to hear our other ssmates talking with each other. Something about a party in Shibuya tomorrow. Trying to ignore that topic, I decided to ask Maru about something.

    "Do you have any ns, Maru?"

    "On Halloween?"

    "Yep."

    "I''m not going to some kind of gathering of party-goers."

    So he said, but when I asked him if he had any ns in general, he mentioned that he had been invited out to karaoke.

    "Do you want toe too, Asamura?"

    "I''ve got a shift at work so I can''t, sadly."

    "Gotcha," Marumented and didn''t even try to invite me.

    The reason we''ve been friends for so long despite me not actively trying to make acquaintances is most likely because he knew when to back off. He''s the opposite of Shinjou in that sense. I guess I''ve grown as a person, though, since everything worked out with Shinjou, too. That being said¡­ a lot of my ssmates have ns in Shibuya tomorrow, huh? Yet Ayase-san and I have work at the bookstore near the train station both today and tomorrow. I know I''m probably worrying about it a few minutes toote, but the way Shinjou acted makes me hope he at least won''t tell Ayase-san about what I said.

    And even more than that, I wouldn''t want any weird rumors to start going around. I''d rather not be seen by our ssmates. Considering the size of the crowd, it''ll be hard to make out the faces of the people around you. But since we''re both working at the same time, I''ll have to escort Ayase-san home once our shifts are over. In other words, we''ll still have to pass through the crowd. I wonder how we''d look to others in that scenario. We should probably be careful during that time.

    Once sses ended, I went home for a quick stop and then made my way to my work. Considering the crowds that were building up near the train station, I really didn''t want to bother using my bike. The closer I got to the train station, the more people I saw wearing costumes. There was a witch wearing a ck, gothic dress while holding a broom and a zombie with an axe sticking out of his head. I thought I saw a normal group of women, but they had bandages all over with blood dripping from their mouths¡­

    Halloween is supposed to be tomorrow, right? If this were the intro festival for All Saints Day, then Halloween is like Christmas Eve. And yet the majority of people had already started the festival today¡­or is it just me? Well, whenever customs are adapted to new regions, their original intent and ideas are usually twisted into something else. It happens a lot, really. However, seeing it happen in front of your own eyes never ceases to be surprising. It''s almost like Shibuya itself had turned into a giant haunted house. It''s like a parade of a hundred demons over here.

    I arrived at the bookstore and immediately mentally prepared myself the moment I entered. I could see several customers loitering around that were wearing simr costumes to the people I had encountered outside. Do I have to live through this even though it''s the day before? And if that weren''t enough, after I changed into my uniform, the manager handed me some weird kind of hat.

    "Here you go, Asamura-kun."

    "What¡­is this?"

    "A hat."

    It was a crown with what looked like peeled bananas hanging down from the sides, that was meant to be asical-looking as possible. It''s what you''d call a jester cap.

    "¡­I have to wear this?"

    "Yep. It''s Halloween, after all, so at least for today and tomorrow. It''s part of our customer service."

    Can you¡­really call this service? When I looked around, I saw the manager and all the other part-time and full-time employees were also wearing this cap. It was quite a surreal sight. Maybe taking both shifts for today or tomorrow was my first mistake. I realized I had no other option but to put on the cap and make my way to the back of the store. Since it''s Saturday and Sunday, we didn''t have any new releasesing in. Most of them had been delivered on Friday, and even if we opened up space on the shelves, there''s no way they would all fit in there. And since we also couldn''t pile up the thick magazines to createrge mountains, we can only slowly work on filling the shelves whenever we find space. Basically, refilling the stock whenever something is sold.

    "Coming in!" I called out and entered the storage room with the leftover stock.

    "You''rete, Junior-kun."

    "Hello there, Asamura-ku¡ªsan."

    "Oh, you two are here already."

    The two people already in the storage room, filling the cardboard boxes on the cart, were Yomiuri-senpai and Ayase-san. It seemed like they had gotten here well before me. When I looked at Ayase-san''s face, my heart skipped a beat, my body stiffening. I was reminded of my conversation with Shinjou, which made the blood rush to my head. I''ve already started thinking of Ayase-san as a lover in my head. There''s no use in reflecting or agonizing over my actions.

    "Junior-kun, you''rete! Late,te,te!"

    "Wha¡­?"

    That''s impossible¡­!

    "You still have five minutes, Asamura-san. Don''t worry."

    "Oh thank goodness."

    I checked the time on the click inside the storage room, which proved Ayase-san correct. Yomiuri-senpai was just ying pranks on me again, huh? Yomiuri-senpai had been crouching down while filling the cardboard box with new magazines, but she stood up, stretching her arms as she did so. She made it seem like she had been working for hours, but I''m pretty sure her shift had just started, like mine.

    "Getting old, Senpai?" I teased her a bit as revenge.

    "Gaaaah! Did you hear that, Saki-chan? He''s treating me like some kind of grandma!"

    "You did say that you were tired before he came in, so I don''t me him."

    "Y-You backstabbing¡­Waaah, waaaaaaah! You''re so cruel! Whose side are you on, Saki-chan?!"

    "Crying doesn''t work too well when you look like that," Ayase-san said.

    She''s not wrong. Fake crying while wearing a jester cap really doesn''t have much of an impact. She looks like a genuine clown now.

    "My oh my, haven''t you gotten used to work, Saki-chan. I see, I see. I guess I need to change my attack strategy, then."

    "I believe you have the choice of just not attacking at all?" Ayase-san said.

    "I don''t. That''d be boring as heck, so it''s time for an all-out offense!" She seemed to think she was a warrior heading off to war. She turned her back toward Ayase-san, walking in my direction.

    She held both her arms forward, wriggling her fingers like tentacles.

    "Hehe! Junior-kun, trick or treat! If you don''t give me candy, I''ll y a prank on you!" She said, approaching me like a zombie.

    Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle went the grapplers.

    "Halloween is tomorrow, remember?"

    "How naive! With a festival like this one, you can''t let down your guard even the day before! Otherwise, you''ll be haunted by something sinister! Now bless me with your sweets!"

    "You''re just saying that because you want some candy, right? Also, I don''t particrly like the idea of a festival where zombies crawl up on me."

    "You still intend to disobey meee?!" She suddenly turned around and started clinging to Ayase-san from behind her back. "Feast your eyes upon this! I have taken her hostage! If you don''t give me anything¡­ I''ll have my way with your little sister!"

    "Wha, hey. Um, you''re t-tickling me¡­"

    "Heh, heh, heh. This is what bad girls get if they don''t offer me candy!"

    Yomiuri-senpai, you sound like a balding middle-aged man.

    "Let''s stop it right there, shall we? You''re treading dangerous ground when ites to workce harassment. I understand already. You just want some candy, right?"

    The instant I finished my sentence, her movement stopped. What a greedy little¡­

    "Good, good, my dear Junior-kun. You''d better remember this. Whenever you see me with your adorable sister, you are to always keep some candy in your pocket."

    What kind of older brother would do that? Ever since she found out that Ayase-san and I are step-siblings, she''s been teasing us like this. Fine, then. You''ll get your candy.

    "Okay, I''ll bring some to work tomorrow, then."

    "Oh, that''s a promise! And if you break that promise¡­"

    Yomiuri-senpai freed Ayase-san from her grasp, only to stagger toward me again with her hands up in the air.

    "Today was just a preview! You''ll see something even crazier tomorrow!"

    "Sure, sure, I get it."

    With these jokes out of the way, the clock in the room signaled that our shift had begun.

    "Ah, it''s time. Break time''s over! Junior-kun, Saki-chan, back to work! Hup, hup!"

    "You''re the person who did the least amount of work, remember¡­?"

    That being said, once she actually started working, the difference in experience between her and us really showed. Not to mention that she had already checked the shelves and bookcases, stuffing the magazines that were sold more frequently into the cardboard box. We moved between the storage room and the main bookstore several times, filling up the shelves when it was time for us to take a break. While drinking a cup of water in the office and talking about this and that, we naturally ended up discussing Halloween tomorrow.

    Since it''s on a Saturday, you''d normally go out and about or stay at home having fun, but for us three and our shifts, we can only do that sort of thing before and after work. Yomiuri-senpai mentioned that she''d be meeting up with her friends from the university after work to take a stroll around Shibuya in costumes and go out for karaoke after that. As you''d expect from a university girl, she''s totally cool with hanging around at night. Apparently, even the assistant professor she studies under will be participating. Said professor apparently wanted to see the youngsters loose from up-close.

    "She said ''This is academic research, my dear Yomiuri-kun,'' but I feel like she just wants to party and needs an excuse to do so."

    "Is that the same professor from before?" Ayase-san asked with an expression like she knew who it was that Senpai was talking about.

    "Good guess. That''s Kudou-sensei, all right."

    "Ah¡­ Okay, I see."

    When Ayase-san heard that name, her attitude changed. Yomiuri-senpai made a bitter smile which made me think that they knew something I didn''t.

    "I guess she left quite the impression?"

    "Are all professors like that?"

    "Hmmm¡­ I think she''s an exception. She''s famous for acting outside the range ofmon sense and careful thinking. She''s that crazy-genius kind of type."

    "Well, she''s definitely no angel, that I agree with."

    Just listening from the sidelines made me feel terrified of that professor. Also, wait a second¡­

    "Is that the professor you had tea with before? At that pancake shop, I mean."

    "Oh right, you were eavesdropping on us back then. Yeah."

    I really wish she wouldn''t paint me in a negative light like that in front of Ayase-san. I just happened to pass by and had heard their conversation.

    "Either way, I''m worried we''ll get fewer students applying to our university if she keeps up that act~!" Yomiuri-senpai sighed.

    Meanwhile, Ayase-san muttered something under her breath.

    "Maybe not that much, I guess."

    I''m not quite sure if Yomiuri-senpai heard her, to be honest.

    "Really, she''s such a troublesome professor," she said, but she was smiling nheless.

 Chapter 62 - 10

    <h4>Chapter 62: Chapter 10</h4>

    30th of October (Friday) ¨C Ayase Saki

    The ssroom was excited first thing in the morning. All I could hear were my ssmates making ns for Halloween. Asking what costumes they should wear was one of the most prominent questions. Others talked about where they should meet up for a Halloween party. There was even arge group building around Maaya''s seat. They nned to meet up tomorrow to hold a costume party.

    "Are you really noting, Saki?" Maaya asked onest time to make sure.

    "I''ve got other ns, sorry."

    I have a work shift on that day, and I can''t just skip it. I purposefully had kept the fact that I had a part-time job a secret. If I''m not careful, they might figure out where I''m working. And I also can''t really handle that kind of atmosphere too much. However¡­that also got me thinking. If it''s with the people I appreciate and feelfortable around, then maybe spending the day together could be pretty fun. Someone I''m fine with having around¡­ like Asamura-kun. Walking around Shibuya wearing a costume suddenly doesn''t sound so bad. I may not be good with that sort of stuff, but I want to treasure the time with Asamura-kun¡ªthe memories I create with him.

    Once sses ended, I made my way to the Shibuya train station for my uing shift at work. The sun had moved towards the West, as the sky had started turning dark blue. The shadow of the Shibuya 109 was stretching along across the ground, even reaching down to my feet. The eastern sky that was visible through the gaps of the buildings slowly changed to the color of the night, and the breeze blowing against my cheeks smelled like fallen leaves. It wouldn''t take long until I would be able to see my own breath.

    Upon entering the bookstore, I ran into Yomiuri-senpai, who had already been there before me, walking between the bookshelves. I bowed politely when our eyes met and headed over towards the girls'' changing room.

    "Morning, Saki-chan!" She stormed into the room right behind me like she had chased after me.

    "¡­Hello."

    For some reason, she always greeted me like it was morning. Even though it was turning dark outside. Maybe it''s just a habit of hers. I don''t think anyone has evermented on it.

    "Saki-chan, we''re supposed to fill the shelves today~"

    "Okay."

    Asamura-kun arrived roughly five minutes before our shift started, and we all worked on filling the empty spaces in the shelves. Our break arrived, so we went back to the office. Yomiuri-senpai kept fawning over Asamura-kun at every given chance, and I had no way of telling what she really thought. He agreed to bring sweets to work tomorrow or something along those lines. Maybe I should also say that to Asamura-kun. ''Trick or treat¡­'' No, what am I thinking? That''s not like me at all.

    After that, we started talking about Halloween tomorrow. Yomiuri-senpai mentioned she''d be having fun with some friends after our shift and going out in a costume. Asamura-kun seemed to be impressed by the kind of mature vibe she showed through that. And apparently with the professor from her ethics department¡ªAssistant Professor Kudou Eiha. Just remembering what happened on the day of the open campus made me feel exhausted.

    Yomiuri-senpai called her the top genius of the department who also had the mind of a demon. And to be perfectly honest, I could picture her with demon horns. I think she''s a chore to have around. She''s probably the kind of person who''d grind my gears the easiest. I''m not good at talking with strangers to begin with. There aren''t many people like Asasmura-kun that I can feel rxed around.

    "Either way, I''m worried we''ll get fewer students applying to our university if she keeps up that act~!"

    That''s how Yomiuri-senpai feels about that wildcard of an assistant professor? Well, she''s absolutely right. She''d have a verbal debate on the level of a full-blown war with a person she''s literally just met, with absolutely nomon sense involved. Not to mention that, if a discussion like that actually takes ce, she''ll show no remorse to steamroll over the other person''s feelings, like it''s her only goal in life. It feels like she only sees the people around her as guinea pigs and test subjects. I''d really love for her to learn somemon sense and restraint. That''s what I think, at least¡ª

    "Maybe not that much, I guess."

    I practically blurted that out without any intention of doing so. I''d never had such an experience before then. I''d used all of what my brain had to offer toe up with arguments and counter-arguments in an endless ethical debate. I was exhausted, to say the least, but even so¡ªThe study of ethics is a lifestyle, nothing more. If you live as a human being, there are only two options when ites to being around other people: You either get epted or rejected. If this is her only way of living, isn''t she just a clumsy and unfortunate person who doesn''t know any better? I don''t think I dislike that type of person. After all, I''m the exact same way.

    After our break ended, Asamura-kun was the first one to leave the office. After he left, Yomiuri-senpai called out to me.

    "So about tomorrow. Did you decide if you''re gonna dress up for your shift?"

    "Again with that?"

    During ourst shift together, she asked if I was interested in wearing a costume for our shift on Halloween, saying that if I did she would do it too.

    "I wanna see you with cat ears, Saki-chan. It''ll heal my exhausted eyes."

    "Why am I your medical treatment?"

    "I''ll tell you about some great cosy~ And you could join us after our shift, too."

    Um, she does remember that I''m still in high school, right?

    "I can''t participate in any parties that involve alcohol, you know."

    "There''s no need to worry about that. We still have some minors in our group, so we keep the option open. And Professor Kudou is with us too as a chaperone."

    "I feel like you put way too much trust in the wrong people."

    Yomiuri-senpai shed a wry smile.

    "I guess she yed a bit too much with you thatst time, huh? But I still wanna have you around for some fun. I can tell you about some great makeup techniques and cosmetic brands. You''re bound to be curious about that sorta stuff, yeah?"

    To be perfectly honest, that single offer was quite tempting. I''ve tried to learn more about makeup and fashion as the years have gone on, but Ick the crucial experience of an average high school student. A mature woman is to be expected to have really great makeup, so I might as well use this chance to learn about this early on, since I''m eventually going to reach that stage¡ªNo, this is much lessplicated than that. I think I''m interested, that''s all.

    "Oh, do I have a bite on the hook?"

    "I''m not doing it."

    "Hmmm¡­ There''s still more valuable information I can exchange for that, I think~ Have you ever gone to a nail salon before? As a high school student, you''ve probably never visited a beauty salon, I bet."

    "I don''t have that sort of money, after all."

    "But there''s nothing lost if you at least learn about those kinds of ces, right? And you can''t forget about the diet foods and meal ns from the girls who are licensed nutritionists. It gets harder to lose fat as you get older, you know. Aren''t you worried about that sort of thing, Saki-chan?"

    "¡­Is that all you talk about?"

    "When all you do is read through tedious research papers and psychological debates, it''ll eventually make your brain rot. Some girls'' talk is crucial to give your mind a break. You know that, right?"

    "I''ve never done any girls'' talk, so I wouldn''t know."

    "Even more of a reason to join us. It''ll be the first time for you. Also¡­ it wouldn''t hurt to learn about techniques for attracting attention through fashion or a psychological approach to what outfits will help you win over your Prince Charming. Whether you want to be handsome or cool or cute."

    "Know your enemy, know thyself?"

    "Exactly."

    "I may be curious about that, but I really can''t. My parents would worry about me."

    "So you say, but I bet you''ve got a date nned with your beloved Junior-kun, right?"

    "O-Of course not!"

    I tried to protest as best as I could, but she just grinned at me.

    After finishing my homework and my bath, all that waited for me was to head to sleep. I slid my body under my covers, the slightly cold sheets making me almost shiver. I''ll probably need to invest in some bed warmers sometime soon. Once I had checked the time I needed to get up, I turned off the lights and closed my eyes. Right as my mind was drifting off into a deep slumber, a distant memory of Halloween from when I was a child came to mind.

    I think it was from when I was in grade school. Probably in my third or fourth year. Mom promised me that we''d hold a Halloween party, but because of her job, that n had to fall through. My father also headed out somewhere, leaving me all alone at home. Feeling lonely, amidst the darkness around me, I lit a single candle I had bought with Mom. We were a lot poorer than now, and our ce wasn''t nearly as big. The dining room was roughly 7.5 square meters, with nothing in it but a small low table like you''d see in a traditional Japanese residence.

    In the dead center of this table stood a candle in the shape of a pumpkin. I used a match to light it, which at least gave the otherwise dark room some light. I remembered the story A Little Match Girl and started imagining fantasies amidst the light in front of me. Mom and my father (though I reced his face with the face of a random actor) were with me, as well as arge cake in the center of the table. Since I was a child back then, I had probably confused Halloween with Christmas. After all, I imagined that I was talking to a reindeer.

    In my fantasy, I was having lots of fun talking and telling stories to my parents, who were smiling as they listened to me. I knew it was all just fabricated, but it was my ideal type of night. Shortly after that, I fell asleep. I woke up to the sensation of somebody gently shaking my shoulder, who turned out to be Mom. She scolded me for falling asleep while letting the candle burn. She then apologized for leaving me alone with a tight hug.

    I remember thinking about how hard Mom must have had it. The inside of my nket had finally started to warm up a bit by then, and I was slowly drifting away into a peaceful slumber, unable to resist the drowsiness. I still can''t forget that dim light from the candle back then. It''s the absolute symbol of my solitude. A simple candle in the shape of a pumpkin¡­

    I wonder if they still sell something like that. I thought as I fell asleep.

 Chapter 63 - 11

    <h4>Chapter 63: Chapter 11</h4>

    31st of October (Saturday) ¨C Asamura Yuuta

    The final day of October was upon us. Since I had no school today, I slept in a bit longer, enjoying a rxing morning. Once 4 pm rolled around, it was time for me to steel my resolve and head to work. I decided against using my bike, considering the enormous crowd I''d have to fight against, and opted to make my way there on foot. I left the house a bit earlier than usual because of that. Ayase-san did as well, taking a different route to the bookstore than mine.

    Once I reached the area around the train station, I was yet again fully reminded of just what day it was today. Tomorrow is the day we thank the saints¡ªAll Saints Day. And the day before it is the introduction¡ªHalloween. The streets of Shibuya were crowded with people dressed up as monsters. I saw zombies, vampires, mummies, werewolves¡­From standard costumes to cosys of anime characters, the number of people who were dressed up had increased tenfold over yesterday.

    "I''m starting to feel dizzy¡­"

    I tried my hardest to avoid the crowd as that mutter escaped my lips. The street was full to the point my shoulder would constantly bump into somebody else''s. I think we''ll be awfully busy at the bookstore today. After passing through these groups of people for a while, I finally made it to the store. Upon entering, I could already see the chaos unfolding. Around 30% of the people shopping here were wearing costumes. I snuck past all of them, entered the office, and greeted the others.

    "Ah, Asamura-kun. You''ll be at the cash register today."

    The manager handed me the same jester cap as yesterday. He gave me a quick rundown of today''s procedure and told me to be mindful of the cash register in particr. I finished changing into my uniform and stepped out to the main store. I spotted a special corner next to the cash register. There were small discount goods there like costumes, candlelights, and even penlights.

    They had probably set this up after the store closed yesterday. Basically, that discount section will be here only for today, and will be removed once tomorrow rolls around. Our main business revolved around books, of course, but the store manager''s mentality was that the more we sold, the better. This naturally would make handling the cash register a lot more troublesome. Even more so thanks to the wonderful jester cap I was wearing at this very moment.

    It ended up being a lot worse than I had anticipated. Murphy''s Law was in full force today as well. We were so busy that there wasn''t any time for idle talk at the cash register. Shibuya is known as the crowded city that never sleeps, and because Halloween was on the weekend this year, it felt like every single person in Shibuya decided to go out today, which created an endless line in front of my checkout counter.

    The flourishing of a business has its pros and cons, but I''d had no experience with the checkout line being this busy before, so I waspletely exhausted by the time my shift ended. My legs were hurting from standing at the checkout counter the entire time. I can already tell they''ll be killing me tomorrow. For the first time ever, I was genuinely jealous of Maru and his trained body. Then again, I wouldn''t know how much training would be necessary to not get muscle pains like this, so I can imagine the world just being unreasonable again if I did.

    Even worse was that, right before this hellish shift ended, somebody threw up right in front of the store. It was probably some moron who got drunk early into the evening, but we also couldn''t leave it there since it''d just make our store look bad. Somebody would have to clean it up, and since the store manager was irreceable during this busy time, I was elected as the lucky guy for the job.

    I grabbed a bucket with water and a mop, making my way to the nextyer of hell with heavy steps. I passed through the automatic door and was immediately greeted by the crime scene. Naturally, the perpetrator had long vanished, leaving only the evidence behind in the form of gross-looking vomit. These kinds of people only know how to make trouble for people who are trying hard. As the chilly fall breeze blew through my thin clothes, I spent my time gazing at the passersby in their costumes, scrubbing with the mop emotionlessly like a well-oiled machine.

    I didn''t feel particrly jealous of them and their partying. I''ve always been bad with that sort of thing. However, when I spotted a boy and girl walking next to each other, my curiosity got the better of me. I saw a couple of what looked like university students standing in front of the movie advertisement on the side of our bookstore, looking at each other with their bodies intertwined. They didn''t pay much attention to the gazes of other people around them, instead brazenly making out with each other. It was simr to the sight I''d seen back in Ikebukuro. I guess being a couple means that you have to kiss each other in front of strangers.

    "Hm?"

    Suddenly, something felt off. Someone crouched down right in front of the couple, staring at them from a close distance. My first impression of that individual was that they were a devil. She had the eyes of a devil. Her hairband had two horns growing from it, and there was a small tail showing from her back. Her ck skirt and long sleeves with a matching robe were those of a witch, but it was most likely a costume that was a mixture of the two. On any regr day, she''d stand out pretty conspicuously.

    However, call it the magic of Halloween if you will, the only person who paid this woman any mind at this point was me. It was like she only existed in my reality. Even the couple she was staring at had entered their own world, continuing their passionate kiss.

    "Hmm. Do you two have a moment?" The devil called out to them.

    Only then did the couple notice that they were being watched, and they quickly pulled their heads apart. Thank goodness she wasn''t some sort of hallucination my mind hade up with to make this shift a bit more interesting.

    "W-What do you want?" The man stepped in front of his girlfriend.

    The devil continued without so much as batting an eye.

    "You''re fully prepared tomit illicit acts in front of random strangers, I see. Do you two always have your forey while being watched by others?"

    "Wha¡­?"

    The boyfriend was utterly baffled. I don''t me him. I had trouble following what that weirdo was on about.

    "There''s no need to give it that much of a thought. I am simply interested to see how much the environment of Halloween urges you to ignore any sort of social and ethical morals, or if this asion simply gathers those whock the kind of ethical views to even see problems with their illicit behavior in the first ce. Put simply, I am curious about your mindset."

    "W-What the hell are you talking about?"

    "Come on, let''s just go." The girlfriend tugged on the man''s arm, urging him to walk away.

    "Hold on. Maybe you gain greater excitement by showing yourselves in front of others? If so, shouldn''t you be thanking me for assisting you in that regard?"

    "We''re going. Please don''t follow us!"

    "Can''t you at least answer one question of mine? Were you flirting around like that because of today''s magic, or because you are into that sort of stuff? A sidement is fine, just give me some kind of information to record."

    "We won''t!" The girlfriend grabbed her boyfriend''s hand and rushed towards the city center, disappearing into the crowd.

    "Much obliged for the precious sample. It will certainly assist my future research." She waved her hand and watched the couple off. "Now then, it''s time to look for my next target of observation...Hm?"

    "Ah."

    Our eyes met. When her eyes, shining like stained gemstones, entered my line of sight, part of my memories were stimted. Her slightly pigmented skin, her unkempt hair that made it look like she had just woken up, her slumped shoulders, and her dogmatic method of questioning people¡­ There was only one person who came to mind. It''s the professor whom Yomiuri-senpai was having a passionate discussion with back at that cafe. I think she called her ''Professor Kudou.''

    That reminds me, Yomiuri-senpai mentioned that she''d be meeting up with people from her university after her shift was over. I guess she''s part of that group, which is why she came here to our bookstore.

    "Have we met before?"

    "Ah, I''m sorry for staring."

    "Don''t fret. I don''t mean to reproach you. Many studies begin only after you''ve been staring at something for too long."

    "R-Right¡­"

    "You must have seen that couple''s behavior, no? How do you feel about that?"

    She''s asking me for my opinion now? It was an unexpected answer, but I didn''t have to think much.

    "I felt embarrassed, to be honest."

    "Oh?"

    "Intuitively, that is."

    "I see. Because you envisioned yourself being seen by total strangers while doing something along those lines, yes?"

    "Th-That''s not what I¡­"

    "Are you certain? You managed to give me, someone who asked you out of the blue about it, an immediate answer. You must have been having your own feelings towards their behavior way before I asked. And your answer reflected the genuine emotions that you felt. If you didn''t care much for it, you would have just called it annoying or an eyesore, but you said it was embarrassing. That''s the feeling that you would call fremdsch?men in German. You pictured yourself in their situation and suffered from second-hand embarrassment as a result."

    Despite her creepy attitude, she managed to urately guess how I felt. As you''d expect from the person who had bested Yomiuri-senpai, she''s skilled with words.

    "Most people have a certain level of resistance towards kissing in front of others, and the statistics around that have varying results that depend on the people asked, namely their sex, marital status, and so forth. However, only approximately 8% of those surveyed have no problem kissing their significant other in public. Interestingly enough, only 20% of those asked have actually had the experience of kissing their significant other in public."

    "So what does that mean?"

    "Statistics say that the majority of people questioned felt hesitant to share a kiss in public, and only a small portion did so. If so, when and under what circumstances did they indulge in an activity that is considered off-limits? There sadly isn''t much research that took this idea and conducted proper investigations from that perspective. I am looking for the conditions during which people deem it to be worth ignoring societal standards and morals that would otherwise prevent them frommitting this seemingly illicit activity."

    "¡­I see."

    What a profound thought process. And at the same time, what a terrifying one. A single word, or even a sound, is enough to suck me in, wrapped up in her. Her costume was urate. I started feeling like I was talking with the actual Mephistopheles.

    "Halloween in Shibuya is especially famous for youngsters making mistakes and the like, is it not?"

    "Well, I guess."

    "By ''making mistakes,'' I''m referring to deeds that deviate from society''s norms. I am looking into this phenomenon with the hypothesis that this operates in a simr way when ites to rtionships between men and women."

    "So you''re basically doing a field study? As expected of a university professor. You seem quite passionate about your research."

    "Oh? So you do know me after all?"

    Ah, crap. All of her high-brow talk must have numbed my thought process. It''s true that I know about her, but that''s mostly because I listened in on her conversation with Yomiuri-senpai, and I''d rather not reveal that. While I was wondering how I could fumble my way through this, the devil scanned me over from my head to toe.

    "I see, so you work here? You''re Yomiuri-kun''s Junior-kun, I believe."

    "Yes, that''s right."

    "Might you be Asamura-kun?"

    "Err, you even know my name?"

    "I just remembered."

    She couldn''t have said it any more politely.

    "My name is Kudou Eiha. I''m an assistant professor at Tsukinomiya Womens'' University, which Yomiuri-kun is attending. I''ve met your little sister before."

    "So I''ve heard."

    She specifically mentioned how she was practically interrogated by a suspicious professor on the day of the open campus. We''ve only talked for a few minutes, yet I can already sympathize with Ayase-san for what she went through.

    "I shouldn''t be getting in the way of your work, so I''ll be excusing myself now."

    "¡­That''s unexpected."

    "What exactly?"

    "I had figured you''d continue to question me."

    "Hahaha. I''m not particrly fond of obstructing someone else''s activities or work. Nor do I have any interest in things that aren''t strictly rted to my research."

    I''m shocked she''s got the guts to say that. What terrified me the most was the fact that this Professor Kudou had absolutely no doubts or concerns about how she acted and presented herself to others.

    "Then, if you''d excuse me," she said, turning her back towards me.

    I felt relieved and returned back to cleaning.

    "Ah, that reminds me." She stopped and spoke again. "Let me act like a devil onest time and put a curse on you."

    "A curse? That sounds a bit aggressive of you."

    "Why would couples that usually hold back in front of others lose their sense of shame on a day like this? The key lies with their short-term loss of IQ."

    "¡­The Halloween mood turns people stupid, is what you''re saying?"

    "Exactly. And the more we humans turn back into primates, the greater our primitive desires grow¡­ In other words, they seek out sexual contact with a partner."

    "You''re as blunt and to the point as ever, huh?"

    "It''s the truth, after all. ¡­However, turning into an idiot isn''t all bad."

    "What would be a good side effect of turning into one?"

    "You''ll be happy."

    "What a change of subject. Are we talking about the spiritual level now?"

    Weren''t we just talking about morals and ethical dilemmas?

    "Humans have always coexisted with the spiritual. It''s something inseparable from the human society." Professor Kudou pointed off in a direction.

    When I looked over, I saw a parade of costumespletely filling an intersection. It reminded me of the night I had walked around with Fujinami-san. Back then, the streets were full of people who made excuses to themselves to get absolutely stered. They relied on the power of alcohol to forget. Right now, Halloween provided the power of this event, which caused all of these normal human beings to forget that they are supposed to be cognisant.

    "So, since you folks are too clever for your own good, I shall put a curse on you that will cause you to turn into monkeys: Happy Halloween."

    "Turn into monkeys? I''m not too fond of jokes like that."

    Ayase-san and I are supposed to be acting like them? There''s no way. I was getting annoyed with Professor Kudou''s nonsense, so I turned toward her to tell her off, but she was nowhere to be found. She had said what she wanted to say and had just vanished afterwards.

    "She''s not¡­ actually the devil, right?"

    There''s no way, yeah? Haha¡­ With the feeling that I had experienced something supernatural, I returned to cleaning the ground and headed back inside once I was done.

    Finally, my shift ended. I entered the office and ran into the manager, who handed me a stic bag with a ribbon on it.

    "Here''s one for you, Asamura-kun. Thanks for helping us on this busy day," he said as he handed me the stic bag, which seemed to be full of sweets.

    It seems to be an extra reward to the people who had offered to work during the busy Halloween period. Naturally, I epted it with gratitude.

    "And here you go, Ayase-san."

    "Thank you very much."

    Ayase-san showed up a bitter, receiving a bag of her own. Same for Yomiuri-senpai who came in behind her. All three of us had finished our shift at around the same time, which was fairly rare for us. After this, Yomiuri-senpai will be going to a costume party with friends from her university. When I told her that I ran into her professor, she seemed really worried, being all "Are you okay?! She didn''t do anything weird to you, right?!", which was oddly amusing to me. I said I was fine, but that she had apparently cursed me. That made Yomiuri-senpai stare at me in shock.

    I headed to the men''s changing room and changed out of my uniform. When I stepped back into the office, I met up with Ayase-san and Yomiuri-senpai. Ayase-san was wearing the same casual outfit as earlier, but Senpai had already changed into her costume. She was wearing arge witch''s hat and a matching ck witch dress. It looked terrifically good on her, to the point I forgot she was normally dressed in Japanese-style fashion.

    It wasn''t the revealing type of witch costume either. It was more like one you''d encounter deep in the forest, hidden from society. The brooch on her chest was made from a special stone that had runes engraved on it, which made her costume all that much more genuine. She wasn''t carrying a broom, opting instead for a small wand she had apparently bought at an amusement park.

    "He he he he! What do you think of this, hm?" She shed me an arrogant grin as she showed off her appearance.

    "I think it looks great on you. If I didn''t know any better, I''d think I had run into an actual witch."

    Since she clearly wanted my impression, I didn''t bother hiding how I truly felt. I can tell she''s looking forward to partying some more after this.

    "Though I bet you would have preferred to see Saki-chan cosying, right?"

    I won''t deny that, but I know she''d never do it.

    "I won''t," said Ayase-san bluntly as she stood next to me.

    See, told ya.

    "It''ll feel pretty good once you get used to it, you know?"

    "No thank you."

    "Just a bit. C''mon. It isn''t anything major." She looked through her bag which apparently had her costume in it. "Cat ears, appear!" She spoke with the tone of a certain blue robot. "Try ''em on."

    "Again, I''d rather not."

    "So dry! Boring! I know you''ll look cute! And Junior-kun will be happy! Right?"

    "Don''t drag me into this."

    She may look different now, but on the inside, it''s the same old Yomiuri-senpai. She''s like a middle-aged man. Go any further and Ayase-san will sue you for workce harassment.

    "I think it''s for the best if we just head home."

    "Huuuuuuh? ¡­Well, fine. I''ll have plenty more chances, after all."

    You will?

    "You won''t."

    "But you''d love to dress up to look cute, right?"

    Ayase-san hesitated for a second.

    "Anyway, that''s enough for today." She looked away.

    "A. Okay, Junior-kun. It''s prettyte, so I''m counting on you to be her escort."

    "Yes, yes, leave it to me."

    The witch of the forest waved at us and slung the sports bag over her shoulder. What a surreal sight. She''s probably going to put that in a public locker so that she won''t have to carry it around all night. Will she even be able to find any open thiste? Or maybe she already has another ce secured. Knowing how resourceful she is, I wouldn''t be surprised if she has everything prepared to thest detail.

    "Catch youter~"

    "Ah, Senpai." I stopped her right as she was about to leave the office.

    "Hmmm? Wassup, wassup?"

    "Here you go." I ced a small object wrapped in stic on her palm.

    "What''s this?"

    "Candy. Throat candy, to be exact. You said you''d be heading off to some karaoketer, right?"

    "Oh, I didn''t expect you to remember. Good boy!"

    "I''d rather not have you y tricks on me."

    "Hehe, much appreciated." She pressed the candy against her cheek and grinned. "As thanks, I shall grant you with my magic that will make you happy! Huah!" She waved her wand. "Happy Halloween! Catch you around!" She said and left the office.

    "Bye~"

    "Be careful." Ayase-san waved as Yomiuri-senpai left.

    "I guess it''s time for us to head out as well," I said. Ayase-san nodded and grabbed her bag.

    I took a step toward her and offered her something from my own bag. Ayase-san''s eyes opened wide.

    "What''s this?"

    "For you."

    It was another small wrapper.

    "Candy?"

    "No¡­this one''s chocte."

    "But I didn''t get you anything."

    "There''s no need to worry about it. It''s just a small piece of kindness. Happy Halloween."

    "Happy Halloween, and thanks."

    Before we left the store, Ayase-san asked me to wait a moment and ran back inside. I wonder what that was about? Maybe she forgot something? I moved a bit away from the entrance so that I wouldn''t block the front door, waiting for Ayase-san. After a few minutes, she jogged back toward me, but I didn''t see her holding anything in particr.

    "Sorry for making you wait."

    "Forget something?"

    "Something like that," she said and started walking next to me.

    "All right¡­ then let''s head home."

    "Yep."

    When we stepped out onto the street, both Ayase-san and I were bewildered. Everywhere we looked, we saw people wearing costumes. There was practically no room to walk. I knew it''d end up this way. Thankfully, my decision to not take my bike was the right one.

    "I didn''t think it''d be this bad¡­"

    "This is quite a crowd."

    "Yeah. At least we won''t have to worry about anybody from school seeing us."

    It''s practically impossible to recognize anybody in this sea of endless costumes. I feel like it''ll take us quite a while to make our way through this dense crowd of foreigners and university party-goers. We''re not that far from the train station, and yet this feels like Meiji Shrine¡­ That might be a bit much of aparison, but that''s just how messy this is.

    "Eeek!"

    Ayase-san let out a shriek, presumably after bumping into someone. I immediately went to support her. This is pretty bad.

    "The sidewalk along the roadway should be less crowded. Let''s walk there."

    "O-Okay."

    I thought we had chosen a corner of the street with fewer people, and yet the wave was so dangerous that it seemed we might get separated at any second. Since we''re heading in the same direction, there''s no danger of either of us getting lost, especially since we''re old enough, but¡­

    "Here, Ayase-san." I offered her my hand, and she took it immediately.

    The warmth being conveyed on my palm made my heart race faster. Her hand was quite a bit smaller than mine, making me fear that I might hurt her if I gripped it too strongly. But even so, letting go and losing her terrified me even more, so I held onto it tightly.

    "Be careful where you step."

    "I''m fine." She said and moved closer toward me so that the crowd wouldn''t carry her away.

    It feels like it''s been ages since we confirmed each other''s warmth like this. When I looked up ahead, I saw what felt like an iron wall of flesh that not even an ant could fit through, all walking up the Dogenzaka. Beyond that, I could see a cluster of buildings shining brightly against the dark sky. It felt like the dark of night had covered Shibuya like a velvet curtain. And there were the two of us, trying to weave our way through the sea of costumes.

    We made it through the twilight, which was already well past nightfall. The night had progressed quite a bit, and all of the young children were most likely asleep by now. The ones dancing through the night were the clowns with their excessive makeup, the witches holding brooms in their hands, and the vampires with their extended canines. Along with them was the sound of pop music.

    It was like a group of monsters. Even if a real creature hid in this crowd, nobody would know. Each time a street light switched from red to green, the mass of monsters moved in one direction, like wild beasts that were cursed to move following someone else''s will. A red balloon floated through the air, disappearing up into the sky. Car horns red in one corner, a boy and a girl wrapped up in bandagesughing like idiots in another. The bright red lights of cars passed us. The wee tone yed each time the door to a convenience store opened. All of this filled my ears.

    It felt like I was walking on top of the clouds. Amidst this supernatural scenery, I was holding hands with a single girl, my little sister¡ªor step-sister. And we had both confirmed that we held a certain level of affection for each other. This felt more distanced from reality than anything. Is this actually happening? All I knew for sure was the warmthing from her palm. We passed by a man wearing a wolf mask, and it felt like he was smiling at us from beneath it. Maybe he was one of our ssmates and had just seen Ayase-san and I holding hands, shoulder to shoulder. The possibility was astronomically slim, but that didn''t mean it was zero.

    We made our way away from the train station, and the closer we got to our t, the fewer people we encountered. The number of street lights we passed by grew fewer in number, as well. By the time we saw the building in the distance, it was just Ayase-san and I. After we made it through a nearby park, walking along the wide road, we both let go of each other''s hands. One of us sighed.

    "If¡­"

    "Huh?"

    "If we both had been wearing costumes, we could have gone home without having to worry about the eyes of the people around us."

    "I guess you''re right."

    At first, we didn''t n on holding hands all the way home like that. However, now that we had tasted the warmth of that sensation, we both couldn''t let go until we reached our home. We both craved each other''s presence. If we had joined everyone around us and dressed up in some way, we surely would''ve been able to hold hands the entire time without a worry in the world. However, to her, costumes and makeup are two different things, and I doubt we would''ve been able to actually go through with that sort of n.

    "Someday," I said.

    Will we be able to stop thinking about every small little detail and simply hold hands because we want to? Like lovers would? But it isn''t just us two. For the sake of other people precious to us, we couldn''t afford to destroy our rtionship as siblings.

    "Someday what?"

    "No¡­ it''s nothing."

    Where we stood beneath a streetlight, our silhouettes were still holding hands. I want to keep having more fun like this. To chase after her shadow like a small child would. However, the lights in the apartment buildings were still on, each of them belonging to a family. And I''m sure some of them must be new families, too. We just stayed silent and walked back home, neither of us able to ask to hold hands once more.

    I opened the front door and turned on the lights.

    "We''re back~"

    We both called out at the same time, but no response came. Weird. I knew that Akiko-san would be at work, but my old man should be home at least. Ayase-san stepped inside the living room ahead of me, raising a surprised voice.

    "Oh?"

    "What''s wrong?"

    "This." She held up a small written note.

    It was a note from my old man. ''I''m heading over to visit Akiko-san.''

    I took out my phone and checked my messages. I hadn''t even realized that I''d gotten a LINE message from him. When I checked it, I saw that he mentioned that since tomorrow is Sunday, they''d be eating dinner at a fancy restaurant tonight. He probably left this note since I didn''t respond or read the message.

    "It seems like the two of them are going toe home together."

    "Apparently so."

    Ayase-san checked Akiko-san''s LINE message while responding. It''s funny how neither of us had checked our messages up to this point. But that means both of them will be getting homete at night. I expected him to be here and hungry, which was why we had hurried home. But it looks like it''ll be a few more hours until they get back.

    "Well, he''s been incredibly busy until a while ago¡­"

    Despite being newlyweds, their differences in working hours meant that they didn''t get much time to spend together, and I totally understood their desire to have a few hours to themselves. However, that would mean¡­

    "So it''s just us until they get home?"

    "Seems like it."

    "I see. What should we do about dinner? I wanted to make hot pot since I thought it''d be the four of us¡­ but if it''s just us two, I ought to make it something a bit more simple and light. Any requests?"

    I started thinking. That question came out of nowhere. However, saying ''Anything is fine'' would not be appropriate here, that much I knew.

    "Well¡­"

    Hmm, what should I ask for?

    "Sorry, I guess that was too abrupt of a question," Ayase-sanmented after seeing me think for a moment.

    It showed that she herself wasn''t too sure what to eat, either. After all, she wouldn''t have had any need to ask me if she did. She would have decided to make something she herself wanted to eat.

    "I just wouldn''t want to waste too much money on something like this. I''m sorry that I couldn''t be of much help."

    However, it''s true that I don''t think about menus and dishes enough toe up with anything right away. That''s why I came up with another idea.

    "There''s a trick you can use for situations like these."

    "What kind of trick?"

    "When humans are put in situations where they can choose from anything they can think of, they usually struggle toe up with something."

    It''s simr to the problem with streaming services and the huge libraries they have which leave people unsure of what to watch. The same goes for menus in restaurants. Giving the customer the ability to choose too freely is limiting, as ironic as that may sound. You might be hungry and want to eat something, but you can''t think of exactly what you want to eat. It''s a normal reaction.

    "We should do it with a process of elimination. Since it''s food, we should decide what we don''t want to eat right now."

    "Huh? What do you mean?"

    "It''s simple. That makes it easier to choose. Or at least that''s how I usually do it. Eating the same thing over and over again will make you tired of it pretty quickly, right? That''s why I usually think about what I''ve recently eaten."

    "We had a ssic Japanese breakfast, and at lunchtime I made instant ramen to save myself some work."

    "Then those two are out of the picture. Now we can say that you''ve already had Japanese style so you''d rather not have it again. If you had ramen, too, then that''s out, as well. Easy as that."

    "What about western food, then?"

    "Now our choice has be a lot easier to make, right?"

    "Now that you mention it¡­"

    "Also, your ability to make it or not is also important. There''s no reason to consider dishes or meals you can''t even make with the ingredients you have avable. So you can think about the ingredients you do have."

    "Eggs, I guess?"

    "Then a western meal that''s made from eggs. Omurice, rolled omelet¡­ Well, I can only think of the stuff we regrly eat."

    "How about French toast, then?"

    "That sounds great. I''m all for it."

    Ayase-san had made it before, which allowed me to enjoy a dish I''d usually only read about in novels.

    "It''s easy to make and light on the stomach, too."

    "It''s like cake, right? Feels like a good match for today."

    Once you''ve decided on the general menu, the rest is extremely easy. Since it''s western food, we''ll have actual soup instead of miso soup. Thankfully, we still have some leftover soup broth. And since we have a lot of vegetables avable, we can even make a sd. The two of us split up to prepare everything, and once the food was ready, we lined it up on the dining table and sat down ourselves. It had barely taken thirty minutes to prepare, and now the two of us could eat our French toast with a side sd and corn soup.

    "When ites to cooking, it can take thirty minutes to an hour to prepare something, but the time you take to eat the food is much smaller inparison, huh?" I said.

    "That is a good point. But that''s how it is with about everything, right? Whatever we use in our daily lives, we only get to use it for a moment despite the excessive amount of time it took to make it."

    She''s not wrong. I like books, and I can read a paperback in an hour or a two, but I wonder how many days it actually takes to write the whole thing. Or how many months. Maybe not that long. But when I think about it that way, I feel like I should never forget my gratitude for the people who create something for the sake of others.

    "Ayase-san, thank you for always cooking such delicious food." I bowed slightly and Ayase-san averted her eyes.

    She''s flustered. I can tell.

    "You''re exaggerating. I''m just doing what I can, nothing more."

    That excuse of hers hasn''t changed since we first met, huh?

    "That doesn''t matter. I''m still grateful."

    "You''ve been picking up a few dishes here and there as ofte, right?"

    "It''ll still take me time to catch up with you. Even this French toast was amazing."

    "¡­You''re wee." She averted her gaze even further.

    "Would you like some coffee?" I asked her.

    "Coffee will just keep me up all night, so I''d rather not¡­"

    Oh yeah, it''d be bad if she lost sleep despite there being no exams.

    "That reminds me¡­" I stood up and checked the box on top of the cupboard.

    Inside was coffee without caffeine, which my old man had gotten from one of his coworkers. It''s the type thates in packs that you put on top of the cup while pouring steaming water through it.

    "How about this, then? It''s caffeine-free."

    Since Ayase-san nodded and gave me her approval, I turned on the electric kettle and prepared two cups for both of us. In the meantime, Ayase-san washed the dishes. A few minutester, the water was boiling, so I prepared two cups of coffee. I felt the intense heat wafting upwards, and a distinct scent drifted up to my nose. I was just about to take a sip from it when Ayase-san suddenly spoke up.

    "Ah! Wait a second, Asamura-kun."

    "Hm?"

    Ayase-san opened her bag which she had ced on the chair next to her, taking out some kind of wrapped object.

    "Huh? Isn''t that from our ce?"

    The stic wrapping was the same we used at our bookstore.

    "Yep, they were selling this today," she said while removing the wrapping, revealing a small square box.

    Inside was an object that was shaped like a pumpkin.

    "¡­Is this a light?"

    "Yep." She ced it on the table.

    The box read ''LED candlelight'', so guessing what it was wasn''t hard. The pumpkin had its contents removed and was now equipped with an LED light in the shape of a candle. If you connected it to an outlet and turned on the switch, it immediately created a pleasant source of light.

    "I''ll turn off the lights."

    Once the ceiling lights were turned off, only the faint light from the pumpkinntern shining on top of the table illuminated the room. When I looked inside, I could see the candle burning brightly despite the fact that it wasn''t an actual candle.

    "What a weird time this is. Normally you''d have to use genuine fire to get such a shaking and flickering me, and yet we can even artificially recreate that nowadays." Ayase-sanmented as she sat back down.

    That''s thanks to the artificial illumination of the LED. Just as she said, it really does look like a flickering me. With the roompletely dark except for the pumpkin light, Ayase-san and I looked at each other.

    "A long time ago¡­"

    "Hm?"

    "Well, it was simr to this. This is the same kind of pumpkinntern I got from Mom years and years ago. But back then there was an actual candle inside of it."

    "Maybe it''s from the same manufacturer?"

    "Might be. On Halloween nights, I was always alone because Mom had to work at the bar. There was a time in grade school when I lit the candle and fell asleep¡­ Mom scolded me so much after that."

    If I had to guess, Ayase-san herself must have known how dangerous that was. But even so, light is the symbol of life. Proof that someone exists here and now. It''s the same experience you get whening home to the lights already turned on in your home.

    "When I saw that light, it made me feel like I hade home."

    "I totally get you."

    "We rarely got to see each other because of her job. I think I was really lonely when I was a child," Ayase-san said and continued. "But¡­ I''m happy I can spend Halloween with you this year, Asamura-kun."

    With the faint lighting from thentern, only our faces stood out from the darkness surrounding us. When I looked at her radiating eyes, reflecting the light of the candle, I found my heart shaking, like it was urging me forward.

    "Hey."

    "Hm?"

    "Um¡­"

    I gently moved my body towards hers, and she responded in the same way. Just like the LED light''s artificial me, her eyes swayed left and right with uncertainty. Without intending to do so, I found myself reaching for her cheek with my right hand. I gently caressed the hair strands that ran along her face.

    "Your hair''s gotten longer."

    "It''s still way shorter than it used to be."

    "I think you look great with it like that."

    "¡­Thanks."

    Let''s stay as siblings that simply get along really well. We both swore this a month ago. But right now, I''m trying to break that promise out of my own desire. But do I have the determination to stand strong against everything that I''ll have to face as a result? I asked myself and my heart, but¡­

    ''So, since you folks are too clever for your own good, I shall put a curse on you that''ll turn you into monkeys.''

    The devil''s whispers reached my ears. Since we''re not just any normal boy and girl, this is a line that we really shouldn''t cross without being prepared for whatever awaits us. However, if you asked me¡­ asked me if I wanted to spend more time with her, and share my happiness with her¡­ then my answer was already written in stone. I want to touch her, I want her to ept me. It was nothing but selfishness, and just as that devil said, an idiotic emotion.

    When our small silhouettes held hands beneath that street light, it reflected my own feelings and desires. After Ayase-san and I had gazed into each other''s eyes for a few moments, I could see that she had rxed her eyes¡ªclosing them. I had no idea she had such long eyshes¡­That pointless observation popped up in my mind, but the very next moment, I also closed my eyes.

    I felt a soft sensation pressed on my lips. I kissed her. Not as my little sister, but as the girl Ayase Saki.

    Nobody saw us right then, except whoever might have been watching us from the heavens above. Or maybe even God had his view stolen from the parade of demons on this Halloween night. That faint glimmer of hope filled my chest. This was our single moment where no me would befall us.

    "This truly feels like the witching hour. The Halloween light must have some sort of power."

    We moved away from each other as Ayase-san uttered these words under her breath.

 Chapter 64 - 12

    <h4>Chapter 64: Chapter 12</h4>

    31st of October (Saturday) ¨C Ayase Saki

    I snuggled into my bed, pulled the nket over my head, and pressed my cold hands against my burning hot cheeks. I ran my fingers over my lips. We¡­ kissed.

    During my shift at the bookstore, I happened to coincidentally spot the pumpkin candlelight made out of stic. It looked exactly the same as the candle Mom had bought when I was in grade school. Its size, the color of the pumpkin, and even the expression it had. The only difference was that the one back then had been a genuine candle, and now it was lit by a newer LED. I hesitated at first, but I still decided to buy it before heading home.

    After our shifts ended, Asamura-kun and I headed home. The moment we stepped outside, I was baffled. The streets were packed with people wearing costumes, the crowd sorge that you''d keep bumping into people if you just walked normally. And I actually did. If Asamura-kun hadn''t supported me then, I probably would have ended up on the ground. I gratefully epted the hand he offered me, and we held hands the entire way back. That alone made my heart race uncontrobly. When I saw the distant lights of our t, I felt relieved, but also dejected that we''d have to stop holding hands.

    Since today was Halloween, Mom naturally had to work a full shift during the bar''s busiest times. So she would be backte at night. That being said, Step-dad should be home. He didn''t have any work today, and he wouldn''t eat dinner before we got home. That''s why we went back without taking any detours. However, while we were fighting our way through the crowd of people in Shibuya while holding hands, he had gone off to meet Akiko-san. This meant that it was just Asamura-kun and I at home. We made dinner together, ate it together, and he even brewed me some coffee. I was reminded of the candle I had bought at work. It made me think about when I was a young child. The faint light of the LEDmp flickered on and off, much like a real me. While gazing at this phenomenon, I thought about the reason why I had bought thatmp in the first ce.

    When I was growing up, a pumpkin candle was always a symbol of solitude and istion for me, the token of what it meant to be alone, and I probably wanted to overwrite those painful memories. This would be my first Halloween night spent with my new family, after all. I thought that if I turned on thatntern and fell asleep to it, I might just be freed from the sad memories I''d been gued with since I was a child.

    While Asamura-kun and I sat around the table with the pumpkinntern on it, he suddenly leaned forward. I waspletely baffled. After that, everything felt hazy. I didn''t even understand what was happening. He suddenly stretched out his arm, reaching for my cheek. His fingertips gently caressed my hair. My cheek immediately burned up, all the blood inside of me beginning to boil, and I suddenly became worried that he might notice my heart racing just because of that. His face slowly but steadily grew closer, making me realize that I wasn''t imagining things. Eventually, I could see myself in his eyes. I had a shocked expression on my face, obvious enough for myself to see. It was like anticipation and anxiety kept jumping between each other like the flickering of the light. But in the end, I had known that something like this might happen¡ªso I closed my eyes.

    Happiness, bashfulness, hope, uncertainty about the future. Many many feelings exploded at the same time. I myself wasn''t sure what I was feeling anymore. I had feared that our rtionship would forever be at a standstill. But even so, I chose to close my eyes. Our lips only touched for an instant, and yet it felt like the crying child inside of me had finally stopped. Even though the warm and passionate hug from my mom all those years ago couldn''t dispel my sadness, he had done it with just this. It must be the magic of Halloween and its light.

    Maybe the devil was weaving all of this magic. I was the one who had said we should stay brother and sister, and yet it suddenly felt like I had broken this promise myself. But if I had looked away at that moment, I''m sure Asamura-kun would have stopped me. By looking at his eyes until the very end, I epted him. Once we had reached the point of no return, I simply closed my eyes and waited. As expected, he pressed his lips onto mine. Compared to when we held hands, I could feel his presence tenfold. And despite the fact that my eyelids were closed, it felt like I could sense the orange light of the pumpkin.

    Will-o''-the-wisps. Sometimes they deceive travelers, other times they provide guiding light. They are souls bound to wander through the world, unable to go to either heaven or hell. I just hope they provide light for the path of the step-sister who fell in love with her brother.

    A fresh thought came to mind. We talked about volunteer work at school, namely cleaning up the trash after Halloween. "Why would I have to clean up after the people who caused the mess in the first ce?" I had thought andpletely forgotten about it, but¡­

    "I could get up early and help out¡­"

    I don''t know if God and everybody else watching in the heavens above would be willing to forgive me if I did that, I just had this urge to do anything that would make me look like a good girl. Maybe I should invite Asamura-kun. Just giving in to the devil''s sweet whispers was fine and all, but if I managed to build up more time and improve our rtionship with my own strength, I feel like I''d be able to ept it more easily.

    I indulged in these thoughts while snuggling up under my nket and finally drifted into a pleasant slumber.

 Chapter 65: Afterword

    <h4>Chapter 65: Afterword</h4>

    Thank you very much for your purchase of "Gimai Seikatsu" volume 5, the novelized version of the YouTube visual novel. I am the original creator of the YouTube version, as well as the author of the novel: Mikawa Ghost. A boy and a girl of simr background start to learn more about each other on a daily basis, achieving a connection deeper than the superficial level¡ªthat is the "Gimai Seikatsu" series.

    The people who have read and finished this 5th volume might think that we''re nearing the end, but rest assured. I have many more stories to tell, and I am very certain that, for both the fans of the YouTube version and the novel version, you will not be disappointed. "Gimai Seikatsu" depicts the story of Asamura-kun and Ayase-san as they experience their own ups and downs in life. Just as we go through school, university, employment, marriage, and all other steps in life, I will stay true to the idea of depicting their events in life, as well as their mutual contact, so I hope you look forward to it.

    Finally, it is time for me to give my thanks. To my illustrator Hiten-san, Nakashima Yuki-san, Amasaki Kouhei-san, Suzuki Ayu-san, Hamano Daiki-san, Suzuki Minori-san, our video director Ochiai Yuusuke and everybody else involved with the YouTube channel, my editor O-san, the mangaka of theicalization Kanade Yumi-san, all personnel involved with the release of this series, and of course to all my readers¡ªThank you very much.

    This has been Mikawa Ghost.

 Chapter 66: Table of Contents

    <h4>Chapter 66: Table of Contents</h4>

    This is a fan trantion by Cws Trantions,piled together into a file by a fan.

    Please consider buying the official release to support the author, illustrator and their team.

    Table of Contents

    Prologue

    Chapter 1

    Chapter 2

    Chapter 3

    Chapter 4

    Chapter 5

    Chapter 6

    Chapter 7

    Chapter 8

    Chapter 9

    Chapter 10

    Chapter 11

    Chapter 12

    Chapter 13

    Chapter 14

    Afterword

 Chapter 67: Prologue

    <h4>Chapter 67: Prologue</h4>

    Asamura Yuuta

    It was night in the living room. To counteract the bristling cold filling the room, we had the heat turned up to the point that the A/C unit was giving off healthy rattling sounds. Along with that sound, I let out a faint groan as I worked through my physics textbook. I looked around the table and spotted a cup. I picked it up to take a sip and¡ªHm? I realized there was no fluid inside the cup. It turns out my cup of coffee was empty, which immediately ruined all my focus. I turned the cup upside down to get thest bit of coffee out, but after a single drop touched my lips, no more sweet joy came.

    It had gotten quitete at night. If I drink another cup now, I probably won''t be able to sleep. I, Asamura Yuuta, was pondering what liquid to make my next partner for myte-night studying session, considering my focus had already run out, when I suddenly heard a bewildered "Huh?" from behind me. I turned around. Standing there was the girl who had be my younger step-sister roughly half a year ago¡ªAyase-san.

    "Ah, sorry. Was the A/C too loud?"

    "Not at all. I had my door closed. I just didn''t think you''d be here thiste," she said and raised her head to look at the clock, which said it was already 11 pm. Normally, I''d be sitting in my room studying by this time.

    "Want some hot chocte?" She asked, pointing at my empty cup.

    "Honestly, that sounds pretty good right now."

    "Then I''ll make some. I''m gonna drink some myself, anyway."

    "Thanks."

    She turned on our electric kettle, took out the hot chocte mix from the drawer, and picked out a cup for herself and arger mug. With all that prepared, she sat down on a chair. In the meantime, I took out the milk from the fridge, washing the cup I had just used for the coffee. I epted therger mug from Ayase-san, poured milk in there, and put it into the microwave. To finish it off, I pressed the button on it that said "Milk."

    Meanwhile, Ayase-san was busy mixing the cocoa powder and sugar in her cup. She poured a bit of the hot water from the kettle into her cup and continued mixing. Normally she looked like a cool beauty, but now she was just twirling her spoon around in her cup, which gave her a much more immature and youthful image. The microwave beeped.

    "It''s warm."

    "Thanks."

    Ayase-san put half of the chocte powder mix into my cup, pouring the warm milk on top.

    "It''d taste even better if we added a secret ingredient, like butter."

    "We don''t have to go all out for somete-night hot chocte, you know."

    "Well that''s true. But I have to say, it''s pretty rare for you to study in the living room thiste," Ayase-san said, still mixing her hot chocte.

    "I was actually doing just fine in my own room, but I started losing focus, so I decided to change location. I thought a different environment might give me different results, or something like that."

    "I see," Ayase-san nodded. "I think I get what you mean." She finished mixing the hot chocte and ced the cup in front of me. "Here you go."

    "Thanks."

    Then she began working on her own portion. It might seem ordinary, but she always begins everything by preparing the share for other people first. It''s very much like her. She probably didn''t want mine to get cold while she prioritized herself. I think that living with Ayase-san has allowed me to be more sensitive to the actions of other people around me.

    "Okay, done." Ayase-san made a satisfied nod and put the cup to her mouth, taking a sip.

    I could see her throat move, her eyes closing slightly like she was rxing. I joined her.

    "Mhm, delicious," I said.

    "You could''ve started without me."

    "But I would have felt bad for spoiling the taste."

    "You''re weird," Ayase-san said with a wry smile.

    The scent of the hot chocte tickled the tip of my nose. Time was passing in a leisurely andfortable manner. We both took another sip.

    "It sure has gotten coldtely."

    "It''s December, after all." She spoke in a calm way, and my attention unintentionally drifted towards her moving lips.

    Her rose-colored lips¡ªThey reminded me of that Halloween evening, which caused my cheeks to turn hot. We both desire to touch each other like lovers. Through that kiss, we''ve confirmed that. Back in Fall, I was perfectly fine and happy to simply feel her warmth next to me. And yet, only one season after that, I can''t be satisfied with just staying next to each other. I guess humans can take for granted any fortune they have been given.

    That being said, our end-of-term exam period was right after that, so we haven''t even kissed since then. We both care about our grades a lot, so we decided to talk things through and came to the conclusion that we should separate our private and public lives. Plus, we''d have to do that sort of thing when nobody else is around. And since we''re also siblings studying at a high school, we share our living space with our parents.

    Conducting ourselves as lovers that bypass the line of brother and sister in this situation is probably much harder than for the standard couples. I poured some more hot chocte down my throat and started thinking. Can''t we increase the times we''re allowed to seek each other''s touch? And that''s when I remembered something: My birthday is in December. And so is Ayase-san''s birthday. We talked about the exact dates justst week, and I found out that Ayase-san''s is on the 20th. Mine on the other hand is on the 13th. And as expected, we pretty quickly decided to just celebrate both of them on the 24th. Both Ayase-san and I smiled at each other, realizing that it''d be the same as ever.

    "What''s up? Did you remember something funny?" Ayase-san gave me a confused look.

    "Ah, well, something like that."

    "Oh, really?" She didn''t even ask what I had been thinking about as she got up from her seat.

    She wrapped her hands around the cup, presumably to warm them up, and headed back towards her room. Midway there, she seemed to have remembered something and turned around. Quietly, she trotted back to the table where I sat.

    "About our birthdays."

    "Huh?"

    I could feel my heart rate spike. Realizing that the person you like is thinking about the same thing at the same time as you are sure gives you an adrenaline boost.

    "How about we actually celebrate each other''s birthdays properly?"

    "You mean on the 13th and 20th?"

    "Yep. We''ve never had anybody celebrate them with us on the actual day, right?"

    "I¡­ guess you''re right."

    "I figured. And I¡­ well¡­ want to spend it¡­ not just as siblings, you know."

    I understood what she meant. I felt the same way.

    "I get you."

    "And there was something I wanted to discuss with you."

    She said that she only wanted to tell me after exams were over, but she changed her mind. She told me about a conversation she had with my old man around the time of Halloween.

    Even if you break thew, and you''re dealt severe punishment with no room for you to im innocence, I won''t ever deny that you''re part of my family. No matter what it may be.

    Hearing what my old man said about us really made me think. How cool can you be, dangit?

    "I feel like Akiko-san would say the same thing. Though definitely not in front of you, Ayase-san."

    "Probably."

    Her words sounded indifferent, but I could see how her cheeks rxed a bit. She''s really happy, I imagine.

    "But that statement made me start thinking." Ayase-san took a deep breath, making an expression like she wasn''t sure if she should say what she wanted to say or not.

    However, her mouth did open eventually.

    "If it''s our family, they might ept the rtionship we are in, no?"

    I started thinking. She might be right.

    "Dad would definitely be honest about how he felt. If he hated the idea, he''d say that, and he''d forbid us, too. He can be pretty stubborn despite the way he looks¡­"

    Even with all the previous drama with my mother, he neverined in front of me. All he did was apologize.

    "However, I''m not sure if Akiko-san could truly be honest with us if she didn''t feelfortable."

    "So you think your father would ept us, but you''re not sure about my mother. Could I ask why you think that?"

    "What I''m afraid of is that Akiko-san might regret getting married again."

    "But, Asamura-kun, knowing them¡­"

    "I know full well that Akiko-san isn''t that sort of person. However, my actual mother never showed her discontent openly. So I''m worried Akiko-san might just m up all her genuine feelings¡­ and I just can''t cast aside that possibility."

    "That''s¡­"

    "Not gonna happen," is probably what she wanted to say, but she held back. Her self-restraint just made me feel apologetic. A painful memory of mine has crossed the line of being just a memory and is now bringing me to the point of thinking something rude about Akiko-san. However, there''s just a thread of worry clinging to my mind that both Dad and Akiko-san are only getting along well now that there''s still love between them. And since I can''t read minds, I can''t discard the possibility that she''s just acting happy on the surface. And I know what happens if you carry this feeling deep inside you for too long without letting it out. All too well¡­ Because the only time they didn''t fight in front of me was when we celebrated my birthday.

    Ayase-san took a short breath and spoke up.

    "I was the same."

    I gasped. I forgot. Ayase-san would also grieve the possibility of my father regretting the marriage with Akiko-san.

    "Before I talked with your father, I was just as worried as you are right now."

    "I¡­ see¡­"

    "Yeah. But I won''t tell you to talk with Mom, either. Even if she tells the same thing, you and I are still different. There''s no guarantee you''ll feel the same way I do."

    "Yeah, that makes sense."

    "So¡­ I think it''s okay if we don''te clean just yet," Ayase-san said and smiled.

    Her expression made it seem like she was reassuring me, and it made my heart feel lighter.

    "We can discuss the ns for our birthdayster. I''m going back to studying now."

    "Yeah, I''ll continue here for a bit longer."

    "Don''t stay up toote, okay?"

    "Right back at you."

    Her back, covered with a white cardigan, moved towards the door and eventually disappeared. I let out a sigh and grabbed my cup. The faint remains of chocte powder stuck to my throat, not allowing me tofortably swallow it all down.

 Chapter 68 - 1

    <h4>Chapter 68: Chapter 1</h4>

    December 11th (Friday) ¨C Asamura Yuuta

    The sound of the final bell ringing came from the speakers inside the ssroom. The teacher swiftly disappeared out into the hallway, and as joyful voices filled the ssroom, my ssmates moved their chairs and desks out of the way to simply have fun. Now that we had received our end-of-term exam results, most of them seemed refreshed and relieved. The boy with therge back in front of me towered up and grabbed the back of the desk. He''s probably heading over to baseball practice like always¡ªOr so I thought.

    "One more thing, Asamura."

    I was surprised when he spoke to me. Normally, Maru would just give me a brief goodbye and dash off to his practice.

    "What''s up?"

    "I''ve got a club meeting now, but do you mind tagging along until we get to the clubroom?"

    "Huh? The clubroom? Why?"

    "There''s something I wanna give you."

    "Well¡­ sure?"

    It''s not like I have to get home early or anything. With that thought in mind, I tagged along with Maru, grabbing my bag so I could go home right after talking to him. When I nced outside the hallway windows, I could see all the trees in the courtyard with their barren branches, no leaves in sight. It really made me realize that winter hade. With no more leaves to obscure the view, I could see the courtyard below quite clearly. A slight breeze was blowing a few lonely leaves along like thest remains of fall.

    "Oh yeah, Maru. How did you do on your exams?"

    "Hm? I scored a total of 828 points."

    "As expected, huh?"

    He''s keeping up his position as a regr in the baseball team while also scoring respectable results. By the way, I got a total score of 819.

    "I still can''tpete against you, Maru. I do feel like I''ve been working pretty hard, though."

    "Hm¡­ Well, you don''t have to set me up on a pedestal, you know?"

    "I guess you''re right."

    My grades have gone uppared to thest standardized tests, and the distance between Maru and I has grown smaller, as well.

    "You''ve improved a lot sincest summer, right?"

    "It''s probably thanks to the extra sses I took during summer break."

    "Just that?"

    "Huh?"

    "Well, whatever."

    After that, Maru kept walking without saying another word. Once we stepped out of the front entrance, the cold breeze made my body shiver. My fingertips tensed up, too. I can''t help but feel sorry for the sports club members practicing in this cold. Someone from the go-home club like me can''t even hope topare. After a bit more walking, I spotted the clubroom building. It consisted of two floors, resembling a regr two-floor apartmentplex. The baseball club''s clubroom was located next to the courtyard.

    What first greeted me as the door opened was the scent of sweat. And right after, I picked up another scent of citrus deodorant, like it was trying to cover up the initial stench of sweat. The lockers next to the walls were stuffed with the club members'' personal belongings and other gear. Some were neatly organized, others had gear stuffed into them carelessly. In one corner of the room stood a metallic container that looked like umbre storage, except it was holding metal bats. Some of the club members were changing while talking about this and that, and they called out to Maru as he arrived.

    They even gave me a polite greeting when they saw me with Maru. He introduced me as his ssmate, and they humored me with a brief conversation. I think it''s probably more because I''m Maru''s friend and less because I''m their senior, but they were interacting with me with respect and politeness. That, however, made me feel like I was standing out like a sore thumb, like I didn''t quite belong. I waited near the entrance of the room as Maru took out a stic bag from his locker and stuffed his backpack in its ce. During that time, Maru''s juniors talked to him about whatever came to mind.

    "Sorry for the wait."

    "Totally fine."

    I didn''t dislike seeing that Maru was this popr. Even if it didn''t involve me, I felt happy.

    "So, is this what you wanted to give me?"

    "Yep. I didn''t feel too confident about leaving it in the ssroom."

    He was carrying a small stic bag next to his waist. I went ahead and took a brief nce inside it after he gave it to me. It turned out to be a bunch of manga volumes. Not to mention the size wasn''t a regr paperback pocket edition (a small B6, 17x11cm), but a B6-sized one that was a bit bigger, about 18x13cm. It''s the kind of size you often see when ites to young adult manga. And there were three whole volumes in there. I see now why he didn''t want to bring these into the ssroom.

    "And all these are for me?"

    "My newest rmendation. This one''s great. I can see it being the next big hit!"

    "Really? I''ll look forward to reading that, then."

    But that also got me thinking. If this was all he wanted to give me, then we could''ve met up elsewhere so that he didn''t have to lug it around¡ªand when I got that far in the thought, I realized where he was going with this.

    "I bought them ahead of time. This Sunday''s your birthday, right?"

    Only now did I realize that this was supposed to be my birthday present.

    "You didn''t have to¡­"

    "It''s interesting, you know? Though they''re a bit unorthodox at times."

    "I mean, when aren''t your rmendations like that, Maru?"

    "Haha, good point. Then again, I''ve got just as much taste for the orthodox, so you can read it without having to worry."

    "Yes, yes. Thanks, I''m happy."

    I was poking a bit of fun at him, but I was genuinely happy. I didn''t expect him to even give me a present, though. He never brought up the subject of my birthday, and he didn''t give me a presentst year, either. This couldn''t have been a bigger surprise. And on the subject of birthday presents, I remembered something Maru had told me half a year ago. Something about him celebrating someone else''s birthday. He talked himself out of it when I asked for who it was, though. Maybe that''s when he started bing interested in giving other people presents. I should give him something for his birthday.

    "Since we can''t meet up on Sunday, I figured now''s the day."

    "You''ve got practice on Sunday, yeah?"

    "Sorry we can''t celebrate it together. Well, I doubt you''ll be lonely on your birthday."

    "Don''t be like that. I''m really happy."

    "Well, it''s nothing major, so don''t sweat it. Talk to youter." Maru waved his hand and made his way to the back of the room.

    I decided to start heading home myself when a club member suddenly called out to me. I wondered what he wanted. He seemed to be a fellow second-year student like us, at least.

    "Does Maru sometimes talk with Narasaka-san?"

    I certainly didn''t expect her name toe up.

    "Huh? Narasaka¡­ you mean that¡­?"

    "Yeah. That really cute girl."

    "So¡­ what about her and Maru?"

    "There''s a rumor going around that those two have been talking with each other all friendly-like."

    "Well¡­ I haven''t heard anything about that."

    I wasn''t lying. Maru didn''t tell me anything. And even if I did know something, I wouldn''t tell everyone who asked.

    "I see¡­"

    Maru himself had apparently avoided the topic or remained silent about it, so there wasn''t much to gain from the person in question. However, he didn''t deny the fact that they were talking at all. Since they''re both at the top of the student year in terms of grades, people have started assuming that maybe they''re regrly talking or even dating.

    "Okay, got it. Sorry to keep you here."

    "Don''t worry about it."

    I bowed briefly and left the baseball club''s room. I made my way to the bike storage area while thinking about the conversation that happened just now. Are Maru and Narasaka-san dating? Honestly, I think it''s just a misunderstanding, but if that were to be true, then that would mean both of them are hiding their rtionship from me and Ayase-san. It''s a secret rtionship.

    Then again, it''s not really something they would have to go public with. They know about my sibling rtionship with Ayase-san, but there''s no need to go all the way and say we basically love each other. There''s no meaning to parading around with a sign saying "We started dating today"¡ª

    "Hold on¡­"

    That''s not entirely true. If you think about it in terms of animal society, then it makes sense. They would want to show off that they''ve entered a physical rtionship as a male and female animal. That''s why humans have wedding ceremonies and engagements and the like. Plus, if a regr boy and girl start dating like an average couple, a majority of people will congratte them. And if you like being congratted, then it''d be worthwhile to reveal such secrets.

    Then again, considering how popr Narasaka-san is, I feel like quite a few people would haveints at the fact that she''s dating someone. Then it''d make sense to keep it a secret¡­ But she''s not some kind of idol, so there''s not really any harm in making it public¡­ If so, then would keeping quiet about their rtionship be kind of strange after all? Anyway, I''m jumping the shark here. In modern society, the question of being married or not shouldn''t be brought into consideration when discussing lifestyle or work. There''s no need topletely specify everything like that¡­

    "Phew¡­"

    I let out a sigh. All that thinking caused my head to almost overheat. As long as I don''t know if Maru and Narasaka-san are really dating, thinking about the what-ifs and possibilities is a waste of time. I stuffed my bag into my bicycle''s basket and stomped down on the pedals. I''ve got a shift at a bookstore to get to.

    Since it was December, the sun was already starting to set. The sky peeking out between the gaps of the buildings was already looking like a red curtain, and the LED lights inside the Shibuya Town Center were beginning to light up. Everywhere you looked, your sight was filled with decorations, lights, and the sounds of countless people. The tree standing in front of the train station was riddled with electronic lights, and the Hachiko statue behind it had a red ribbon around it, which made the good boy look like he was smiling in pride. Not to mention the countless advertisement screens on and above the buildings that were advertising all sorts of winter sales that were going on.

    The bookstore I worked at wasn''t much different. Red, green, and white lights were everywhere, and the ss door at the front had speckles of white sprayed on it to resemble snow. I swear¡­ it''s still two full weeks before Christmas.

    With these thoughts filling my mind, I entered the bookstore. Walking around inside, I let out another faint sigh. A bookstore usually is an establishment that doesn''t experience much difference when ites to events like this, but since we''re pretty close to the entertainment district, we usually experience arger number of customers. And today it seems that it might be the same. After seeing the manager and hearing his ns for the shift, I couldn''t help but let out a voice of surprise.

    "Wait, Yomiuri-senpai is taking the day off because she''s not feeling well?"

    "Exactly. That''s why it''ll be just you and Ayase-san today. I know it''ll be rough, but I''m counting on you two."

    "Yes, I understand."

    Just the two of us for the whole shift¡­ that''s gonna be rough. I''ll have to go all out for today. I went to the changing room, changed into my uniform, and stepped outside again, when¡ª

    "I''m sorry for beingte!"

    Ayase-san arrived, still wearing her uniform.

    "It''s fine, you''re still on time."

    We''ve got another ten minutes until our shift starts, so there''s no need to rush like that. I greeted our other colleagues who had been taking care of the cash register up to this point as I headed to the back. Since there were only two other people taking care of the cash register, we''ll probably be bound to follow in their tracks until another one of ourte-shift colleagues gets here. That''s why I''d like to check the storage for now¡­

    "Ah, crap. I think I should have checked the bookshelves first."

    I looked at the mountain of books on our stage and groaned to myself. Even if I knew how many magazines we had in storage, it doesn''t matter much if I don''t remember how packed the disys at the front are. At the cash register, I could use theputer to confirm how much stock we have of certain things, but it''s questionable if I''ll be able to make the time to check the actual situation up front. If Yomiuri-senpai were here, she definitely would have checked the stock on the store shelves first. What a blunder. I lightly bit my lip and looked at the time. I had three more minutes before the take-over. There was nothing more that I could do. I missed my reliable senior as I made my way towards the cash register.

    "It''s time. We''re taking over!"

    "Oh, thanks a bunch."

    "Good luck, you two!"

    The two employees who had previously been looking after the cash register bowed their heads slightly as they thanked us, leaving room for Ayase-san and I. We didn''t have much time to talk, as the next customers were already waiting in front of us. I immediately switched into customer service mode, dealing with their requests like I was in a trance. Once one customer left with their purchase, the next one ced their book in front of me. There was no time to even breathe.

    The storm of customers was especially fierce today. It must be because the Christmas season was slowly creeping up on us, but a lot of them wanted their purchases wrapped and prepared for gift-giving, which takes extra time for us to take care of. Adding a stic cover is one thing, but wrapping it like a present goes well above and beyond that. For starters, you can''t use regr wrapping paper. There were a lot of customers asking for the special Christmas-themed one, so we had to check that with them first. This usually means we had to show them both kinds of wrapping paper and ask them directly. Then again, the majority of them went with the Christmas one, which wasn''t surprising considering the season.

    And of course, you can''t forget about the ribbons. The tape is rtively easy to handle, but wrapping it in any wrong or clumsy way will only make it look second-hand, and you have to start over. After you finish the cross and add a bow at the top, you need to get in with your scissors. You can''t cut it straight; you need to cut it loose from a downward angle to really create that vanity vibe. Now that I think about it, I kinda feel bad for the customers I had when I had just started out here. And while internally groaning at every wrapping request, I once again started thinking about what present to give to Ayase-san, which has been on my mind a lot these days. That being said, I was still careful to not ruin any of my wrapping for the customers.

    A birthday present, huh? I began thinking while letting my hands move automatically, almost like a robot. Honestly speaking, I still had no n or present in mind. What should I even give her? What would she be happy to receive? Even when I prepared a present for Narasaka-san, I basically let Ayase-san handle everything. Thankfully it all worked out since she knows Narasaka-san''s preferences.

    "Good work, you two."

    The manager''s voice brought me back to reality. While I was absentmindedly working, the number of customers lining up in front of the registers had decreased drastically.

    "You''ll get help soon, just power through the rest."

    "Yes."

    The pain of Yomiuri-senpai''s absence had once again been made clear to us. We had absolutely no time to tend to the situation at the bookshelves or disys. We had been standing at the cash registers the entire time.

    "That was rough. Thankfully we''ve got a bit of breathing room now," Ayase-san said.

    "It''s pretty tough with just the two of us, yeah."

    "I''m a bit worried about Yomiuri-san."

    "I hope it''s just a seasonal cold¡­ But I guess we''ve gotta be careful ourselves."

    Once I confirmed that we had a brief break of customers, I quickly stepped away from the cash register.

    "I''ll go check out the situation in the store."

    "Please do."

    While being careful to not rush around like a maniac, I went to check the number of magazines on the disys and books inside the bookshelves. And I also looked around to see if any customer needed help. Sure enough, I found a husband looking for a certain mystery series his wife had asked him to buy, so I quickly guided him to where it was. I figured it would be a novel, but it turned out to be aic, and after I guessed one publisher, it was actually another, so even helping him out cost me a bit of time.

    Once I made it back to the cash register, I was greeted by another line of customers. I guess I can''t waste any more time looking after the shopping area. I went back to the counter and opened up a second cash register. After around an hour, another employee came to help us, and we were finally able to take a breather.

    When our shift ended and we stepped out of the bookstore, the darkness of night was already greeting us. The streets were illuminated by the Christmas lights, lighting our way home as I pushed my bike while Ayase-san walked next to me. Every breath I let out was snow white, and holding the handlebars was painfully cold. Gripping them even slightly made my fingers hurt immediately.

    "Don''t you have any gloves?" Ayase-san asked from next to me.

    "I''m always afraid my hands will slip from the handlebars if I wear any. Well, it''s just a problem of sensation, I guess."

    Objectively speaking, it''s a bit dubious if it will make my hands slip easier if I wear gloves. Then again, there are special gloves specifically made for bikes, so considering my own safety, it might be best for me to buy them. Some schools in the Tokyo area are already adjusting their school regtions to make people with bikes wear helmets as they travel to school. Suisei High still isn''t affected, but maybe it won''t take too long until we are. And in that case, they might go ahead and add regtions to require gloves, too.

    "Then you definitely need some," Ayase-sanmented after listening to my thoughts.

    I could pick up a faintly worried tone from her voice. When I noticed that, I couldn''t find the courage to just lightly respond "I''ll be fine."

    "Yeah, I guess you''re right. I''ll look into that."

    Though I don''t know how I feel about getting an actual helmet in addition to some gloves.

    "You''re not wearing a scarf, either. Aren''t you cold?"

    "That one''s definitely too dangerous. What if the scarf gets caught in the gears while I''m riding my bike?"

    "I see. That makes sense."

    "I''d have to either tuck it inside my clothes or get one of those neck warmers. That being said, I''ve never really been bothered by the cold that much."

    "I see," Ayase-san nodded. "But it''s freezing today, no? Hey, turn your bike this way."

    "Huh? But that''s really hard to walk, no?"

    I didn''t know what exactly her reasoning was, but I moved the bike away from the roadside, putting it between me and Ayase-san. It made me feel like the distance between us had grown, which disappointed me a bit. Following that, Ayase-san moved her left hand towards the handlebar of the bike, cing it on my left right hand¡ªAhh, I see.

    If I kept the bike in the same position, Ayase-san would have to stretch her arm past me as we walked, which would be a pain to do and kind of dangerous. Thanks to this, I could feel the warmth of her glove covering the back of my hand.

    "Is it a bit warmer?"

    "Ah¡­ yeah¡­"

    "It would have been too dangerous otherwise, so this is all I coulde up with."

    "I know, thanks."

    She had to be careful not to press her hand against mine too much, but even this was enough to cover my hand from the wind, and it allowed me to feel her warmth, if only a bit. After that, we simply continued to walk next to each other in silence. We couldn''t avoid running into other people passing us by, and I couldn''t help but be conscious of how they must look at us holding hands like this. Though I do understand that it''s not exactly something that stands out like a sore thumb. In order to hide my own embarrassment, I opted to bring up the exam results we had gotten back today. When I told Ayase-san my score, she reluctantly confessed hers¡ª815 points. Since I had 819, I won with a small 4-point difference, which caused Ayase-san toment with a defeated expression.

    "I lost again¡­"

    "It''s just four points, so that''s really small stuff. Plus, it''s amazing that you got a 94 in modern literature."

    It''s impressive that she''s increased her grades that much in only half a year. Plus, I''m still attending a prep school on the side. If Ayase-san joined my prep school, she''d probably leave me in the dust right away. She might even get into the top 10 of the student year with ease. But when I mentioned that, Ayase-san shook her head.

    "I have no ns of going there."

    "Well, it costs a lot, so I understand."

    Plus, there''s also Ayase-san''s personality of how she never wants to rely on anyone else, so she''s probably dead-set on achieving everything with her own studying capabilities.

    "I mean, I''m not so stubborn as to say I''ll never go¡­ But I just wouldn''t want to trouble my family if that resulted from me attending prep school. And just as you said before, sometimes it''s important to also rely on others."

    "Oh, that? Well, I basically just stole that from Yomiuri-senpai, though."

    "But it''s just that right now I don''t really feel like going, I guess?"

    "If you ever change your mind, just let me know. I''ll help you get prepared for everything."

    "Thanks," Ayase-san said, as I felt her putting a bit more strength into the grip of her hand on top of mine.

    It wasn''t an oppressive pressure that wouldn''t let me move, but it conveyed her warmth even more fiercely than before. My breath was still white, the winter breeze entering through my cor was freezing, and yet that one hand was scorching hot.

    "Plus, if we were together¡­"

    Her faintly muttered words didn''t reach my ears. When I turned my head to look at her, she had already directed her gaze forward, piercing through the darkness of the night. The crowd of people and nightly noise slowly but surely grew more distant as we started walking down a narrow street that directed us toward our home. After we passed by the yellow lights of a parking lot, we¡ªmy step-sister and I¡ªsaw the lights of our t in the distance.

    Upon entering our home, we first looked at the dining table. A vinyl bag sat there, which seemed to contain a lunch box or something of that sort. After that, our attention was drawn to the small note attached to it.

    ''Dinner!''

    I quickly checked my LINE messages. My old man had sent me one, which said ''I bought you some snacks for when you get back from work.''

    We checked inside the bag. "Oh, gyoza," I said.

    "And this here is sweet-and-sour pork and pepper steak." Ayase-san took out the contents of the bag and ced them on the table.

    Since our shift had to be adjusted, neither Ayase-san nor I had the time to get home after school and prepare anything for dinner. He probably knew this and had bought this for us. And as for the person in question, he most likely had already eaten and gone to bed. Akiko-san, naturally, is still at work.

    "Do you want any soup, Asamura-kun?"

    "We should have some boil-in-the-bag soup. I''m good to go with that. What about you, Ayase-san?"

    Since she nodded in agreement, I stuffed my hand into the food shelf and grabbed a bag of corn soup. It''s the granr type. While the electric kettle was boiling some water, I took out two soup bowls and ced them on the table. In the meantime, Ayase-san ced the vegetables from the stic bag on several tes. If it was just me, I''d simply eat it cold with the stic tableware that came with it, but Ayase-san always warms up the food, and she likes using our own tableware instead. Apparently, it''s her policy to make it look as good as it tastes, and seeing the steaming vegetables on the blue tes does increase my appetite. After adding some hot rice, we got together and started eating.

    "So that''s the sauce you use, Asamura-kun," Ayase-san muttered.

    "Huh? Is it weird?" I asked, confused.

    Both of us were using the tare sauce from a small te in front of each of us to eat the gyoza. At a nce, I couldn''t tell the difference, but upon closer inspection of her sauce, I finally realized what she meant.

    "That''s a sweet one, right?"

    "Yep, sweet. Are you only using soy sauce?"

    "Huh? Isn''t that what you normally eat with gyoza?"

    "It''s gotta be sweet, no?"

    "¡­Well, is it good?"

    "That''s my line."

    I can''t even imagine the taste. I just blurted that out in the heat of the moment, and Ayase-san slid her small te toward me. She''s probably telling me to try it out. But my body came to a sudden halt. Can I really use the same te as her? Even amongst families, there are instances where you wouldn''t want to share something. I personally am the type of person who isn''t bothered by it, but still. I''m conscious about it for a different reason. Instead of dwelling too long on it, I just told myself that this was a normal thing for a family to do.

    I dunked my gyoza into her sweet sauce and took a bite. Since it was still warm, I felt the steaming juices fill my mouth as the skin covered my teeth. Along with that was the vor of the sweet sauce. It''s different from the taste I''m used to. But it''s not too sweet for me to eat. It''s just as tasty, I just can''t exin it.

    "I see, so that''s what it tastes like."

    "Is it good?"

    "Yep, I think so. I feel like it''s a bitcking in some areas, but the taste is a lot more refined."

    "Right? And it''s even better with pepper."

    "What''s Akiko-san''s preference?"

    "She''s the same as me. Soy sauce is a bit too rich-tasting for her."

    "I see. Ah, wanna try mine, too?"

    I slid my small te over towards her. Ayase-san grabbed one piece of gyoza with her chopsticks, put it into the soy sauce, and carried it back to her mouth, only to momentarily pause. However, she quickly continued and stuffed it into her mouth.

    "Mhm, it tastes like soy sauce."

    "Shocking, right?"

    We took back our respective tes and continued to eat in silence. Around the time we finished our dinner, I brought up the topic that I had been thinking about on the way home.

    "So, about our birthdays."

    Ayase-san raised her head.

    "Hm? You mean the presents we''ll give each other?"

    "Yep, I was thinking about a present to get you. Is there anything you want?"

    "Ah, I was gonna ask the same thing."

    So she''s the same, huh? We do really resemble each other when ites to things like this. I doubt either of us would be happy if we received something we wouldn''t enjoy. And that''s exactly why we both wanted to check anything beforehand. That''s why we decided to ask each other instead ofing up with something ourselves.

    "Also, the price. I''d rather not have it be something too expensive."

    "True. You''re trying to save money, after all."

    "So¡­ is there something you''d like, Asamura-kun?"

    A question like that out of the blue isn''t gonna be an easy one to answer. That being said, I knew that saying "Anything would be fine" is absolutely out of the question. It''s like saying "I''m fine with anything" after being asked what you''d like to eat. Instead, I just asked her to give me a bit of time to think about it.

    "How about a neck warmer?"

    "Ah, because of what we were talking about before?"

    On the way home just now, she did mention that I looked cold, especially around my neck. I just said that wearing a scarf would be too dangerous. Following that train of thought, it''s quite likely she had considered giving me a scarf as a present. And since a neck warmer isn''t too expensive, it''d make for a good gift.

    "What about you, Ayase-san? Anything in particr you want?"

    I received an immediate response.

    "Soap I could use for bathing."

    "Soap¡­?"

    I didn''t quite expect that answer. When thinking about presents, I think the majority would want something that symbolizes or shapes the love someone has for you.

    "I mean, even if I receive something that''ll stay with me every year, I''ll end up wearing presents all over my body at some point, and if the presents end up broken or ruined, I''ll be forced to throw away something that was one precious to me. If that''s the case, I''d rather get something that can be used up from the start."

    That train of thought is very much like Ayase-san. At first nce, it might seem cold and distant, but if you flip it around, it makes it sound like Ayase-san is giving her opinion under the premise that our rtionship and exchanging presents will continue for years toe. It''s not gonna be over after just one birthday. She speaks this way because I''m someone she''ll keep exchanging presents with¡­

    "Got it. Then, your present this year will be soap."

    Ayase-san understood what I meant by that statement and showed me a happy smile.

 Chapter 69 - 2

    <h4>Chapter 69: Chapter 2</h4>

    December 11th (Friday) ¨C Ayase Saki

    The shortened homeroom ended with the teacher stepping out of the ssroom, and the tense atmosphere abruptly rxed. My ssmates began discussing their Christmas ns prematurely, and I busied myself checking through the answer sheet I had just received. I had scored a total of 815 points, which is a pretty satisfactory result.

    "Sakiii! Your face tells me you''ve scored quite well in the examination, Sire!" Maaya jogged over toward my desk.

    "Sire¡­? Were you watching another historical anime again?"

    "I am who they call the Failing Grade Samurai."

    "I can already see you getting mown down during your first encounter."

    "Maybe ronin would sound cooler?"

    "Both are fine. Both will get you sliced immediately. Also, can we stop with the whole samurai stuff already?"

    "Hmph, then we can just go with¡­ Erm¡­"

    "Again, I don''t care either way."

    She seemed oddly fixated on this whole historical act, but as I personally couldn''t be bothered, so I just ignored it and moved on.

    "You''re as cold as ever, Saki! We''re almost halfway through December, so can''t you at least warm up a bit during this season? Then I''d stick to you like a moth to amp! I wanna see a warm and puffy Saki-tan!"

    "Can you not treat me like a stove? So, how did you fare?"

    I was talking about her exam results, of course.

    "801! No yakuza, no oaths, and no identification! That''s all I''m gonna say1!"

    "What does that even mean?"

    "Since you''re such an innocent li''l Saki, you get a candy!"

    "Sure, sure."

    Maaya took out non-existent candy and ced it into the hand I offered her.

    "You''ve gotten a lot better at ying along with other people''s jokes! I guess I''ve gotta thank Asamura-kun for that."

    "Why''d you suddenly bring him up out of nowhere?"

    Maaya didn''t respond. She simply grinned at me. I realized toote that I had been baited. But no matter what I say now, I fear she''ll just make fun of me again, so I just sealed my lips tightly and dealt with the shame.

    "And how about you?" Maaya asked.

    "I got 815 points."

    "Ohh! No wonder you made such a victorious grin! That''s amazing."

    "I wasn''t making that sort of¡ª"

    ¡­Or was I? I may have had that kind of face. I feel like I did. I could tell that my cheeks were loose enough to move on their own. And I think I sounded pretty excited, too. And as if to answer my thoughts, the people around us grew noisier, too. They were saying things like "The air around Ayase-san is different from usual¡­" and "That''s the first time I''ve seen her smile," and so on. You''re joking, right? I must have smiled before today, right?

    "Why are they all acting like they''re seeing a rare animal at the zoo?"

    "I mean, that attitude of yours is on par with a metal slime when ites to rarity."

    "Can you stop using examples I don''t understand¡­?"

    "I''m saying that you usually act like THE cool beauty. But it''s not something as cool as that, and more like you''re simply insensitive and you don''t care if people like you or not. Even though you''re super sensitive when ites to what other people think of you."

    Maaya''s words may have sounded like harsh stabs where it hurt, but she''s not wrong. I personally was just surprised to hear this much positivitying from my ssmates.

    "A 14-point difference, huh? Almost there¡­ I''m definitely not gonna lose next time!"

    "Yeah, yeah."

    "Kaaaaah! Your shit-eating grin is even more annoying just because you won against me once!"

    "I''m not grinning, okay?"

    "So, Saki."

    What is it now?

    "Your birthday''sing up, right?"

    "Ah, yeah. So?"

    Her expression of frustration and defeat vanished in an instant and she seemed oddly excited when she asked me that. It''s honestly tough keeping up with her at times, considering how quickly and how often she changes the subject.

    "I wanna give you a present! But I dunno what you''d want!"

    "You don''t have to give me anything."

    "But I will! I definitely will! I so so will! I wanna because I wanna!"

    "Right."

    "Actually, isn''t Asamura-kun''s birthday soon, too? You said it''s pretty close to yours."

    "His birthday is one week before mine."

    "He?!"

    "That''s just a third person pronoun. Calm down."

    There was absolutely no deeper meaning to that, geez.

    "Huh? But if that''s the case¡­"

    "On the 13th."

    "That''s the day after tomorrow! Aww, man! Why didn''t you tell me?!"

    "Huh¡­? I mean¡­sorry?"

    "So you both have it on a school-free day? And I can''t exactly invite someone else''s boyfriend on a Sunday to give them a present¡­"

    "Again, he''s not¡ª"

    "So if he''s just your brother, can I ask him out somewhere?"

    "¡­No."

    She kept grinning at me, but I decided to give noment on the reason. I''d rather just have her think that I''m a brocon.

    "Then you''ll just have to give him my present instead."

    I''m sure Asamura-kun would be fine not getting a present. But Maaya''s the type of person who''s super bothered by that sort of thing. And it''s not rted to the fact that she''s friends with his step-sister. This is just the way she ticks. And since I knew that, I can''t just refuse her offer.

    "If you''re looking for a present for Asamura-kun, I think anything chill is fine. Either way, we''re gonna hold both our birthday parties on the 24th along with our parents."

    "So you''ll be together with your brother for Christmas!"

    "Are you still going on about that?"

    "Guess I can''t get between the two of you, then. What a shame. I was hoping we could meet up on Christmas."

    "I''m fine like this, okay? And don''t you already have a party nned with everyone?"

    "Huh? Oh, I''ve got some other stuff to do that day¡ª"

    Oh, really? I guess that''s not a thing, then.

    "Well, you know! Even if I threw a party like that, it''d be crawling with couples! I don''t wanna spend my Christmas like that! Haha!"

    ¡­Hm?

    "Really?"

    "Yep, yep! Since we''re in high school now, it''s not weird for people to have those types of rtionships here and there, right?"

    ¡­What was that pause about? Maybe Maaya''s already got some kind of special rtionship with a special someone? I don''t think she''d tell me, at least¡­ Would she?

    "Those types of rtionships¡­"

    "Are you interested by any chance?" Maaya asked as she shoved her face close to mine, which caused me to frantically shake my head.

    "Welp, it''s still a bit too early for you, Sakhi."

    "Why are you acting like a senior now?"

    She shed another grin, which almost caused me to burst out with a bewildered "No way!" but I know her. This is a leading question. Or rather, a leading expression. She''s not leading me anywhere, but that face alone almost caused me to slip up. Narasaka Maaya really is a dangerous individual. She manages to carry secrets herself while easily digging up those of others. And my thought process is weird today. Knowing Maaya, I figured she''d tell me if she had someone like that. And if she doesn''t, then that means it''s actually pretty normal to keep that sort of rtionship a secret. Plus, I don''t even know if Maaya is going out with someone or not.

    The stressful time at work ended in a heartbeat. Yomiuri-san didn''te to work today, which is pretty rare. Thanks to that, we were ten times busier than usual. We were practically leashed to the cash register, not even able to check on anything inside the actual store. When I looked up, I saw the various lights covering the trees standing at the side of the road. The seasonal musicing from the stores was almost drowned out by the employees dering ongoing sales. It really makes you realize that Christmas is right around the corner.

    As Asamura-kun walked next to me, he kept his bike closer to the road, slowly pushing it along as he matched my pace. Lately, we''ve been walking home together like this when we finish work. But his hands holding the handlebar looked awfully cold. I asked him why he wasn''t wearing gloves, and he responded that it made him feel like his hands would slip from the handlebars. He spoke about it in terms of safety, but he also mentioned that he might have to wear a helmet and gloves eventually because of school regtions.

    "Then you definitely need some," I said with a bit of bewilderment, and in response he said he''d look into it.

    "You''re not wearing a scarf, either. Aren''t you cold?"

    Naturally, one reason I had asked this was because his neck looked as cold as his hands, but I was more curious if he actually owned a scarf or not. After all, a scarf would make a perfect present for a birthday. However, Asamura-kun exined that wearing a scarf while riding would be even more dangerous. I guess he''s right. But even so, I couldn''t let his hands stay freezing like that, so I opted to ce my hand on top of his. It didn''t do much since I was wearing gloves, but it should at least protect his hand from the cold breeze.

    Shortly after that, we entered a small side alley, away from the main street. The number of lights around us grew fewer, with barely anyone walking past us anymore. That''s probably why I had managed to pull this off. It''s all thanks to nobody looking at us. Even though I was just cing my hand on his, my heart started pounding like crazy. I was worried that he might feel my pulse on his hand, but at the same time, I was hoping for that to happen.

    "How did you do on your exams?" Asamura-kun suddenly spoke up, which caused my heart to almost leap out of my chest.

    "Ah, um, I got 815 points."

    "You''re getting better and better, huh?"

    So he said, but his score was 819 points. I know it''s not that big of a difference, and we weren''tpeting or anything, but the first words that left my mouth were¡ª

    "I lost again¡­"

    Why is it that I don''t want to lose against Asamura-kun when ites to scores? My ownpetitive spirit surprised me. I must have sounded fairly disappointed and frustrated, because Asamura-kun, nice as he is, began saying that this difference was just because he attends prep school, and he even praised me foring this far in modern literature after receiving a failing grade months ago. He even said I''d easily pass him if I attended a prep school myself.

    "I have no ns of going there."

    "Well, it costs a lot, so I understand."

    That''s one part of it. But the bigger reason why I won''t take him up on his suggestion is that I can''t show my own weakness to others. I''m scared of just relying on others unconditionally. And I haven''t learned the skill of actually doing that, either.

    "If you ever change your mind, just let me know. I''ll help you get prepared for everything."

    But since Asamura-kun was so supportive, I started to feel regrets. Money and my disposition are one thing, but the biggest reason why I''d rather not attend his prep school is apletely different one¡ªI''m worried that I won''t focus on sses and will just stare at Asamura-kun the entire time. Of course, there''s no way I could tell him that. I''d die of embarrassment.

    Our t came into view, which allowed my head to finally return to regr working mode. More specifically, I started pondering what to make for dinner. Asamura-kun and I both came home at the same time, after all. And because of our shift, I had no time toe home earlier to prepare anything. The only thing we have that I could get ready quickly is¡­

    Or so I was thinking, but when we entered the apartment, we were immediately greeted by a stic bag standing on the table in the living room. It turned out to be food that my stepdad had bought. Some vegetables, sweet-and-sour pork, gyoza, and pepper steak. I could feel my cheeks rxing. What an insightful act. I don''t know if Mom asked him to do this, but knowing Asamura-kun''s father, he may have very welle up with the idea himself. I prepared everything on the tes as Asamura-kun got the rice and soup ready. Then we ate.

    Right after that, we realized that we used different sauces for our gyoza. We exchanged them so we could both have a taste of the other person''s, but as I thought, I still don''t really like soy sauce too much. I think he also eats his fried eggs with soy sauce, right?

    Oh yeah, something caused me to hesitate then. It was when I borrowed his sauce. It made me think "Wait, isn''t this¡­?" but I quickly took a bite anyway. Getting flustered over an indirect kiss? And this is even more indirect than just regrly indirect¡­ and I''m still conscious of it? What am I, a grade school kid?

    In the end, we both continued to eat in silence. Just when I felt like I couldn''t bear the silence any longer, Asamura-kun brought up the subject of birthday presents. This made me happy, so I responded in turn. When I said that I didn''t need a special gift or anything thoughtful, Asamura-kun gave me a dubious look. But if this rtionship isn''t going to end someday, then we still have the memories we created together. If we can obtain new precious memories each and every year, then I think that''s enough of a present to have. After all, these memories shine much more brightly than anything of physical value.

    The reason I came to think this way is probably because of my father. He was always obsessed with mary or physical value. When I was still young¡­ When he was still kind to me, Mom and I gave him presents pretty often. And when hispany started moving into an office building for their employees, he got engrossed with this kind of value. After a while, he began saying stuff like "You live thanks to what I''ve bought, yet you stillin?" He was tied down by mary value. That''s why I''d rather not get anything like that.

    But that''s only half of it. The other half is because I remember the moment I saw Mom''s back when my father left us. Her back was quivering as her shoulders were hanging low, but when she turned around to hug me, she showed no tears. She didn''t want me to worry. But even so, I could feel her grief. I still can''t fully believe that this emotion I feel, and that this rtionship we share, willst forever. And if there is ever a day when it alles crashing down, then I''ll just feel more pain at looking at all the mementos I have. That''s why I don''t want any presents like that.

    ¡­It''s very much like me to think about the pain of losing something before even receiving anything.

    ©¤©¤©¤

    1In the original, it''s "Yama mo ochi mo imi mo nai," and if you take the initial character from yama, ochi, and imi, you get yaoi (BL).

 Chapter 70 - 3

    <h4>Chapter 70: Chapter 3</h4>

    December 13th (Sunday) ¨C Asamura Yuuta

    Saturday passed without anything major happening. The following Sunday marked my birthday, but as the world''s most average high school student, I wasn''t celebrated with singing birds or fanfare when I opened the front door. Instead, I attended the morning sses at my prep school like always. After the first lecture ended, we had a brief break.

    I figured I might as well grab a coffee, so I headed to the break area with the vending machines. Down the hallway and taking a turn, I arrived at an area about one-third the size of a regr ssroom, which hadrge tables that seated six, the size you''d see in a school cafeteria, plus several folding stic chairs to sit on. After I bought a cup of coffee with milk and no sugar, I blew a few times on the steaming brownish liquid and looked for an open seat. That''s when I spotted a familiar girl¡ªFujinami Maho.

    One seat was open in front of her. Our eyes met as she raised her head, and I sat down.

    "Good morning." She greeted me with a faint mumble.

    "Morning. What''s up? Catch a cold?"

    More than her height, the white mask she was wearing stood out most right now.

    "I wouldn''t havee to attend sses if I had a cold. I''m just protecting myself. The air during these winter days is so dry, it makes it easier to catch colds and other infections."

    "Ah, makes sense."

    "Grandma always told me to wear a mask whenever it''s cold outside."

    I just nodded in silence. This "Grandma" she spoke of was actually the person looking after her right now. After Fujinami''s parents died and some trouble brewed up with her rtives, she was taken in by this person, who is now caring for her.

    "Well, even this mask isn''t going to protect me from the cold wave."

    "Even so, it''s better to be protected than absolutely defenseless. When I was young, I had this period where I would constantly wash my hands like a maniac."

    "Only when you were young?"

    "I caught a cold right before my birthday, so I couldn''t eat my birthday cake. So I swore to myself that I wouldn''t catch a cold the next year."

    "Ah, so your birthday is during the winter season? Is it close?"

    "Actually, it''s today." I shrugged while responding.

    "Is that so?" Fujinami stood up and headed to the vending machine without saying a thing.

    She took out some change from her pocket and bought a can of hot corn potage. I was busy wondering if she''d gotten hungry when she returned to her seat and ced the can in front of me.

    "Here''s your birthday present. Though it might be a bit heavy to have with your coffee."

    "Huh¡­?"

    "Also, it''s nothing much."

    "Ah, no, it''s fine. Just¡­"

    I didn''t expect her to give me anything, so that surprised me¡ªquite a bit, actually.

    "Thanks."

    "No problem. It''s nothing expensive, so you don''t need to thank me. Plus, I think you''ll get the real present from your girlfriendter."

    I shed a wry smile.

    "Anyway, if you''d excuse me." Fujinami turned her back toward me, and I sent her off with a slight bow as I grabbed the can.

    She said it wasn''t anything special, but I was pretty happy to have somebody celebrate my birthday.

    I had another shift in the evening. I got to the bookstore about twenty minutes before I had to work, so I figured I might as well check the state of the shop today, walking around the ce with my sports bag on my shoulder. It looked like we''d have a good number of customers again today. While I was busy counting the magazine copies we had on the disy, I felt someone poking my back.

    "Yo, Junior-kun."

    Turning around, I was greeted by the sight of Yomiuri-senpai, her ck hair as long and glossy as ever.

    "Ah, yes. Hello."

    "How fare thee?"

    "¡­What?"

    What did she say?

    "''How fare thee'' means¡ª"

    "I get it, I get it. It''s basically ''How are you?'', right?"

    I think people would say that at the beginning of a letter or something like that.

    "Exactly! I''m surprised you know."

    "Well¡­ this is the first time I''ve been greeted like that, though. More importantly, are you feeling better already?"

    We moved away from the main area so that we wouldn''t get in the way of the customers. Before she answered my question, however, she pointed toward the office in the back and started making her way toward it. She probably didn''t want to bother the customers. I nodded and tagged along.

    "I''m back to 100%, yep. But I swear it feels like it''s been such a long time. So you were worried about me, huh?"

    "Well, yeah. I''m d you''re feeling better."

    "I was actually pretty much back to full health two days ago, but everyone from work said to make sure and take one more day off."

    "Was it a cold?"

    "Yeah. My throat was killing me and I had a fever of more than 39¡ã Celsius."

    "That must have been hard on you."

    "T''was, t''was. Apuse, apuse, like I was pping my hands at a shrine!"

    As always, her statements had a bit of an old man vibe to them¡­ which means she''s back to normal. A wless recovery, I dare say. Either way, we continued our conversation until we reached the office. We did knock, but nobody was present after we entered.

    "I was actually trying to be careful, you know? I guess the endurance karaoke from a week ago is what dealt me the final blow. But I couldn''t help it, we got all the people from high school together."

    "So it was like a ss reunion?"

    "Two of my former club colleagues are getting married next month."

    "Huh?!" I couldn''t hold back my surprise.

    "Mao-chan of all people, too. She said she''d probably be thest one, and yet she''s got so much of a head start. They apparently promised to do it after they graduated from their technical school, but she was angry since it took half a year longer than nned."

    "Ah, right¡­ Um, congrattions?"

    "I''m not the one who''s getting married, you know."

    "I know, but¡­"

    I seriously didn''t know how to even respond to that. Then again, if they were ssmates of Yomiuri-senpai, then they''re proper adults, and there is nothing that is "too fast" in modern society.

    "She was having a major case of marriage blues, though. So we all went out for karaoke to hear out all her grumbling andints. Yep. You''d best be careful, Junior-kun."

    "Right¡­?"

    Since all that sounded like it was from an entirely different world, I couldn''t exactlyprehend how and what I should even be careful of. Seriously. I''m drawing a nk here.

    "When two absolute strangers engage in a social partnership contract, they''ve got a lot of friction and strife awaiting them."

    "Is that so?"

    "That''s how marriages often work. You''re experiencing Romeo and Juliet at its finest, Junior-kun."

    "The encounter of two people who couldn''t be more different?"

    "You''ve got the Capulet Family who belong to the sauce faction when ites to fried eggs, and then there''s the salt and pepper faction headed by the Montague Family. The rift between these two is insurmountable."

    "I feel like Shakespeare is turning over in his grave right about now."

    "A difference in values gives birth to strife, leading to tragedy. How sorrowful t''is. By the way, what faction do you belong to, Junior-kun?"

    "Fried eggs? I prefer soy sauce."

    "A third faction rises from the ashes! Personally, I''m all for ketchup. What if the soy sauce family speaks against our marriage? Oh, Romeo, why must thou be a soy sauce worshiper? Please, let us cast aside our seasonings! Actually, let''s just give up on the whole marriage thing."

    "The only thing Ipletely understand is that I''m absolutely lost as to what you''re trying to tell me, so I give up. Anyway, what is it you wanted to talk about?"

    "Oh, yeah. Junior-kun, today''s your birthday, right?" Yomiuri-senpai said as she ced a paper bag on the desk.

    "Yes. Well¡­ I''m surprised you knew."

    "Saki-chan told me. Hers is next week, isn''t it?"

    "Correct."

    "She''ll get her presentter. But this is for you." She said and took out another smaller stic bag.

    Judging by the shape, I figured there were books inside. Since she nodded while handing it to me, I figured it''d be fine to open it up.

    "Whoa¡­ These are¡­"

    So many ssic books. She probably bought them at a second-hand or antique bookstore. I spotted to''s "The Apology of Socrates," Descartes'' "Discourse on the method," Camus'' "The Myth of Sisyphus," Kant''s "Critique of Pure Reason" and even Nietzsche''s "Thus Spoke Zarathustra."

    "This¡­ is quite the collection."

    "All handpicked by Judge Yomirui Shiori, my rmended set of philosophy must-reads. Though they don''t have any particr order or organization to them, and some arepletely unrted."

    "That''s still plenty. I would have had trouble getting my hands on all of these since I''m just a high school student. And I''ve been holding back on buying them in case they''re too hard for me to read. I did look through them in the library, though."

    "I was really wondering if I should give you a sex toy as a present instead, but I was worried that I''d get in legal trouble for giving that to a minor, so I went with something a bit more orthodox."

    "I''m d you chose the philosophy book set."

    "I''m sorry it turned out to be such a boring present." She apologized with a serious expression, which made the whole adult toy thing seem like she was actually being serious and not just pulling my leg.

    These kinds of thoughts make it even more likely that I''ll catch a cold because it causes my body temperature to skyrocket.

    "Anyway, thank you very much."

    Just as with Fujinami-san''s can of potage, I felt genuinely happy about a surprise present. I always thought it''d be better to be clear about what you would like as a present, but getting something unexpected like this doesn''t feel so bad. Since she gave me a lot of older books and ssics, it''s probably gonna take me a lot of perseverance to read through them. Even so, a bookworm like me would never reject getting a book as a present. And they''d offer me a lot of reading time in return, too.

    Once my shift was over and I returned home, Akiko-san had already left for her work at the bar, but my old man was still awake. I guess he was waiting with Ayase-san for me toe back home. Maybe it was because it was Sunday and she had more time, or maybe because it was my birthday, but it seemed like the dinner Ayase-san made was quite a bit more luxurious and feastful for the eyes. There was roast beef as the main course with sd and potato potage. As we sat down at the table, my old man said "Phew, you went all out today, huh?" and nodded to himself.

    "Oh, right. It''s your birthday today, Yuuta."

    "You remembered?" I spoke with a surprised tone of voice. I was actually not expecting my old man to remember.

    "Of course I would!" He gave me a sour look.

    "Since we said we''d celebrate both mine and Ayase-san''s birthdays on Christmas, I figured you''d forgotten the actual date."

    "Well, Saki-chan''s extravagant dinner gave me a bit of a hint, I guess."

    "So you did forget?"

    "Hahaha."

    "Don''t expect thatughing will cause me to forgive you."

    He tends to do that when trying to avert the me. Then again, I wasn''t angry either. This is just another casual exchange we tend to have.

    "Now, now." Ayase-san chimed in with a wry smile and started passing out rice bowls filled with steaming rice.

    She then set down three pairs of chopsticks, poured tea into our teacups, and filled the table with tes. Wiping down the table was my old man''s duty. As it turns out, Akiko-san and Ayase-san had always split up their work when it came to routines like this, but both my old man and I were never the type to wipe the table before dinner. We figured it''d make more sense to do that after it got dirty.

    That being said, Akiko-san working as a bartender made her quite peculiar when it came to cleanliness and tables. As you''d expect, Ayase-san was influenced by her. And now it''s our turn to be influenced by Ayase-san.

    "Time to dig in."

    We all spoke in unison and started eating. After chewing on the roasted beef once or twice, my old man opened his mouth and said "It''s delicious!" with great gusto.

    "Your cooking is wonderful, Saki-chan."

    "Didn''t you say the same thing yesterday?" I said.

    "I''ll say it again and again. That''s just how delicious it is!"

    Is this what you call being an overly-doting parent? Then again, Ayase-san just yed it off with a slightly bashful "This isn''t much," and exined that she made it with a rice cooker.

    "¡­You can do that?"

    "Yep. Even pudding and pancakes. Rice cookers nowadays have so many different possibilities. It''s great."

    "I had no idea."

    I''d only ever used them to cook rice. I didn''t think you''d have such arge range of options with a simple rice cooker. The roasted beef was evenly warmed, with a beautiful pink color on the inside. It wasn''t too hard to chew, either. Instead it filled my mouth with its juices at every bite. Combine that with its sweet sauce and rice that tastes like onions and soy sauce¡ª

    "I could eat this forever," I said.

    "Thanks. I''m d my efforts paid off." Ayase-san smiled happily.

    As I thought, she made it because it was my birthday today. Just that realization alone caused me to feel itchy with happiness. Lost in thought, I realized that I''d stopped eating, so I frantically munched up thest bit of rice.

    "I''ll grab myself some seconds."

    In order to hide my embarrassment, I opted to stand up and went back to the rice cooker. After we finished eating, my old man went to prepare the bath, and Ayase-san and I were working on cleaning the dishes when she whispered into my ear.

    "Come to my roomter, okay?"

    My heart jumped. Ayase-san looked at me and simply moved her mouth¡ªAnd that movement formed the word Present. I could easily read what she meant to say, even without being an expert at it.

    Once my old man entered the bath, I went to Ayase-san''s room and knocked on her door. After receiving permission to enter, I snuck inside. Ayase-san had been waiting for me.

    "So¡­ this here is from Maaya."

    "From Narasaka-san¡­? Wait, is this a present for me?"

    Ayase-san nodded. This was my fourth surprise today. Maru, Fujinami-san, Yomiuri-senpai, and even Narasaka-san had prepared a birthday present for me. I would have never imagined that.

    "Let''s start with Maaya''s present." She handed me a book wrapped in paper.

    Three out of four people gave me books as a present¡­

    "¡­Do I really look like that much of a bookworm?"

    "Wait, you aren''t?" Ayase-san''s genuine surprise made me feel conflicted.

    What surprised me even more was the book that greeted me when I removed the wrapping paper. The cover read "The Seven Rules To Follow That Will Make You Seed in Love." And something was stuck between the pages, almost falling out. It turned out to be a card that said HAPPY BIRTHDAY, along with a short written message that read ''This''ll help you to capture Saki''s heart, honey~''. I think my expression was distorted in disbelief for a bit, because Ayase-san sounded worried.

    "What''s wrong? Is it not good?"

    "No, no, it''s perfect. Don''t worry."

    I closed the book and wrapped it up again in the paper. What in the world is she thinking? I''ll just pretend I didn''t see that.

    "And this here is from me."

    She handed me her own present, wrapped neatly with paper of a bright red color. Upon opening it up, I was greeted by the neck warmer I had expected. It felt pleasant to the touch, like it was made of quality material. She probably had chosen a bright color for it so I''d stand out when pedaling the streets at night on my bike. I did know what I would be getting beforehand, but I still felt happy even without the surprise.

    "Happy birthday."

    "Thank you."

    "Though you''ll get a cake with candles on Christmas."

    "Yeah, I figured. But the same goes for you, Ayase-san. Let''s all celebrate together as a family."

    "Yep."

    In one week, I''ll be the one giving Ayase-san her present. And since it''s another Sunday¡ªOh, right. I realized something odd about this whole thing. Namely, the thing about handing out presents in secret¡­

    "Since we''re siblings, it''d be fine if we just give each other our presents with other people around, no?"

    "It''s really hard to figure out where to draw the line¡­ But I''d prefer it if there weren''t too many eyes around," Ayase-san said, which caused me to start thinking again.

    "Maybe we could take an earlier shift and then eat out somewhere together?"

    "Wha¡­ Eating out?" Ayase-san raised one eyebrow and then looked at me. "But it''s just once a year¡­ And my birthday, so¡­"

    "I''ll look for a store, then."

    "Yep, let''s do that."

    We heard my old man yelling "The bath''s free!" which caused both of us to jump in surprise, but he immediately went into his bedroom. We decided to discuss the details over LINE, and I left Ayase-san''s room.

 Chapter 71 - 4

    <h4>Chapter 71: Chapter 4</h4>

    December 13th (Sunday) ¨C Ayase Saki

    The hands on the clock next to my pillow were moving towards midnight. I finished all my studying for tomorrow, finished my bath, and as if she had waited for that exact time, a message from Maaya came in. After putting her brothers to bed, getting her own studies done, and watching the currently-airingte-night anime, she texts me during this time pretty often. For crying out loud¡­ I turned on speaker mode and answered Maaya''s call.

    ''Sakiii, did you give Asamura-kun my present?''

    That''s the first thing she asks me?

    "I did."

    ''Oh! And how did it go?''

    "I''m not sure. He had a weird look on his face, though I don''t know why."

    ''I see, I see¡­ Good, good. Hee, hee.''

    ¡­Something about this is making me feel extremely suspicious.

    "You gave him a book, right?"

    Judging by the shape and weight, I don''t think I''m wrong, at least¡­

    ''Yep, yep! Asamura-oniichan loves books, after all!''

    Why''d she suddenly change her tone when saying that? And why did it sound like she was grinning to herself? Actually, Asamura-kun is my brother, and not Maaya''s. And yet whenever it''s just the two of us talking together, she''ll start calling him ''Onii-chan'' and such. Maybe it''s because of that, but I''m starting to feel like they''re actually siblings, and I''m just a friend.

    "It was just a book¡­right?"

    ''Of course, of course. Not to mention a book that should definitely help a youngd like him through the many problems that life may throw his way!''

    Sounds fishy. I should investigate that.

    "Really? That sounds interesting. I should borrow it from him after he''s done with it."

    ''You can''t! You hear me?!''

    She didn''t even waste a single second, not even a microsecond to immediately tell me off¡­ Yep, I''ve gotta ask him about it tomorrow.

    ''But anyway, what did you give him?''

    I sighed in disbelief at how nonchntly my friend could change the subject and responded.

    "A neck warmer."

    We discussed it beforehand and decided on presents for the other person. I''d consider that to be a suitable method. It''d be such a waste to give the other person something they wouldn''t like. However, Maaya didn''t seem to feel that way.

    "Whaaat?! No waaay!"

    Since the call was on speaker mode, I was thinking I''d be able to handle the volume a bit better, but her voice still reverberated inside my brain.

    "Wh-What''s that reaction for?"

    And since she seemed so shocked, even I found myself bing worried.

    ''That''s so boring! It''s got no personality to it!''

    "You''re exaggerating. It''s perfectly normal."

    ''That''s not the problem! Sasaki no Jou!''

    "I thought you called me ''Sasakinosuke'' earlier¡­"

    ''How about Sasakigorou?''

    "No thanks."

    ''Anyway, forget about that! Don''t try to change the subject!''

    Wasn''t she the one who did that not even a minute ago?

    ''A surprise is the true spice of a present! Don''t you know that?!''

    She seemed oddly displeased. Also, why is a surprise what''s important, of all things? I think that giving the other party a surprise present has pretty much zero chance of being beneficial for the other person. It''s basically like you''re both strangers. Isn''t it much more respectable to be aware of the other person''s preferences? However, Maaya didn''t seem to particrly enjoy my response. She''s trying to tell me that the joy of a surprise improves the other party''s mood or something along the lines of that.

    ''The argument of usefulness is something you talk about on the daily instead!''

    "What do you mean?"

    ''Things you need and want are things you should be telling each other at any given moment! Why did you give him something boring for a special event like this?!''

    "Because this is a special event?"

    ''If you just give him what he expects, he''ll never remember it. The surprise is what makes the present and event memorable! The idea is to betray their expectations and get their hearts really racing, you hear me?!''

    "R-Right¡­I guess?"

    As expected, Maaya''s example was extreme. But since she always talks about anime, games, or manga, I can''t follow her at all. Instead, it makes me assume she may just be making stuff up. I mean, if I followed her advice, then I''d just feel restless, not knowing if the other person liked the present or not. And at some point, I''d probably just ask. I wouldn''t want them to hate my present, after all.

    ¡­The importance of a surprise, huh? I mean, if Maaya is that adamant about it, then maybe I should actually give it some thought. But since it''s already toote now, I shouldn''t stress over it too much. Because even if it is that important, I can just try again next year. And I should ask him if he likes surprises or not.

    However, Maaya wasn''t done yet. She gave me a long oration about surprises and what makes them great. As my eyelids grew heavier, we both just stopped talking and ended up ending the call. I rolled around on my bed, feeling the urge to hug my pillow.

    If a surprise really is that important, then I wish she''d told me sooner.

 Chapter 72 - 5

    <h4>Chapter 72: Chapter 5</h4>

    December 19th (Saturday) ¨C Asamura Yuuta

    The digital clock next to my pillow said it was 6:30 am. Even the slightest move allowed a cold breeze to enter beneath my nket, making me shiver in terror. Outside the window, I could see nothing but darkness. Since we''re close to the winter solstice, it will probably be another 15 minutes before the sun starts to rise. By the way, winter solstice refers to the day the sun is at its lowest when reaching the deep south. Its face appears for a brief time at the east and sinks back down again like it''s ying hide and seek. Thanks to that, the nights are much longer and the sunrises far away, especially here in Japan.

    "And I hate getting up when it''s still dark outside." I pulled the nket over my head and once again thought about my ns for the day.

    Tomorrow, it''ll be one week since my birthday. In other words, it''s Ayase-san''s turn. And the present she wanted was "Soap I can use in the bath." When I did a quick search online, I found a special store in my local Shibuya area that focuses on bath goods in particr. That''s where I decided to buy the soap. Because my ns were packed with prep school and part-time work, I didn''t have any time to go shopping before today. Since the bath goods store is close to the prep school, I''ll be using the time between my lectures to buy it.

    In my mind, I came up with a detailed schedule. And while I was pondering that, a certain thought that had been on my mind asked for attention. After receiving unexpected presents from Fujinami-san and Yomiuri-senpai, and realizing the joy of experiencing a surprise like that, I''m starting to feel like I want to give Ayase-san a bit of a surprise, too. After all, a surprise is the best spice when ites to love¡ªor so it said in "The Seven Rules To Follow That Will Make You Seed in Love," the book Narasaka-san gave to me. Though I still don''t know if I should believe anything it says in there or not.

    Of course, I don''t want to be bothersome to her, like some kind of prank. It should be something that''ll catch her by surprise but make her feel happy in return. For example, add an extra ingredient on top of the initial present. Since I didn''t have to get up early, I was spending a much longer time rolling around in my bed than normal when suddenly my rm rang. Out of shock, I threw the nket up into the air. When I looked outside, it had already be bright.

    I changed out of my pajamas and headed into the living room, where I ran into my old man, who had no work today, and Akiko-san sitting on the sofa. Since she had just gotten home from work, she''ll probably head to bed soon.

    "Saki already finished her breakfast and went back to her room."

    Akiko-san was about to stand up, but I told her I''d be fine and made her sit down again. I could see my breakfast already on the table. The rice is in the cooker, and the miso soup is probably inside the pot. I warmed up the miso soup and served myself some rice. For the main entr¨¦e this morning, we''ve got salmon muni¨¨re, and when I pulled off the aluminum foil, I was greeted by still-lukewarm pink flesh. When I reached for the soy sauce, I remembered my conversation with Ayase-san when we ate gyoza together. I decided to instead try the fish without adding anything else and stuffed it into my mouth¡ªMhm, sweet.

    That was the first impression I got. And it wasn''t just the sweetness from the butter. The lemon atop the muni¨¨re seasoned with salt and pepper had strong enough of a vor for me to be able to pick up on it independently. Maybe she held back on the seasoning a bit? Tasting fish like this felt like a new world had opened up in front of me. I was just so used to my own preferences. And the fact that it actually tastes good made me feel oddly frustrated.

    It seemed like keeping the salt & pepper seasonings to a minimum was standard for the Ayase Family, so if I want any more than that, I should go to the seasoning rack in the kitchen and grab what I want. This is just another way of adjusting to each other. We didn''t want to force the preferences of our families on each other. I grabbed my beloved soy sauce from the seasoning rack. I poured a bit on a small te and tried my second bite with that instead. It tasted the same as ever, and it was delicious.

    "Hmm¡­ So this just means¡­"

    ¡­I''m a fan of soy sauce? I feel like I just went through some kind of psychology test that guesses my personality based on my food preferences.

    "...ta."

    My thoughts went back and forth, round and round, when a voice brought me back to reality. It came from my old man. I looked away from my food and over at him.

    "Sorry, did you call me?"

    "Sure did. Were you lost in thought?"

    "Well¡­ A bit, yeah. Anyway, what''s up?"

    I rid myself of my food philosophy thoughts. It''d be rude for me to ignore him, after all.

    "We''re gonna go see my parents this year. Are you okay with that?"

    "I''m¡­ fine."

    I reflexively looked over at Akiko-san, but she just smiled at me.

    "I''ve already told Saki about this. You''re thest one, Yuuta-kun. Do you have any ns by any chance?"

    "No, I''m fine." I panicked a bit and nodded.

    My old man''s family lives in Nagano. He apparently went to a university in Tokyo, which is why he moved up here. And he stayed here after graduation. Our family in Nagano has the tradition of meeting up every year for New Year''s, and I''ve participated in these events many times over. When I was in grade school, my real mother also tagged along for them. However, I don''t think she ever really opened up to our rtives. On the way home, she keptining about them, and I was forced to listen to her despite havingplicated feelings about it. Since I got along with them quite well, it felt like she was pouring water on my parade.

    "That''s good. Then we can all go together," Akiko-san said with a smile.

    That means Ayase-san is fine with it, too. But that caused me to have another question.

    "What about your family, Akiko-san? Are you fine not visiting them?"

    Personally, I think that the idea of going back to visit your family for New Year''s is a rotten tradition that''s outlived its wee, but I can also understand the desire of wanting to see your children at least once a year. And as for my question, Akiko-san responded with a wry smile.

    "My rtives all love to live freely. They''re not the type of people to gather for an asion like this."

    That being said, she was thinking of visiting them next year for Obon in August. Because of the marriage and everything surrounding it, it would have been too stressful to visit them at the end of the year also.

    "Well, I''ve been working basically every year up to this point, so I''m gonna take it easy for once."

    "And I''ve got five days of vacation starting the 29th."

    Considering that Akiko-san works at a local bar in Shibuya, I feel like that ce would be crowded with people during New Year''s¡­ But it seems that my doubts must have shown on my face.

    "I''m always helping out at work, so I''ve got special time off at least for this year."

    "That''s good."

    My old man''s practically a ve when they entered a busy period, but Akiko-san''s schedule doesn''t seem that much lighter, either. Plus, there''s no guarantee she can just get Saturday and Sunday off, either. That''s why I want her to get some good rest at least over the holidays. However, she''s got a bad habit of looking after family matters during the rare times she doesn''t have to work, and she had already started saying stuff like "I want to let Saki enjoy her break, so I''m going to cook for all the children in her stead and make their favorite food!"

    "If anything, I''m sure that Ayase-san would want her mother to rest up. I''ll dly help with the cooking if need be."

    "Mother¡­"

    "Huh?"

    Oh, did she mishear me? I was actually talking about Ayase-san¡­but the way she seemed so overjoyed, I couldn''t correct her¡ªand I didn''t have to, either¡ªso I just swallowed anyment.

    "I agree with Yuuta. I think you''re allowed to take a break at least during our winter vacation. The children over there aren''t so young that you have to look after them, either. And I know how you keep making smaller dishes on the side all the time."

    "Huh? R-Really?"

    "Of course. The gratin you madest week was delicious."

    "I''ll make some more, then."

    "Thanks." My old man smiled, and Akiko-san did the same.

    Thanks for the treat. I already feel full.

    "Ah, now that I think about it¡­"

    Akiko-san''s words just now sparked another thought in my mind.

    "What kind of food does Ayase-san like?"

    Akiko-san looked at me.

    "You mean her favorite food?"

    "Yes. You just mentioned the children''s favorite food, so I was wondering."

    "Hmmm¡­" Akiko-san put one finger to her lower jaw and started thinking. "When she was younger and I got busy with work, I couldn''t exactly feed her the most luxurious of foods. I think she maybe likes dishes that take a bit longer to prepare, like stuffed cabbage rolls or beef stew."

    I see. So basically boiled stuff.

    "But I think she''d prefer beef stew more if it was from a restaurant."

    "Huh? Really?"

    I didn''t see Ayase-san as the kind of person who would dine out, which is why I couldn''t hide my surprise.

    "We had this restaurant for delicious western food in our neighborhood, and she absolutely loved the beef stew from there."

    "Is that so?"

    "I tried making it at home once."

    Apparently, she couldn''t quite nail the taste. She seemed confused as to why ordinary meat from the supermarket wasn''t good enough.

    "Speaking of food, you two will be eating out beforeing home from work tomorrow, right?"

    "Yes. We''re going to eat together¡­ with the people from our part-time job."

    Ayase-san and I had told our parents that we''d be dining out tomorrow after our shift. We couldn''t exactlye homete without informing either of them, after all. That being said, the fact that we''d be with people from work was a lie. I don''t like deceiving our parents like this, but it was necessary to hide our bigger secret in return. I just hope this doesn''t spiral out of control like typical clich¨¦d TV dramas.

    "And you wanted to know Saki''s favorite food because it''s her birthday?"

    "Well, um¡­ it''s not a birthday party, but I figured I might as well. But please keep the fact that I asked a secret."

    "What a good older brother you are."

    "Haha, this much is normal."

    Exactly, this is perfectly normal. A good older brother would try to make his younger sister''s birthday a bit better. This sort of thing is normal for regr siblings. The two of us dining out shouldn''t be that weird, either. Basically, we''re keeping a tight line in a way that allows us to hide our rtionship behind the fact that we''re siblings. And after finishing my now-cold breakfast, I made my way to prep school as I usually did.

    Once the morning lectures had ended, our fifty-minute break began. If I wanted to buy a present for Ayase-san, it was now or never. I should have enough time to bring it home and be back in time for afternoon sses. With that decided, I quickly packed up my things and left the ssroom. As I walked down the hallway towards the entrance of the building, I happened to run into someone I knew quite well.

    "Oh? Are you already heading home for the day?"

    It was none other than the tall girl Fujinami.

    "I actually have something to do, so I''m heading out during our break¡­"

    "Is that so? Then don''t mind me."

    After a brief conversation, we quickly walked past each other. After leaving the main building, I immediately spotted the grey winter sky above me. The wind blowing through the streets made the power lines vibrate, creating a high-pitched sound. I buttoned up my shirt and sped up a bit. The bath goods store I was heading towards was located in a multi-purpose business building near the Shibuya train station. In fact, that building harbored several of those shops, but after a quick search online, I decided to only check out one due to time constraints. That being said, upon reaching the front of the shop, I wavered a bit.

    It''s really hard to just waltz in there. Maybe it''s because today was a Saturday, but several female customers were inside the store, and there was not a man in sight. I figured that there''d be little to no gap between the two genders when ites to bath goods, but I guess I was painfully mistaken. Not to mention that, although the brown-and-white basic color store itself wasn''t that big to begin with, they offered a wide assortment of goods. Ayase-san had simply said she wants soap she canfortably use during a bath.

    In the end, I made up my mind and stepped inside. I didn''t feel toofortable being surrounded by women in a store like this, but it was all for the sake of Ayase-san''s present¡ªor so I told myself. Still, I wonder where they keep the soap? I started to panic a bit when I found nothing that looked at all familiar to the soap packages I knew.

    "Are you searching for something in particr?"

    Somebody suddenly called out to me, which made my heart jump a beat. When I turned around, I was greeted by a woman wearing an apron and a big smile on her face. She''s probably an employee who works here.

    "Well¡­"

    "Would you like me to help you?"

    She made sure to speak with a nuance that meant she''d only do it if I actually needed it, all to make sure she didn''t put too much pressure on me¡­ She''s a professional. Since I work in a bookstore and deal with customers myself, I can tell. Some customers may have some trouble talking with a random stranger, especially when ites to an employee. And needless to say, I was one such customer.

    "I''m looking for the soap¡­"

    "That would be over here."

    "Ah, thank you very much."

    She immediately moved away after a brief conversation. I guess she realized I wasn''t toofortable talking to employees. At least she didn''t pressure me by telling me her rmendations and whatnot. When thinking of soap, I could only think of rectangr boxes filled with simply-shaped soap, but the bath soap that filled my view right now waspletely different from what I had pictured. Everything in sight was brimming with colors. Some boxes were even translucent, shining brightly like gemstones. Not the in old white soap I had been thinking of.

    It was probably designed this way to allow the customer to see inside. The singr pieces of soap were packed into vinyl packages that were basically see-through, and the seal of the goods for testing was cut open, too. I was curious and picked up a single piece. On thebel, it said "Camomile," which had the same scent as certain herb tea, and thevender soap simrly smelled likevender. There were even scents from foods or other nt-based goods. Considering the price of the neck warmer, I could probably afford two to three of these. But the question is¡­ which ones?

    "Which would match Ayase-san''s preference¡­?"

    As you''d expect, I''m not familiar when ites to scents and fragrances. The same goes for Ayase-san''s taste. However, I can use Maru''s advice today.

    ''For the person you''re interested in, you want to make it obvious that you care for them.''

    It''s important to buy presents with the thought that the person is going to keep them. However, we''re still almost strangers. There''s no way to urately guess the other person''s tastes and interests. That''s why Ayase-san and I had the whole conversation about which presents we''d prefer. That being said, that was basically the bare minimum of information. We have fulfilled a necessary condition for sess, but we haven''t cleared the mission yet.

    I subconsciously touched my cor with my left hand. Around my neck was the neck warmer I had received from Ayase-san about a week ago. I''m sure that, when Ayase-san bought this for me, she wasn''t just going around thinking ''Any neck warmer will do.'' She probably thought about the color, shape, or texture for a long time. And in return, she was thinking about me throughout the entire process. It''s easy to understand if you look at the color. It matched the clothes I usually wore on a day off. Or rather, it was the perfect match for the outfit we had bought thest time we both went out together. The reason it had no particr pattern on it or any crazy fabric was exined by what she told me. That if I''m going to wear it on the regr, in is better than shy.

    And because she had thought about all of this, I can tell how much she cares about me. This being the case, I should do the same when picking out the bath soap. And not just pick out whatever random one looks the best and most stylish. Let me think. What clothes does she usually wear, and what essories? I should probably pick something a bit more reassuring and brilliant. I spotted soap in the shape of a rose but stopped myself when I started reaching for it. The idea of looking stylish is like an armament to Ayase-san, as well as her policy.

    When would she use the body soap? She always takes her bathst. When she''s already done with everything for the next day, when she wants to get rid of all the stress that has built up over the day, and when she just wants to head to bed right after. Would she really need something shy or stylish, considering that? When I looked around, I saw body soap that had images of flower petals engraved into it, but also other pieces of soap that were rather simple.

    After a bit more thinking, I decided to go with the chamomile,vender, and lemongrass soap (all of them herbs that have a rxing effect), as well as a bubble soap pouch that was hanging at the side of the shelf. I thought the pouch would be like a small bag to store the soap, but instead, it was something you use when the soap creates foam¡­ which I found out after reading the manual.

    Once I got everything I wanted, I carried the stuff to the cash register, asking for gift wrap. It turns out the employee serving me was the one who had initially guided me to the soap. Upon hearing my request, she responded with a friendly "Of course." They weren''t using regr Christmas wrapping paper, but rather a special one for gifts¡ªI think¡ªwhich had flower patterns on it. She showed me this and asked if I was okay with it.

    I nodded and she immediately began wrapping, carefully folding it around the small boxes. As I watched her, I remembered how hard it was for me to learn the whole ordeal. And at the same time, I was painfully reminded about how stressful work would be again today as I watched a professional at her work. I didn''t do so verbally, but I still thanked her for doing it beautifully. And once I finished paying, I quickly left the ce behind me.

    My sses at the prep school ended, too, so I made my way to work. I had finished changing into my uniform and entered the office when I realized that quite a lot of my colleagues were present, all part of the same shift as me. I guess we''re pulling out all the stops today. Besides Ayase-san, Yomiuri-senpai, and I, there were three other employees. I guess this is the natural course of events once we get close to Christmas. The store seemed crowded, too. And as expected, we didn''t have much time to talk. Instead, we immediately went to work at the cash register. Once we were finally given a moment to breathe, I waited for a time when it was just Yomiuri-senpai and I in the office.

    "Um, Senpai, can I ask you something?"

    "If we strike a deal. 100 yen for three minutes."

    "¡­I''ll treat you to some canned coffee someday."

    "You really understand me, Junior-kun! So, what''s this about Saki-chan?"

    My heart rate sped up. How did she know?

    "A maturedy like me has no problem seeing right through what a youngd like you is thinking. So out with it, boy. What happened? Wanna know how to rent a room at a hotel? Don''t ya think that''s a bit too soon for y''all? But if yer gonna do it, then go full speed ahead."

    "You''re not getting off the hook for pulling dirty jokes just because you talk like an old geezer with a southern dialect."

    Her brain truly is that of a perverted old man. And I believe we''ve clearly reached the territory of sexual harassment at this point. Wait, no¡­ I''m gonna run out of the three minutes I was given at this rate. Will two cans of coffee get me through this, I wonder¡­

    "I was wondering if you knew any good western restaurants around here that offer beef stew?"

    "Beef stew? Oho, oho, you''ve graduated from being the passive boy, huh? Going in for the big meat now, I see."

    "Can you not misinterpret my statements to an absurd degree?"

    It took a sharp re from me to get Yomiuri-senpai to take my question seriously.

    "Western restaurants, huh? Well, I know a lot. From the expensive ces where Kudou-sensei took me to even smaller establishments that are a bit nicer on your wallet. But do you have any other condition for it other than the fact that they serve beef stew?"

    "Good question¡­ Since I''m still in high school, it shouldn''t be too expensive, but¡­"

    "Oho, oho?"

    "But I''d be great if it was a restaurant that sounds out from the rest of them. A ce that could make for a good surprise."

    "Quite the list of demands you''ve got there. And that means you''ve got a surprise in mind¡­" Yomiuri-senpai grinned at me. "You''re inviting Saki-chan out on her birthday, aren''t you? It''s tomorrow, right?"

    "Well, yes."

    "How nice! Going for a date at a delicious ce! I''m so jealous!"

    "We''re going as brother and sister. That''s why I was hoping I could get some of your advice."

    "How boring¡­ Well, well. Ah, so that''s why your shift tomorrow ends at 6 pm? And considering the time you need to get there, you''d probably eat dinner at around 6:30 to 8 pm¡­"

    How has she even figured out my exact schedule? Sometimes, I''d really like to have a nce inside that woman''s head to figure out what exactly this prim and proper university girl is thinking.

    "When did you be Sherlock Holmes, Yomiuri-senpai?"

    "This is elementary, my dear Watson! And did you know that Sherlock doesn''t actually canonically say that?"

    Really? It''s such a famous phrase that even I''ve heard of it.

    "Phrases that originate from the idea that a character might have said that leave a much bigger impression than the actual words that were quoted. That''s how memes are born, too."

    "Okay¡­?"

    "Anyway, back to the original topic. I''ll look into it and send you some locations via LINEter, so leave it to me~ Sparkle~" She said and waved her hand at me, immediately turning her back towards me.

    I''ve never met a person who voiced sound effects like this.

    "Thank you very much!" I said as she left the room.

    I wondered why she was in such a rush, but a nce at the time exined it all. The three minutes had passed and our break was over. I''ve gotta say, she''s one hell of a senior. In a lot of ways, that is. But I didn''t have much time to think, so I hurried back to work myself. Immediately, I was met with arger number of customers than before, which made me feel slightly discouraged. With how rough things were right now, I already started dreading the actual day of Christmas.

    The sky above us was as ck as a screen with its power cut. Instead, the lights of the entertainment district lit up the world around us. We were on the way back home, Ayase-san walking next to me as I pushed my bike.

    "You''re wearing it, aren''t you?" Ayase-san asked as she looked at my neck.

    Thanks to the lights around us, I could see her delighted expression.

    "Of course. I really appreciate the warmth, so thanks a lot."

    "I''m d it''s doing a good job. Also, did you already decide on the restaurant for tomorrow?" Ayase-san asked me as her hair gently swayed.

    "Not yet. But I''ll make sure to ce a reservation in time."

    I had asked both Maru and Yomiuri-senpai about it, but neither of them has responded to me yet. I''m gonna look into it myself again once I get home. Though I''m a bit worried that everywhere might be already pretty packed. After all, tomorrow is the closest Sunday to Christmas. Maybe people are already making reservations with that in mind¡­ and what if I can''t find anywhere? Well, worrying about it won''t help me out at all. I''ll just have to find something.

    "Look forward to it."

    That being said, I blurted out these words in the heat of the moment which made me internally shed a tear. Now I definitely can''t mess up.

    "Hm¡­? Yeah, I will." Ayase-san did look a bit perplexed after hearing my statement.

    It''s probably because I said something I normally wouldn''t. That was close. Ayase-san is really sharp when ites to this stuff, so she might figure out I''m nning something other than the present. And since I have no confidence that I''ll be able toe up with a proper excuse, I instead opted to go with silence. Thankfully, we quickly reached the t after that, and we ate dinner together as always.

    "See you tomorrow."

    "Yep, good night."

    I watched Ayase-san return to her room as I did the same. After getting into the bath, I checked the inte once again, and I got a message notification. The preview showed Yomiuri-senpai''s name. I quickly booted up the app. I was immediately greeted with a list of URLs to the various western restaurants she had found. I sent her a message thanking her when another message came in.

    ''The ones at the top are rmendations from Kudou-sensei, but they''re probably already full of reservations (Although I can guarantee the taste is amazing!). That''s why I looked up a few more that probably still have space. Do your best~''

    Reading all the way to the end, I couldn''t help but sh a wry smile. What exactly is she expecting me to do for her that she''s cheering me on like that? I sent her another message of gratitude and looked through the various restaurants. Just as she had said, the ones at the top were already fully booked. And they were a bit too expensive for my taste. Since it waste at night, none of them were open anymore, but they luckily offered online registration for reservations. Maybe that''s why she picked them out. I found a restaurant that offered beef stew and was affordable for high school students like us, and then looked into their open time slots. One of the restaurants was part of a businessplex close to the entertainment district and train station, located up on the higher floors.

    The site told me that they were getting pretty booked on reservations, so I quickly put in a reservation under my name and for two people. I was really nervous, since I was reserving at a restaurant for the first time in my life. I sighed in relief when I got another message from Yomiuri-senpai.

    ''Hey, hey. Are there any good moviesing outtely? One you''d like to watch?''

    A movie? That''s a bit abrupt. I went to the movie site I usually use and checked the movies I had already bookmarked. I scrolled through the movies that were about toe out.

    "Ah, right. Because it''s this weekend."

    I totally forgot, but there''s a new movieing out from a famous director. It''s his newest work after three years. I''ve been looking forward to it, so I''ve avoided any kind of material about it, which is why I only know the name. But since the director''s previous works were all great, I''m sure this one will also end well. I like how that director conveys the never-changing daily life of the characters. It''s only been screening for a day, but I bet social media is full of positive reviews. Of course, I''m not gonna look at them because I don''t wanna be spoiled. I copied the title to my chat with Yomiuri-senpai and said ''Maybe this one?''

    ''Ohh, that one. I see, I see. That''s a possibility!''

    It seems like she knows about this movie already. Why did she even ask me, then? Maybe she wants to watch a movie together likest time? That being said, now that I''ve realized how I feel towards Ayase-san, I wouldn''t feel right going to watch a movie with another girl.

    ''Why did you even ask me?''

    I asked her on a whim when Yomiuri-senpai responded like she had been waiting for me to ask that.

    ''I''m gonna spoil everything about the movie for you!''

    She''s the same Yomiuri-senpai as always, thank God.

    ''Please don''t.''

    I''ve waited three years for this. I seriously hope she''s joking, but I''d rather not take any chances. Then again, she probably just wants to watch a good movie. I''m feeling a bit embarrassed now for assuming things. I tried to forget about this blunder and sent her another word of gratitude for helping me, plus a quick good night message. Tomorrow is Ayase-san''s birthday. After checking that the reservation went through, I let myself fall asleep in peace.

 Chapter 73 - 6

    <h4>Chapter 73: Chapter 6</h4>

    December 19th (Saturday) ¨C Ayase Saki

    I should have expected that Omotesando would be crowded on a Saturday like this. The street was so full of people that at times I couldn''t even see the sidewalk ahead of me. The highway was so crowded with cars that it must be absolute hell to be driving there. Not to mention that it was currently lunchtime, so the majority of people were walking around in search of food. I took out my phone and checked the map. We were talking about a cafe near the prep school, so¡ªWait, this prep school¡­ The name sounds familiar.

    "Sakiii! Over here!"

    I raised my head when someone called my name. Looking ahead and down the street, I spotted a girl jumping up and down while waving her hand at me. I tried my best to fight my way through the crowd and reach her.

    "Maaya, this is so embarrassing!"

    "What is?" She asked me with a straight face, which made me doubt myself.

    Am I the weird one?

    "Oh, whatever," I said and stood next to Maaya.

    We were standing in line for a cafe with a smaller terrace on the outside, which had three tables that sat four people each. Even now, despite the fact that it was pretty chilly outside, the ce was packed. And we were waiting in line for this cafe which had a¡­French¡­or maybe an Italian name. Personally, I just wanted to get inside as quickly as possible. Luckily, an employee came out and asked the other guests for their reservations. It didn''t take long for our turn to arrive.

    "I have a reservation for Narasaka; Two people."

    "Yes, a reservation for 12:30 pm for Narasaka-sama, I can confirm."

    After this, we were guided to our table inside the cafe. The concept of this ce seemed to be "An oasis inside the big city jungle." It was stered with green everywhere and decorative nts were lined up at every corner. Deep inside the store, there was even a small pond of sorts, emitting the sound of running water. We were brought to a table by the window, offering a view of the street outside. On the table was a small que that read "Reserved". The table was beautifully set for two people.

    Upon sitting down, I spotted the prep school across the street that I had seen on the map. That''s when I realized that it made sense for me to remember this ce since it''s the same prep school Asamura-kun attends. Out of curiosity, I checked the current time: Half past 12. He''s probably about to finish hisst lecture for the morning.

    "What''s this? What''s got you so engrossed with that ce?"

    Upon hearing Maaya''s voice, I quickly tore my gaze away from the ss and back towards her.

    "Nothing."

    "Ooooh?"

    "Come on, let''s figure out what we''re going to eat."

    I was going to hand her a copy of the menu that was sitting on the table, but she waved her hand at me.

    "No worries, I already finished ordering everything when I put in the reservation. It''s my treat today~"

    "Really?"

    "I can''t wait for the pancakes¡­ So what were you looking at?"

    "Again, I wasn''t looking at any¡ª"

    "Oh, it''s Asamura-kun!"

    My face immediately turned back towards the window. Only then did I realize that this may have been a trap set up by Maaya, but I actually spotted Asamura-kun in front of the building. He had just stepped out of the prep school''s entrance, and he started running somewhere. Since he''s on break now, he might be going out to eat somece. He quickly vanished amongst the crowd of people though, so I didn''t know where he went.

    "That''s a cram school, right? I had no idea he attended one."

    "He''s been taking sses sincest summer."

    "Oh¡­hoh¡­hoho¡­You''ve got your older brother''s daily activities memorized down to a T, eh? Oh yeah, his grades went up, didn''t they?"

    Where did she even hear that from? But it was true, so I nodded. Then again, I think this much knowledge would be normal between close siblings like we are.

    "So it''s thanks to that cram school. Still, he must have been in a rush. I was waving my hand at him but he didn''t even see me."

    "You¡­what?"

    She waved at him through the window? Isn''t she embarrassed to do that? I looked around in a panic, but thankfully all the other customers were too busy with their own food to look at us.

    "Yep, and he didn''t even see me!"

    "Well¡­ Are you really surprised by that?"

    Omotesando is a street big enough to support twones of car traffic. And since the sides of the street were filled with sidewalks, it was actually pretty hard to see across to the other side. And I bet it''d be even harder to see inside a cafe like this. Not to mention that you wouldn''t expect some crazy girl to just wave at you like she did. Personally, I''m happy he didn''t see us. I didn''t want him to think I came all this way out here just to meet him.

    "But Saki, you spotted him immediately, right?"

    "Ack¡­ Th-That''s¡­because we''re siblings?"

    "Hee, hee."

    "Again, it''s not what you think¡­"

    She keeps pushing the conversation in whatever direction she wants. Well, I''m used to it by now.

    "Apologies for the wait, here is your order." An employee arrived at our table.

    Upon seeing what they brought, I couldn''t keep my voice under control. Maaya simply said yesterday that we should celebrate my birthday at a popr pancake store, so here we are. And since she never made it sound like anything special, I figured we''d just be eating some pancakes together. But this is¡­

    "Happy birthday, Saki!"

    The tray the employee set down didn''t have pancakes on it. Instead, it was adorned with a genuine cake that had "Happy Birthday" written on it. Not to mention the adorable candles on top of the cake. The employee took out a lighter from her apron and lit them up, too. She then began singing happy birthday, and Maaya joined in. Since they did it at a considerable volume, it started getting attention from other customers.

    "Come on,e on! Blow out the candles!"

    I panicked and did as Maaya told me. Everyone started apuding right after. Ah, so much attention¡­ Everyone''s looking¡­ They were all smiling at me. I''m happy to have this many people celebrate for me, but this is still way too embarrassing. I''ve never had a birthday celebration like this before.

    "This is how you do a surprise! Tehe!" Maaya puffed out her chest with a bright grin on her face, which soon looked quite smug.

    "That final ''Tehe'' was unnecessary."

    "But now you know how it feels!"

    "I didn''t need to¡­"

    "Hee, hee. You''re happy though, right?"

    "Well¡­ it doesn''t feel bad, at least."

    "Anyway, here''s my present."

    "Huh? But, you''re already treating me to something¡­"

    "This isn''t much. So c''mon, open it up."

    Since it fit into the palm of my hand, I was careless and didn''t think it was anything major. But when I opened the package, I was greeted by¡ªchapstick.

    "You can''t have enough of these, right?"

    "Yeah¡­"

    I gazed at the object in my hands and admired Maaya''s sense once more. First, the design of the container is cute. It wasn''t particrly shy, as it was fairly cylindrical in shape, but the narrow part in the middle, and the color of the lid and fitting with the handle, all make me think that it looked pretty nice. When I turned it over and opened it up, I was greeted with a bright red color. It had a certain charm to it but wasn''t so gaudy that it could cause problems for a high school student to wear.

    "And it''s moisturizing, too. Perfect for this season."

    "¡­Thanks."

    I realized that she had given this present a lot of thought. I didn''t dislike living with just my mother up until now. That being said, since we had to prioritize our own lives over anything, it was hard for me to request anything as a birthday present from her. So having my birthday celebrated by a friend like this might be a first for me. Then again, I''ve never had a friend wish me a happy birthday before. I only recently became friends with Maaya, too. I guess we only really got this close after she went to see Asamura-kun for the first time. That''s probably why I didn''t expect a present in the first ce.

    "Sooo? How''s it feel to be on the receiving end of a surprise?"

    "I''m frustrated."

    "The heck!"

    "Hee, hee."

    Thank you. But if it was something this important, then I wish she''d told me sooner. I feel frustrated that I couldn''t do something like this for Asamura-kun''s birthday. If I knew how happy one would feel to be surprised, I would have thought of something. But at least the pancakes were delicious.

    Later that day, our shift at work ended. I walked next to Asamura-kun as always on the way home to our t. As we passed the entertainment district, the lights around us started to decrease in number, and the stars in the sky began to illuminate our path instead. Upon the dark canvas that was the night sky, I spotted a belt of three stars. I wonder what that constetion is called? Maybe Asamura-kun knows? I nced at him. More specifically, his neck.

    "You''re wearing it, aren''t you?"

    "Of course. I really appreciate the warmth, so thanks a lot."

    I had no idea I''d feel so happy to simply see him wearing the neck warmer I had bought for him. And tomorrow, it''s my own birthday. We got permission from our parents to dine out as just the two of us. This''ll be my first time spending my birthday with the person I like. I think I might pass out from the excitement. I asked him about it, and he said he had yet to find a good reservation. "Look forward to it," he said. Those words made me feel dubious for a moment.

    "Hm¡­?" I let out a voice in the heat of the moment, but quickly followed it up with "Yeah, I will" and pretended that I didn''t notice.

    ''Look forward to it''¡­? That''s an odd way of phrasing things. If he had already found a restaurant, it would make sense. But he just said he hasn''t put in a reservation yet. So I''m supposed to look forward to it without even knowing where we''re going to eat? Doesn''t that mean he''s plotting something? I was so lost in thought about it that I stopped talking at all. And since Asamura-kun didn''t say anything either, we spent the rest of our way home in silence. But unless I''m just assuming things¡­ Could it be possible that Asamura-kun is preparing a surprise? If so, then I shouldn''t think about it too much. I wouldn''t want to ruin his surprise, especially after I had just learned about how nice it was to surprise someone like that. Thus, I''m going to just look forward to it without knowing a thing.

    Once we made it back to our apartment, Asamura-kun and I finished dinner, and I returned to my room. I got everything ready for the next day, took a rxing bath, and entered my bed. I set up an rm and started to reminisce about today''s events. Next time, I''m definitely giving Maaya a surprise for her birthday, too. And I also wonder what Asamura-kun is nning for tomorrow''s dinner. Plus¡ªI still couldn''t forget Asamura-kun''s words he uttered in the heat of the moment.

    He told me to look forward to it. It was slightly different to him saying "I''m looking forward to it," but I just can''t help but think he''s nning something to surprise me. Snuggling deeper into my bed, I kept thinking.

    Doesn''t this mean that I''ve gotten better at reading Asamura Yuuta''s thought process and bodynguage? Since I''m still not very good at modern literature, I don''t have much confidence in being able to read what he''s thinking¡­ But I''m looking forward to the answer I''ll get tomorrow night. It''s weird. When my father left home back then and Mom was out working, I never looked forward to Santa''s present¡­ and yet here I am, waiting in excitement for my own birthday.

    Engulfed in the warmth of my nket, my mind slowly drifted toward the dark abyss that is sleep. Once I wake up, it''ll be my 17th birthday, so¡­ Good night.

 Chapter 74 - 7

    <h4>Chapter 74: Chapter 7</h4>

    December 20th (Sunday) ¨C Asamura Yuuta

    I felt restless all day. The moment I got up, I was feeling a mixture of nervousness and excitement. This feeling didn''t go away even during my shift at work. And it didn''t take long for the promised time to arrive. It was currently 6 pm. Just thirty more minutes. With Christmas right around the corner, the streets grew more crowded by the day. It didn''t quite feel right to leave work early during such a storm. Especially during thetter half of December, since working in a bookstore was always pure hell.

    As delivery halts over the New Year''s, the schedule for releases is always pushed forward, forcing new releases out sooner than usual. This in return meant we had to pack the shelves with them. This is what we call ''preemptive stocking.'' It''s basically the result of the authors and editorial departments apologizing with tears in their eyes as they send us all the releases early and force this hellish schedule upon us. If we get twenty copies of a release that we usually would only get about ten of per week, then we''ll start running out of space on the t disys, forcing us to get creative in book cement, and we need to create more disys for each series, too.

    And since the customers don''t know that all of this is happening behind the scenes, they end up getting confused and ask us employees for help. When someone is lost in this world, there are others who have to work their butts off. That is how this world continues to turn. Honestly, I have nothing but gratitude. I just hope I can help someone when they''re feeling lost.

    Oh yeah, Yomiuri-senpai will being in for a shift today when Ayase-san and I are leaving. Before leaving, I worked on organizing the shelves some more. I want to at least lessen the workload for my other colleagues. Once my shift was over, I headed over to the office.

    "Huh?"

    I opened the door and was surprised to see that Yomiuri-senpai was sitting there. Since my other colleagues from the 6 pm shift were already walking around inside the store, I didn''t expect to see her still in here this close to work.

    "What a rare sight."

    "Are you using me of skipping work, by any chance?"

    "Not at all. I would never."

    "You''re telling me to get out of here, then? How cruel¡­ Waah, waaah, waaaaah!"

    "Your fake crying skills need some work."

    "Tee hee."

    No matter how much I try to be the straight man, it just feels like she''s ying with me.

    "Phew¡­" I sighed right as Ayase-san slipped into the office.

    "Huh? Yomiuri-senpai, shouldn''t you¡­?"

    "I''m not skipping wooork!"

    "Ah, so you werete?"

    "That''s not the case either, Saki-chan. I was waiting for you! Come with me. Since I couldn''t give you the presentst week!" She said and dragged Ayase-san over into the women''s changing room.

    "Huh? What? Huh?"

    "Don''t resist now. Just leave everything to Uncle, yeah?"

    So she''s finally admitted to being a creepy middle-aged man? Wait, more importantly, our manager was sitting at his desk watching this from start to finish. And even though Yomiuri-senpai waste for work, he didn''t say a thing.

    "Is it really fine for her to keep up this attitude at work?"

    "Well, this ce just doesn''t function quite the same without Yomiuri-kun," the manager said with a defeated smile.

    "Is that so?"

    "Just think of it as something that''s necessary to guarantee maintaining the level of teamwork that makes our bookstore run."

    I didn''t think he''d be this attached to Yomiuri-senpai''s ethics. I really can''t underestimate her. And she didn''t seem to be lying either, as she returned from the locker room after giving Ayase-san her present and stepped out onto the main store while waving her hand at me. I was a bit curious why she was grinning like that, but oh well.

    After a bit of waiting, Ayase-san returned, changed from her uniform, and we left the store together. It was a bit past 6 pm, but we should make it in time for the reservation at 6:30. For now, we were walking towards the building with the restaurant inside of it. On the way, I brought up Yomiuri-senpai''s present, but Ayase-san wouldn''t tell me anything. It probably wasn''t something she could easily talk about¡­ But there''s no way Yomiuri-senpai would give her junior from work anything unorthodox¡­ Right?

    "Is it here?"

    "Hm?"

    We reached the building in question while I was lost in thought. While looking at the signs on the outside wall showing off all the different establishments, Ayase-sanmented with a worried tone.

    "This ce seems pretty expensive. Are you sure about this?"

    "It''s actually a ce that caters to families, so the price is very reasonable."

    We stepped inside the elevator and rode up to the floor in question. The upper floor harbored several Western but also Japanese-themed restaurants. After briefly looking for the restaurant in question on the floor map, I spotted arger ce close to the entrance.

    "Ah, this is it."

    It was a well-lit ce with a peaceful atmosphere. The restaurant offered plenty of space with tables here and there that didn''t make it feel too cramped. Since we were used to the noise from the always-packed family restaurants, it felt like we had entered an entirely new world. However, as I had previously stated, I mostly saw young couples or families with children sitting at the tables. It definitely seemed fancier than the average family restaurant, but it resembled the atmosphere at a hotel venue.

    "This is the first time I''vee to a ce like this¡­"

    "Well, it''s your birthday, so let''s make it a memorable one."

    I told the employee my name, and we were guided inside the restaurant. They brought us to a table for four, and we seated ourselves opposite of each other.

    "But why here? Is this ce famous or something?"

    "Ah. About that¡­"

    Even the reveal of the surprise is making my heart race. I think keeping a poker face is much easier than such a grand reveal.

    "I was told that the beef stew here is especially good."

    Up to this point, Ayase-san''s eyes looked a bit droopy, presumably since she was a bit tired from work, but when I finished my sentence, they shot wide open in shock.

    "Wha¡­?"

    "Well¡­ I heard you liked beef stew, so that''s why."

    She''s not gonna say that her preferences have changed, right? But right when I started feeling worried, Ayase-san''s expression changed into that of disbelief.

    "You knew?"

    "I asked Akiko-san, sorry."

    This was the best surprise I could do, considering she already knew what present she''d get. When I gave her that exnation, her mouth opened again in a daze, but her expression quickly changed into that of discontent.

    "Not fair."

    "What?"

    "I wanted to do it, too. It''s not fair that you''re the only one."

    "Ah, um¡­ O¡­kay?"

    "I wanted to give you a surprise."

    "Ah¡­"

    I guess that makes sense. She prefers to give more than take, after all. I may have had my share of fun surprising her like this, but I can see why she''s displeased. That being said, I think this is the first time she''s actually said "Not fair" while pouting like that. It showed her genuine feelings with a bright expression, unlike how she was when we just met. This must show how much she''s opened up to me, right? When I think about it this way, I can''t help but think that she''s cute.

    The employee removed the que that said "Reserved" from our table and offered us both the menu. And while we were reading through that, forks and knives appeared on the table.

    "This all looks delicious¡­ Can I order this?" She pointed at the beef stew special as she asked me.

    "Of course."

    We both ordered the beef stew set. It didn''t take long for the food to be carried to our table, too.

    "It is still quite hot, so please be careful."

    Just as the employee said, I could see a faint line of steam rising from the te that held the stew. The scent of sauce wafting up from the thick demi-ze tickled my nose to the point that I felt starving. And from the brownish ocean, I could see lumps of meat poking out. It was the main ingredient of this stew¡ªbeef. The orange carrots were cut up into thin sticks and then sliced up once more. Next to them was the beautifully green broli. The mushrooms cut into slices contradicted the brown sauce with their white skin in the center, creating a bright color parade of red, green, and white. In short, it looked absolutely delicious.

    Upon stabbing my fork into the meat and cutting it a bit, the meat immediately fell apart. Taking about half of that lump of meat, I carried it to my mouth¡ªand I felt a painful heat burn along my tongue.

    "Ouch ouch ouch!"

    "A-Are you okay?"

    I guess I bit off more than I could chew, literally and figuratively. In a panic, I reached for my ss of carbonated water and gulped about half of the entire thing down. The employee stepped towards our table and filled my ss with some more water.

    "Thank you very much."

    As you''d expect from a professional working in the food industry, they pretended like they hadn''t even witnessed my failure and just offered me more water. Using this, I took another small sip from the ss.

    "Phew, that was hot¡­"

    "Probably, yeah. I''ll be careful." Ayase-san used her knife and fork to beautifully cut the meat.

    Upon securing a small piece of meat, she carried it to her mouth and showed a blissful smile.

    "Delicious!" She was happy, saying that it tasted simr to the beef stew she loved to eat as a child. "I wonder what the difference is from the beef stew we make at home¡­"

    "You don''t know either?"

    "Yeah¡­when ites to boiled stuff like this, the taste of the individual ingredients sorta melts into the sauce, right?"

    "Ah, that is true."

    That is something I learned recently by helping with cooking at home.

    "But in this case, the taste of the meat itself is still concentrated, right?"

    While discussing this, I took another bite from the beef stew. Once our bellies were stuffed, I took out my present for her. Just as she had requested, it contained the soap. She epted my present and opened the wrapping.

    "Ah¡­ it''s a bubble soap pouch."

    "That''s just the bonus."

    "Thank you. I''m really happy." Ayase-san smiled at me. "The soap is great, too. Honestly, it feels like a waste to use it. I was a bit curious as to which one you''d pick, but this isn''t what I expected."

    Considering her choice of words, she probably realized that this soap was supposed to have a healing and rxing effect. If so, then the advice Maru gave me seemed to have worked out. Then again, that in itself was pretty embarrassing to realize.

    "So¡­um, I''m really happy about all of this¡­ So if you''re okay with it¡­" Ayase-san ced her small bag on the table, taking out an envelope. "Won''t youe to watch a movie with me after this?"

    She took out a paper and showed me the front side. It turned out to be a ticket for a movie that was screening today at 8:50 pm at the movie theater near the Shibuya train station. And most surprising of all is that the title sounded oddly familiar. As expected, you could say, since it''s thetest movie after three years from the director I''ve been following. And of course, this wasn''t a coincidence either.

    "Did¡­"

    "I got them from Yomiuri-sean as a birthday present. Just now, actually. She said ''Use them as you''d like! Since I bought two of them, you can watch the movie together with Asamura-kun, right?''"

    Yomiuri-senpai truly is a terrifying tactician.

    After our dinner ended, we immediately made our way to the movie theater in question. Since the tickets were limited to today, we didn''t want to waste Yomiuri-senpai''s goodwill. Or so I made up excuses to myself, but I really wanted to watch this movie too. I''ve been waiting three years for this, after all. Thankfully, we just barely made it in time.

    Here in Tokyo, minors are not allowed to do any sort of business past 11 pm. The same would go for movies, as you couldn''t watch any that went beyond that limit. Thankfully, the film today ran from 8:50 to 10:50 pm, probably making for a runtime of about 100 minutes after you counted ads and such. Once again, Yomiuri-senpai''s scheduling ability is no joke. She''d be a great manager or secretary.

    "But we have to leave as soon as the movie is over, right?" Ayase-san asked, and I nodded.

    Since we''d be homete, we contacted our parents. They gave us permission as long as we''d head right back home right after it ended. They said it would be fine if we called a taxi, too, but I think we''ll be fine even without that.

    "What kind of movie is this, even?" Ayase-san looked at the disy at the movie theater.

    Shown on the poster were a boy and girl, presumably in high school. However, I had no idea what exactly it would be about.

    "Is it a horror movie? Maybe fantasy? Or science-fiction?"

    "Actually, I don''t know."

    Ayase-san looked at me in surprise.

    "You don''t?"

    "I was avoiding any kind of information about it. I didn''t want to get spoiled identally."

    "Oh¡­ You were really looking forward to it, then?"

    "Well, I guess you could say that."

    Being told this to my face made me feel a bit embarrassed, and I realized how much I had been anticipating this movie. We skipped the concession stand and soon it was our turn to present our tickets and enter the 3rd theater. Our seats were located in the dead center but a bit towards the back of the audience. They were perfect seats that would let us watch the movie without having to strain our necks upwards.

    That being said, the pressure you feel from such a huge screen can''t bepared to the small TV at home. Unless you''re a millionaire who has their own home cinema with a 1000-inch screen. That being said, actually watching it in arge cinema like this gives it another feeling. It''s like you''re experiencing everything along with your fellowrades around you. Upon reaching our seats, we had just started to rx when the advertisements started ying and the lights dimmed. Shortly after, the actual movie began.

    Shown on the screen was the sort of high school you''d see anywhere. Through the windows, you could see inside the ssroom, and the camera approached a silhouette sitting in the corner. It was a girl with ck hair, the same one that had been shown on the movie poster. Her hair color was different, but she resembled Ayase-san a bit. The beginning of the film showed the introverted girl''s everyday high school life. Then, one day before summer break arrived, a theft happened in the ssroom.

    Everyone immediately suspected the girl. Even her friend she believed she was on good terms with didn''t take her side, which left her no choice but to wander through the town, riddled with despair, and she ended up getting run over by a truck and dying. For a moment, I thought we''d be dealing with an isekai development, but that wasn''t quite right. Instead, she traveled back in time. Now that she had been given a second chance, she made friends with someone else, and although she managed to avoid the previous incident, something else happened and she was once again betrayed, causing her to experience despair yet again.

    After meeting failure upon failure, the girl closed her heartpletely, blocking off any warmth from the outside. However, one day, a transfer student arrived. It was the other character shown on the poster¡ªa boy with bright-colored hair. After everything the girl had gone through, she didn''t open up to the boy at first. But he kept talking to her day after day, and the warmth he brought with him slowly began to melt her frozen heart. And then the fateful day arrived once more.

    On thest day before summer break, the situation escted, and the girl was under suspicion of havingmitted a murder. Who was the true perpetrator? And why was she forced to repeat this over and over? The young boy revealed himself to be from the future.

    ''Put simply, this is a phenomenon akin to a time oscition pendulum with you as the center. Leaving you alone like this could cause a ripple in time and destroy space and the universe as a whole.''

    And in order to heal this wound, he traveled back ten thousand years to the past.

    ''That''s why you approached me?''

    Upon hearing the girl''s question, the boy shook his head. Even in the distant future, they had no idea what could have caused this.

    ''Then why?''

    ''Since you didn''t have faith in anybody anymore, you treated me, who was estranged and unfamiliar with themon sense of this time, just like everyone else. We managed to adjust to each other without any prejudices. Plus¡­ your miso soup was really delicious. We sadly don''t have that anymore in the future where Ie from.''

    He exined that the idea of miso soup had died out in the world he was born in. That made me snicker, and the girl on the screen smiled along with me. After that, the boy embraced the girl. He spoke with a gentle tone and said ''I''ll save you from this ce.'' In return, the girl began weeping and crying like a small child.

    I could see Ayase-san move next to me. She was leaning forward, her gaze drawn towards the screen. A single tear ran down her cheek. I frantically looked back at the screen. It feels like I saw something I shouldn''t have. And at the same time, I made a vow. I want to treasure her no matter what.

    The movie reached its climax and the ending song started ying. After roughly 103 minutes, the movie ended. And I instinctively knew that day, Ayase-san''s 17th birthday, would be something I would never forget.

 Chapter 75 - 8

    <h4>Chapter 75: Chapter 8</h4>

    December 20th (Sunday) ¨C Ayase Saki

    Yomiuri Shiori-san dragged me to the small locker room. I really think her shift is gonna start soon, so should she really be spending this much time with me? She opened up her locker and took out her bag, followed by a white envelope, which she offered to me.

    "Here you go."

    "Huh?"

    I reluctantly epted the envelope. "What''s this?"

    "It''s your birthday present!"

    A present that fits into a small envelope? Maybe it''s some kind of coupon or a gift card? Her bodynguage made it seem like she expected me to open the envelope, so I did so, taking out a piece of paper. It turned out to be tickets for a movie. Although I didn''t recognize the title. The screening was scheduled for¡­ 8:50 pm. The date was what surprised me the most.

    "Wait. This is for today, right?"

    "Exactly. Go watch that with Junior-kun, won''t ya?"

    "With¡­ Asamura-kun¡­?"

    I mean, she did buy two tickets. But even if she suddenly gives these two to me¡­

    "You should have enough time after you finish your dinner, right?"

    "¡­Well, I guess we do."

    Needless to say, Yomiuri-san had already questioned me about my ns for today, and she found out that Asamura-kun and I made ns to eat dinner together. I hadn''t gotten the exact details from Asamura-kun yet, but the n was for us to leave work at 6 pm since his reservation is at 6:30. Even if we take our time eating dinner, we should be able to make it to the movie theater just in time. Also, all we did was tell her about the time we''re gonna leave work, so how did she manage to guess our schedule perfectly to then buy tickets like this? I feel like ying hide and seek with her is impossible. And she even surprised me with movie tickets as a birthday present¡­ Is it really okay for me to ept these?

    "Um¡­ Thank you very much."

    "Izz fine, izz fine! Even if I gave ya something proper, you''d probably just see me as a clingy senior with heavy presents, so this much is nothing¡­"

    "No, I would never¡ª"

    I don''t think I would ever feel that way, to be honest.

    "It happens a lot. Pretty rare, though."

    "Which is it?"

    Is it rare or not? I can''t tell.

    "They''re gonna expire today anyway, so at least take them with you. You don''t have to use them. But I should probably tell you¡ª" Yomiuri-san started grinning. "That movie¡­ Junior-kun really wants to watch it."

    My eyes shot wide open.

    "I made sure of it beforehand. So I''m sure he''ll be happy."

    "Urgh¡­"

    Will he really be happy? I began thinking, especially about what had been on my mind the past few days¡ªRting to Asamura-kun''s birthday. Although I managed to give him a good present, I didn''t do it with any kind of surprise. And here I am, cursing my past self for not considering that important. But with these tickets, I could maybe surprise him.

    "Hee, hee, hee. Feeling motivated now? I bet you''re looking forward to it now!"

    "Erm, well¡­ I might as well, yes."

    I wonder if Yomiuri-san caught on to Asamura-kun''s and mine rtionship, and now she''s secretly trying to support us?

    "Um, why are you going this far¡­?"

    The reason my momentum dropped towards the end of the sentence was that I realized I was probably just imagining things my way in my head. Plus, Asamura-kun called her the personification of a creepy middle-aged man, but looking at her beautiful appearance with long ck hair, if she turned out to be my rival in love, then I don''t think I could win against her¡­

    "Why? Because I wanna have some juicy spoilers talk with you two! All the other critics were praising the living hell out of it, so I wanna have a discussion about it."

    "Huh? Is it a difficult movie to understand or something?"

    "Not at all! ¡­I think. Well, that''s why I want you to watch it. I''ve already watched it myself."

    Yomiuri-san''s gaze was serious, so it didn''t seem like she was teasing me¡ªthen again, she teases me all the time, so I can''t be too sure¡ªbut she was probably genuine about this. And personally, I feel like it''d be a waste not to watch it after getting the tickets as a present.

    "I understand. I''ll make sure to enjoy it with Asamura-kun." I gave her my thanks and epted my birthday present.

    We left work and headed to the fashion building near the train station. The 6th floor was basically full of restaurants and other food stalls. And Asamura-kun took me to a western restaurant on that floor. I was happy that it turned out like a pleasant ce, but something still felt off. It didn''t seem like the kind of ce Asamura-kun would frequent. Why did he choose this ce? I asked him, and the response he gave was¡ª

    "I was told that the beef stew here is especially good."

    I was baffled. Beef stew is one of my favorite dishes. And ording to him, he asked Mom about that. Since the present itself had no element of surprise to it, he wanted to pull off a proper surprise in a different way. And as he said, my heart skipped a beat. I was really happy. But at the same time, I started sulking. I couldn''t surprise him, and yet he made me this happy.

    An employee brought us the menu. The omurice and the curry both looked delicious. Especially the cream-topped pudding with caramel sauce poured over it¡­ Wait, no. I''m not here to eat sweets.

    "This all looks delicious¡­ Can I order this?"

    In the end, I wanted to try the beef stew. When I looked at the side dishes it came with and the price, it was the one thing I wanted. And the stew that arrived in front of me was even more amazing than I had expected. Why does beef stew from restaurants always look better than the one we make at home? I''ve had this question for ages now. Asamura-kun attempted to give me an answer.

    "Maybe there''s a difference with the meat?"

    "Probably. That would exin a lot¡­ I''d like to try making this myself."

    Maybe it was just a difference in procedure after all? A feeling of displeasure rose within my chest that stabbed my heart. Past memories I had locked away came shing back in my head. When I was much younger, we would often eat at a private restaurant near our house. I still can''t forget the taste of the beef stew they served. I couldn''t believe that something so delicious could exist in this world. That is true, and that I realize. But¡­ I don''t think this feeling is just rted to the food itself.

    My mother has gotten married again, this time to Asamura-kun''s father¡ªTaichi-san, who turned out to be a kind person who could make Mom happy. Last Halloween, when Mom took time off work, she said this:

    ''With Taichi-san, I''ve started to think I could take a few more breaks.''

    When I heard that, I was relieved from the bottom of my heart. Right now, Mom can take time off. It''s different from how it was before. That wasn''t the case years ago. When my father just up and left, she couldn''t rely on our family, so she did her best to raise me on her own, even cooking food for me every day. Even as a child, I understood how hard it must be for her, so around the time I got into middle school, I began learning how to cook to lessen her burden. I have noints about Mom''s food. It''s as delicious as ever.

    But even so, there were foods she couldn''t make simply because she was so busy. Things that take a lot of time to prepare. These kinds of dishes simply didn''t fit our lifestyle. My father was a show-off, so he always took us to fancy-looking restaurants. But since he was too much of a show-off, he always scolded us about our manners. It may have not been so bad if that was simply the kind of family I was born into.

    However, we went to ces like this maybe twice a year, so even if you expect a young girl in grade school to show perfect manners, it''ll just make her too nervous to even enjoy the taste. I was too terrified to even make a sound, because my father would then scream my name and scold me. To me, dining out was like a ritual where failure was not allowed.

    On the day the divorce went through, Mom did seem a bit exhausted, but she also seemed refreshed. And that''s when she took me to a simple western restaurant in the neighborhood, not some luxurious restaurant with a stiff atmosphere. I ordered orange juice, which I gulped down wildly after burning my tongue from the beef stew. The corners of my mouth were drenched with sauce, and Mom wiped it away with a smile.

    Since all the other customers were also families with children, it felt like we were all one big family, going out to eat. And the beef stew I ate on that day¡­ was ready-made and boiled, always ready for the next customer. The soft sensation of the meat was made with the customers in mind. Inside the meat, the juices felt like they could melt anybody''s frozen heart. It filled my mouth with the taste of relief and peace.

    "Anyway, this is your present."

    I was pulled back to reality. Asamura-kun handed me a small bag with my present inside. I did ask for simple usable soap, but it turned out to be aromatic soap with a rxing effect, one that smelled like pleasant herbs. I could tell that Asamura-kun put a lot of thought into it. I''m going to use this while taking a bath after taking off my armament. Having a rxing and healing effect is perfect for that time. It felt like he was telling me that it was okay to rx.

    Could I really? Could I really rest more? Up to this point, it''s always just been Mom and I¡ªAlways, always. But I can''t openly show these emotions.

    "So¡­um, I''m really happy about all of this¡­ That''s why, if you''re okay with it¡­" I showed him the tickets I got from Yomiuri-san.

    The tickets for the movie Asamura-kun supposedly wanted to see. And his expression told me enough. It made me happy that I had tried to surprise him. Thank you very much, Yomiuri-san.

    The idea of watching a movie always had something special to itpared to other entertainment. Despite the fact that there are other people all around, it feels like that ce exists simply for you. Or maybe it allows you to fully immerse yourself. Not too close but not too far, simply experiencing the same thing together¡ªI''ve never experienced that before.

    As for the movie itself, it was pretty interesting¡ªbut also very scary. The female protagonist was betrayed by her ssmates over and over. She was involved in idents, and doubted by everyone, and every time she tried to reach for help, she was cruelly rejected. After she died in an ident, she traveled back in time, only to once again taste the same despair. By the time the male protagonist appeared, her heart was already frozen and broken to pieces.

    The boy dered himself to be from the future and trying to avoid this endless spiral¡­ but since the girl had been hurt too many times, she didn''t believe that he truly wanted to help her. Since she had been betrayed so much, the girl saw everybody around her as an enemy. The reason I realized that this may have been influenced by Andersen''s "The Snow Queen" is probably because Asamura-kun had told me about it before. Basically, the scar the girl carried in her heart was like the piece of the devil''s mirror that stabbed Kai in the eye and heart, whereas the boy who came from 10,000 years in the future to help her would be Gerda. The fact that the gender roles were reversed was probably in the mind of modern themes.

    Before I had even realized it, I was glued to the screen. The time the boy and girl spent together was a mere two weeks right before the summer break. In this short time, there''s no way the boy could manage to melt the girl''s frozen heart¡ªis what I would have thought a year ago.

    The scene of the climax arrived. On the screen, the boy was embracing the girl.

    ''I''ll save you from this ce. That''s why, just let it all out.''

    Upon hearing those words, the girl returned the boy''s embrace with all her might. Normally, I would never show such a weakness, especially not in public. But¡­ I think it''s because Asamura-kun is right next to me. I should be alone, and yet I''m not. It''s the magic of the cinema. Feeling a presence next to me, I was probably allowed to feel this relief.

    ¡ªI can''t.

    I tried my best to hold it in but failed. A warm and wet sensation ran down my cheek. The ending song started ying, and even after the credits started rolling, I found myself unable to move. Right before the lights came on, I finally managed to wring my voice out of my throat.

    "Can I head to the toilet for a moment?" I asked but didn''t wait for a response, and I hastily stormed inside the toilet.

    I checked my makeup in the mirror. As expected, the foundation under my eye had suffered a casualty. If I had known this would happen, I would have prepared stronger makeup. Realizing my blunder, I sighed. To think I would actually cry like that. I was surprised at myself, only to then realize I hadn''t cried for the longest time.

    I opened up my pouch to fix my makeup, only for my hand to stop. I looked at myself in the mirror once again. It was a bit messy, but not so much that I absolutely had to fix it. I mean, we''re just going to head home after this, right? It''s dark outside, and we won''t be looking at each other''s faces much, either. When I looked at the area around my eye, I was reminded of the Snow Queen. In that movie, tears were what melted the piece of the devil''s mirror. And thus, the boy''s heart began to regain its warmth.

    ¡­Maybe I don''t have to fix it. We''re just going home, and Asamura-kun is right by my side. At least for now, I don''t need any armament.

 Chapter 76 - 9

    <h4>Chapter 76: Chapter 9</h4>

    December 24th (Thursday) ¨C Asamura Yuuta

    "Now we''ve only got half of our high school lives left, huh?"

    I didn''t n for anybody to hear the words I mumbled to myself, but my good friend sitting in the seat ahead of me unexpectedly turned hisrge upper body around¡ªActually, aren''t we still in the middle of our short homeroom?

    "Asamura. Starting next year, we gotta put an even bigger focus on our entrance exams." Marumented with a quiet voice.

    Our homeroom teacher at the front of the ss was telling us to be careful during winter break. And with that voice in one ear, I couldn''t help but gulp at Maru''s statement. Entrance exams, huh? Maru continued with a tone of resignation.

    "We''ll be adults in no time, after all."

    "I don''t mind the idea of growing up, though."

    If anything, I didn''t like the idea of always staying a child. I don''t want to be sheltered for the rest of my life. Well, the fact is that growing into an adult does seem like an exhausting process. I just remembered my old man''s face¡­ Actually, maybe not that much? Since I can''t remember his exhausted expression after his remarriage, I guess he''s feeling a lot better now that my old mother is gone.

    "You''re the type of person who wants to be an adult quickly, huh?"

    "And you don''t, Maru?"

    "Good question. Since growing up means learning more and more, I''d love some kind of time chamber to just live my life at ease."

    "Ohhh."

    So he wouldn''t have as much time as he''d like if he followed the path of the baseball professional.

    "I wouldn''t be able to watch all the seasonal anime."

    "That''s your problem?!"

    "I was joking."

    I couldn''t believe my ears and leaned forward as I said that. Was he teasing me or being serious? I still can''t quite tell. The sun tickled my nape, making me turn towards the window. It was shining brightly on the outside. Even during the mid-afternoon, the sun was low, beaming directly on Maru and I: The people sitting next to the windows. Thus, sleepiness assaulted me. The words from our homeroom teacher started to resemble a luby, but since a few more minutes would be all it took to end sses, I put up with it.

    Finally, the bell rang from the speakers and our homeroom teacher''s mumbling came to an end. All our ssmates sighed in unison and then cheered. Our homeroom teacher shook their head once and then left the ssroom, warning us onest time not to overdo it.

    "We''re still in our second year. Why do they have to give us this whole speech just because it''s Christmas?"

    "Huh?" I tilted my head in confusion when Maru said that.

    "Illicit rtionships and all that. There''s no way I''ll let some adolescent bastards destroy my precious break, right?"

    "Agreed. I''d feel the same way."

    "So dear older brother isn''t worried at all?"

    Maru using that teasing tone with that vocabry caused my eyes to shoot wide open.

    "What?"

    "Knowing Ayase, she''ll probably have ns tonight, no?"

    "Tonight?"

    "Like a Christmas date. Don''t you think so?"

    It took an awfully long time before the meaning behind his words reached my brain. Is he implying that Ayase-san has date ns today? Well, any bystander wouldn''t know just what kind of rtionship Ayase-san and I have. There might be people who would try to invite Ayase-san out on a Christmas date. And at the same time, it might seem weird if she rejects each and every invitation. Maybe she''ll even agree to one¡­ No, there''s no way.

    Suddenly, I felt a vibration close to my chest and frantically sat up straight. When I took out my phone, I saw that I had gotten a new LINE message. On the lock screen, it said "I''ming home after shopping," and the sender was Ayase-san. So she''sing home after running some errands¡­ See? I knew it.

    "What''s wrong? Did Ayase-san say she hates her older brother now or something?"

    "There''s no way she''d talk like the little sister out of some weird anime."

    "So it was Ayase-san, huh?"

    "Urk."

    "You''re so easy to read."

    "I think you''re just too sharp when ites to this type of stuff."

    "And? Don''t you have to respond, Mr. Older Brother?"

    "Nope, it''s fine." I put my phone back in my pocket and stretched.

    Meanwhile, Maru grabbed his bag and stood up.

    "Anyway, catch you on the flip side, Asamura."

    "Yeah. We probably won''t see each other again until New Year''s, so¡­ happy new year?"

    "True, I doubt we''ll run into each other during winter break, so make sure to have a good start to the new year." Maru turned his back toward me with one hand in the air, walking out of the ssroom.

    I watched him walk off into the distance and then looked around the ssroom once more. Half of our ssmates had already left the ssroom, presumably because of their clubs or just to head home. Meanwhile, I pondered if I should stop by the bookstore myself. Really, what a needless worry to have¡­ Oh yeah, today''s gonna be a Christmas party at home, I forgot.

    The kitchen walls were sparkling. Naturally, this wasn''t thanks to me. Akiko-san was the one who suddenly said "I''m going to give this ce a good cleaning today." And of course, she pointed at the kitchen when she said that. Ayase-san and I had offered to help out. Since my old man and I rarely cook, the kitchen was still fairly clean, and we finished getting it all shiny after roughly two hours. This was at roughly 3 pm, so after a break and a few snacks¡ª

    "All that''s left is to prepare the dinner, so you can take it easy now, Yuuta-kun," Akiko-san said and kicked me out of the kitchen, probably because she was looking forward to a thorough cooking session with her daughter. Thus, I had no other choice but to return to my room and open my bag. I grabbed the book I had just bought and turned to the first page, leisurely enjoying my reading time. The next time I raised my head, I realized that the inside of my room started to grow dark. The sun had long set. I read thest bit of the book and then sighed.

    ¡ªThat was great. I read through it all in one sitting. I can''t believe I read the first volume of a heavy hardcover science fiction story in just two hours, not to mention a tranted one. I started to feel like I myself had a grave duty on my shoulders that forced me to travel through space and time. Now I understand why this would receive a Hollywood adaptation. I closed the book when I heard Akiko-san and Ayase-san indulging in a pleasant conversation. Upon poking my head out of the room, Akiko-san spotted me.

    "Yuuta-kun, could you turn on the TV?"

    "Why the TV?"

    "I just wanted some white noise. A movie or something like that will do."

    "Ah, I see. Got it."

    I searched for the remote and turned on the next best streaming service I could find. If she wants some noise in the background, then a channel specifically for movies should do that trick.

    "Would you prefer a Japanese movie? Or maybe a Western one?"

    "A western one. With subtitles is fine, too."

    "¡­You''re really using this as BGM, huh?"

    Then again, even the lines can deliver plenty of excitement on their own, even if you can''t understand them. I booted up a special service for it and chose a random movie befitting the Christmas season. It seemed to be aedy movie for children. I''ve seen it many times before. Something about children being left behind by their parents and doing this and that. It seemed tond itself pretty well, as they created sequel after sequel. Then again, it''s got a very Hollywood-esque approach where it''s unclear if there''s any connection between the series. Maybe the parents are divorced in the sequel? I can''t let down my guard even with family movies like this.

    "Thanks, Yuuta-kun!"

    "Um¡­ is there anything I can help with?"

    "Make it so that you''re starving!"

    "¡­Huh?"

    So, should I do some light training? I nced over at Ayase-san, who simply hummed to herself while swinging around the frying pan. I guess I shouldn''t break her concentration, at least.

    "Well, feel free to call me if you need a hand."

    "Okaaay!"

    After cleaning the bath and checking the water level, I went back to the living room. I sat down on the sofa and went back to watch the currently-airing movie. Shortly after, Ayase-san joined me on the sofa, which probably meant that they were done cooking. Even though there was space for another person between us, I was reminded of the night we watched the movie together. I looked over at Ayase-san, wondering if she was watching the movie, but she was going through her vocabry collection. And since Akiko-san was with us, I wasn''t even quite sure how to interact with Ayase-san.

    Then again, watching TV as a family would be¡­ normal, right? I''m thinking about it too much. When I looked over at Ayase-san again, she had put her earphones into her ears and was listening to something as she worked through her vocabry. She''s not showing any intention of talking to me. Nor is she watching the movie. It''s like we''ve gone back to how we were a year ago.

    "I''m home." My old man arrived home with a stic box in one hand.

    He said he''d be home at around 7 pm, but it was already half an hour past that. He walked past us and directly into the kitchen.

    "I grabbed the one you ordered, but the ce was crowded, so it took me a bit. Sorry."

    "That''s totally fine!"

    He brought back a whole cake that was twelve¡­ maybe fifteen centimeters in diameter? Why can I tell? It''s because I decided against eating cake when Ayase-san and I were out to eat dinner. Then again, we just didn''t have the confidence to finish a whole 12cm cake right after dinner. Still, a 15cm cake might be tough, even for four people¡­ But I guess we can just keep any leftovers for tomorrow.

    "Let''s leave this for after dinner," Akiko-san said and put the cake in the fridge with a grin.

    Since we had prepared for the end of the year, our fridge and freezer were pretty packed.

    "Yuuta-kun, could you carry this and this for me?"

    "Sure."

    She handed me some beer and non-alcoholic champagne, which I carried to the dinner table. I guess we''ll need sses and a corkscrew, too. After making enough space in the fridge, Akiko-san pushed the box with the cake inside. In the meantime, Ayase-san began warming the food, and I carried the heater to the table. By the time my old man came back after changing into a morefortable outfit, the dining table was already set.

    "Wow, that looks mouthwatering."

    The main focus of today''s Christmas dinner was standing in the center of the table: Herb-vored grilled poultry. That being said, it wasn''t just any ordinary chicken meat, it was actually genuine turkey meat that we in Japan tend to enjoy on special asions like this. Though I guess this is normally eaten in other countries around Thanksgiving. It had less fat than regr chicken meat, which is why it''s found frequently on menus for people on a diet. It wasn''t an entire turkey, either, but the amount of meat waiting on the te to be eaten was big enough for me to doubt if we could finish it. My old man apparently had ordered it online, choosing the roasted option.

    "Maybe something with pasta would have given this a more Christmas-y feel?" Akiko-sanmented as she looked at the fully-loaded table.

    I mean, we''ve got a turkey as the main course, but there''s still enough rice to make us feel stuffed, and we''ve got regr miso soup, too. In terms of Christmas colors, this is definitely on the weaker side of things. Ayase-san spoke up, attempting to provide a follow-up.

    "Erm, I think this should be fine. We made some regr sd, too. I think this''ll do as a Western Christmas dinner. Just look at all the dressings, too. Which would you prefer, Stepdad?"

    "I''ll go ssic Japanese."

    Really, what kind of origin does Christmas even have at this point? I had no problem with a Christmas dinner, but that thought left me bewildered.

    "We also prepared some pickled vegetables. Here, there''s some pickled cabbage and cucumber. You like those. Right, Taichi-san?"

    "I sure do. Thanks."

    "Mom¡­ Pickles would have been eno¡ª"

    Enough¡ªshe probably wanted to say but swallowed her words. She probably realized that this wasn''t enough toment on. Ayase-san and I shed a wry smile and sat down. Christmas is supposed to be about love and peace, after all.

    "Anyway¡­ Merry Christmas! And Yuuta, happy birthday!"

    "Dad, you gotta say that on the actual day¡­"

    "That makes sense. My bad. Happy birthday, Saki-chan. And Merry Christmas!"

    "Thank you very much."

    "Happy birthday, you two. Now you''re both 17," Akiko-san said as she looked at both our faces.

    Our parents cracked open their beer, with Ayase-san and I having our non-alcoholic champagne, as we put their sses together for the toast. As you''d expect, Akiko-san''s miso soup was absolutely delicious. Just as my old man had said, arguing about Japanese or Western style is a trifling matter. And today, the miso soup was tofu-based. Beautifully-sliced white tofubined with green onions. The soup itself was made from red miso. Taking a sip from it, I realized something.

    ¡­Did she make this with Christmas colors in mind? Well, it should be fine for at least today.

    "The sauce is delicious, too."

    "And the meat is so pleasant to chew. I guess I scored a good hit with this one."

    Akiko-san and my old man shared impressions about the food, telling me that my judgment wasn''t too far off. After our dinner ended (during which I held back a bit to leave some room for cake), we had some after-dinner coffee and started cutting the cake. The top of the 15cm cake read "Merry Christmas" written with chocte and a Santa us-shaped biscuit next to it. It felt almost like a shame to cut up a cake this beautifully decorated with white cream. Inside the spongy slices of the cake, I spotted the red meat of several strawberries. That''s typical for Christmas, all right. You''ve gotta have shortcake.

    "It''s better to keep it ssic than to experiment and ruin the day, right?" My old man said.

    Well, he''s not wrong. I poked my fork into the slice of the cake given to me by Akiko-san, and we proceeded to celebrate our first birthdays and Christmas as a family. My old man was happy that my grades had gone uppared tost summer, and asked if Ayase-san had any interest in attending a prep school, too.

    "If you''re worried about the money, then¡­"

    "No, it''s okay. If I started something new now, I''d probably only get distracted."

    It was a response full of restraint as you''d expect of her, but my old man still epted it. Thinking about it, before they moved in with us, Ayase-san and Akiko-san had been living alone together. Getting used to suddenly living with two men must be extremely difficult. Not to mention that my old man and I had been living here before, and they moved in with us. The change in the environment alone must have been oppressive¡­ Man, it''s already been half a year since I first met Ayase-san.

    "If you change your mind, then tell me whenever, okay?"

    "Thank you very much¡­ Stepdad."

    Adding thatst part of the sentence caused my old man to start smiling happily. Good, he''s growing to be a wonderful helicopter parent.

    "Personally, I''m much more worried about Yuuta-kun. Are you even finding time to rx and enjoy yourself?"

    "¡­Isn''t it the other way around? I figured you''d be worried if I''m studying enough."

    "I''ve never once had to worry about that," my old manmented from the sidelines.

    Yeah, I don''t remember my old man ever telling me to "Go study." That being said, he was very peculiar and attentive to any calls from school that were about me. I don''t remember how long he''s been like that, but it''s probably been since after my mother left. He''d ask me to show him my report card, as well as all the question sheets up to middle school. Plus, he wouldn''t even say anything while reading through them. He''d just nod to himself, asking if there was anything I didn''t understand. It felt like he was looking at x-ray pictures of me. And then, a few dayster, textbooks and reference books for the subjects I was having trouble with suddenly appeared on my desk. That in itself created a lot of pressure. Though oncepulsory education was done and I got into high school, he just asked for the report card and nothing else.

    "Yuuta always loved reading books ever since he was a child. Your life as a student is short, so you''ve gotta have fun from time to time."

    "So you say, but I''m enjoying myself, you know?"

    "Really? Well, as your parent, I''m happy to hear that. But leaving that aside¡­" My old man stopped and winked at Akiko-san.

    She stood up and opened the door to their bedroom. From there, she returned with a stic bag that was hidden behind the door.

    "Here, these are our birthday presents for you."

    "Hm? This¡­"

    "Are these books?" Ayase-san asked, confused.

    The objects wrapped in the Christmas package were quite thick, and the main reason Ayase-san and I could guess that they were books was because we''re used to wrapping books in the first ce. We''ve seen this familiar sight many times over.

    "Can I open it?"

    "Of course."

    I gave my old man, who kept grinning to himself, a dubious gaze, and removed the wrapping paper. As expected, it was a book. Not to mention¡­

    "A university entrance exam workbook?!"

    "I figured this woulde in handy since you''re getting into studying soon. You don''t have one yet, right?"

    "Well, I don''t, but¡­"

    Ayase-san was just as bewildered as I was, and I didn''t me her. After all, the present we received from our parents on Christmas of all days was the "University and Faculty Entrance Exam Question Collection." Since the front cover was red-colored, some people have taken to calling it an akahon, or "red book." Normally, you''d start gathering these after you set your eyes on your dream university, but these are for all shared problems. Not to mention that it had five copies for all the subjects I had problems with. Needless to say, I was very grateful for this. After all, they could easily surpass the price of three hardcover books together. Allowing me to have them at hand whenever I want will surelye in handy. However¡­

    "This really doesn''t feel much like a present, though."

    "Once you''ve be an adult, you''re free to live your lives as you''d like, but right now, it''s entrance exam time."

    "Do your best, you two," Akiko-san said with a smile.

    "Thank you very much. I''ll do my best." Ayase-san thanked the two of them and lowered her head.

    At that time, Ayase-san and I experienced the weird taste of an odd Christmas present, still not knowing why exactly my old man and Akiko-san kept winking at each other. From the TV, we heard the voices of the child protecting their house from thieves.

    That night, right when I went to bed in order to get some good sleep, I heard faint sounds. I opened my eyes amidst the darkness. I looked around, spotting nothing out of the ordinary in my room. Or rather, I couldn''t see anything at all. I grabbed my phone and turned on the screen, checking the time while I was at it. It was almost half past midnight. I had just fallen asleep a bit ago. Then again, I now have winter break starting tomorrow, so sleeping in a bit wouldn''t hurt.

    I then turned my phone around to light up the area around my door. I spotted a small box next to the door that wasn''t there before. What''s this about? In order to get it, I''d actually have to get out of bed¡­ But I was oddly curious. I peeled off my nket, which caused my body to shiver from the cold air. I felt the urge to hug myself to warm myself up a bit. I turned off the A/C since I didn''t think I''d actually get out of bed again. After making my way to the box, I picked it up and returned to my bed, turning on the light next to my pillow.

    Since it was wrapped with a ribbon on it, I could tell immediately that this was supposed to be a Christmas present. And it''s from Santa us. That name immediately came to mind, but I quickly shook my head. I''m not a young child anymore. But how long has it been since I''ve gotten my hopes up like that? So this is the main gift, huh? I mean, I was happy about getting the akahon for Christmas and my birthday, but I guess that was just a distraction from this, huh? Was my old man the type of person to pull stuff like this? Then again, it might be Akiko-san''s influence.

    There''s a good chance Ayase-san has received the same thing on her end. I took off the wrapping and checked the contents. Immediately after, something fell to the ground.

    "¡­Is this a letter?"

    A present with a card? Upon checking the card, I found that the text was quite lengthy. And it started with ''To Yuuta, who will be an adult next year''¡ªSo basically, since things will be messy and stressful next year, they decided to celebrate us bing adults a bit ahead of time.

    "Oh yeah, we''ll have to focus on entrance exams starting next year¡­"

    Bing a third-year in high school means you''ll have a constant stomach ache from the stress. It''ll probably be hard to give us something when we''re constantly under that much pressure. I checked inside the box.

    "It''s a watch¡­ Not to mention¡­"

    It turned out to be a wristwatch from a manufacturer even I had heard of. As a high school student, its price made it something absolutely unattainable. Even a used one could sell for a hefty amount. It would be the perfect present to celebrate one''s employment.

    ¡ªTo Yuuta, who will be an adult next year.

    I felt the gravity of the message written on the card. Next year, I''ll be 18. I could even get married at that age. And then I''ll be independent. Though I never really thought about it until now. The idea of working feels so unbelievable. The regr schedule would be to attend university, graduate after five to six years, and then start working¡ªActually, finding work isn''t so easy from what I''ve heard. You need a good amount of luck to find a good job. But I need it to eat food and be independent¡­ and get married¡­

    I shook my head left and right. Thatst part isn''t important right now. I took the wristwatch out of the box and put it around my wrist. The silver belt glistened with a light color under the LED light of my room. It wasn''t nearly as heavy as I expected, and wearing it felt quitefortable. But for now, I put it back into the box, which I ced next to my bed.

    ¡­I want to be able to earn enough money so I can afford this kind of wristwatch. And for that, I need to work hard. I snuggled back under my nket, and even after I turned off the lights next to my bed, the silver shine of the wristwatch remained visible behind my eyelids.

 Chapter 77 - 10

    <h4>Chapter 77: Chapter 10</h4>

    December 24th (Thursday) ¨C Ayase Saki

    Once the end-of-term ceremony ended, I headed out to buy the ingredients Mom had asked me to get (which were vegetables and various seasonings) and headed right home. Tonight, we''re having abined birthday and Christmas party at home. Mom took the day off and said she''d be cooking for today, so I wanted to get home as quickly as possible to help her. Upon arriving, I opened the front door that I hadpletely gotten used to by this point. I said "I''m home" and took off my outdoor shoes.

    "Wee back. You''re quicker than I thought." Mom was already standing in the kitchen.

    Even though it was only slightly past noon.

    "Let me help."

    "Oh, my. I''m perfectly fine on my own, so why not get some rest?"

    There''s no way I can let her handle all the work¡ªbut I can''t say that.

    "I''m fine, I''m not tired. Also, here."

    I ced the stic bag of groceries on the dining table.

    "Thanks."

    "I''ll get changed and thene to help you."

    "Aren''t you a bit stubborn today. I wonder who you take after¡­"

    You, Mom. But I swallowed thatment and headed into my room. Once I was done changing, I immediately returned to the kitchen.

    "What are you making today? Any particr ideas?"

    "Since we''re celebrating Christmas and both of your birthdays, I was thinking of making it a bit more luxurious than usual. Rice, miso soup, sd, and meat."

    That¡­ sounds pretty much the same as our regr dinner, no?

    "But this is the meat we''ll be working with!" She swung open the fridge door and showed me the situation inside.

    Whoa, that piece of meat is huge! Not to mention that it was packed into several smaller packages.

    "This¡­ isn''t regr chicken, is it?"

    "It''s turkey meat."

    "How¡­? When¡­?"

    It''d make sense if it was duck meat. They sell that in the local supermarkets. But although I see it more frequently now than I used to, a turkey of all things is still a rarity over here, like I''d have to enter thend of dreams to get a bite. How did she¡­?

    "Is this already grilled?"

    "Cooking this from raw would be a bit too much, even for me. I do know a recipe for it, but that would take up far too much time. You''d have to grill it and then let it freeze for three days, prepare everything the day before, stuff it, and put it together again¡­ which is delicious, but I might as well save the time, right?"

    "Y-Yeah, sounds rough."

    "That it is. And that''s why we ordered it roasted. Or rather, Taichi-san did. It just got here not too long ago. We just have to warm it up." She closed the fridge.

    "That means we can leave the meat forst¡­ What else?"

    "Rice, sd, and miso soup."

    "Huh? But that doesn''t take that long¡­"

    "Oh? Are you getting the wrong idea, by any chance?"

    Huh?

    "Oh, Ayase-san. Wee back."

    I turned around to see Asamura-kuning out of his room.

    "Ah, I''m home."

    "And you''re awake I see, Akiko-san. Are you already preparing dinner?"

    "I was actually thinking of cleaning the kitchen first." She said to Asamura-kun, pointing at the kitchen.

    Oh yeah, it''s close to the end of the year, after all.

    "I''ll help," Asamura-kun said, and I followed immediately after.

    "Me too."

    "My, you didn''t have to, but thanks." Mom said with a smile, but I knew that cleaning the kitchen was hard work.

    You use a lot of oil when cooking, after all. And that tends to leave nasty stains.

    "Though¡­ it''s surprisingly clean." I looked at the wall andmented.

    "Well, my old man and I rarely use the kitchen, after all."

    "I bought the cooking oil only after moving here, too. I don''t think they used it here before," Mom chimed in with an exnation.

    Just as she said, if you don''t use any kind of oil while cooking, there''s no way the kitchen would get too dirty¡­ That exins why Asamura-kun was so shocked when he saw me cooking tempura. He wasn''t used to frying stuff.

    "I was also thinking of cleaning the venttion fans too, but that''s a lot easier."

    "We''ve put them through a lot of work, after all."

    "I didn''t think you could make food like tempura and such at home¡­"

    "Oh, Asamura-kun¡­ Of course you can."

    "Yeah, yeah¡­" Asamura-kun showed a sour smile.

    He did say he wanted to attempt it himself at some point, but he''d have to watch and learn first, that''s for sure. That being said¡­ Huh, I guess cleaning this year won''t be so hard. For the venttion fans, we can just remove the filter, wash it in the kitchen sink or the bath, and clean it with some detergent¡­ or maybe not even that. And we probably won''t have to soak the tiles around the stove with detergent to get rid of the oil stains either. That all sounds fairly easy.

    "I don''t think it''ll take too long."

    "Then let''s get it over quickly with the three of us, yeah?"

    Mom sighed.

    "Fine, but first we have to get the preparations for dinner out of the way," she said, and Asamura-kun and I nodded in response.

    It took us roughly two hours, but the kitchen was soon squeaky clean again. We had a break with some snacks after that, and eventually returned to preparing dinner. I think Mom had been looking forward to cooking with me, because she pretty much chased Asamura-kun out of the kitchen. He reluctantly made his way back to his room. Another two hours passed in the blink of an eye. We made miso soup, and sd¡­ It really didn''t feel much like Christmas dinner. In fact, it was probably still on the light side, until Mom told me that Stepdad was buying a cake she ordered.

    A cake after dinner?! I''m already scared of stepping on the scale tomorrow. Maybe having a lighter dinner is better, after all. Using the cabbage and cucumbers I bought, Mom started working on something. She put the vegetables we cut into a Ziploc bag and swung it around. Is she going for something lightly pickled? But it''s Christmas today, right? Then again, we''re also celebrating Asamura-kun''s and mine birthdays. In that sense, it''s not too weird to keep it traditional. But¡­ pickled stuff for a birthday party is still unorthodox.

    "What''s that weird face for, Saki?"

    "Well, I''m your daughter, after all."

    "Then you''ll surely meet someone as great as Taichi-san."

    "Yeah, yeah."

    After my father left us, I wasn''t quite sure about Mom getting married again. Maybe I was just cautious. It''s hard to imagine, but I have very few memories of Mom talking about men when she was home. She probably ignored love altogether while raising me. Plus, thanks to her work, she most likely ran across a lot of unsightly men, so I wouldn''t have been surprised if she developed a mistrust towards men in general. After she brought up the subject of remarriage, we talked about my father once at home. Reminiscing over that, Mom said:

    ''It''s hard for two strangers to get along with each other.''

    She had taken a break around that time. It was rare to see her drink at home, but she gently tilted the ss mid-air and the ice inside made nking sounds while bumping against it.

    ''Him and I couldn''t get along. But if not for him, then somebody else wouldn''t have saved me.''

    ''I¡­ guess so?''

    ''That''s just how life works. There''s no one who looks perfect in everyone''s eyes. It''s just as the young kids of today say. "You stan who you can," right?''

    That was the first time I''d heard that.

    ''So, this¡­ Asamura-san? Are you sure about being with him?''

    ''For now, yes.''

    ''"For now¡­?" Now I''m worried.''

    ''I''m not confident enough to lie to you and say that we''ll be together for the rest of our lives. I thought we''d be fine before, but things didn''t work out. But¡­ I think it''ll at leastst until you get married or I get a son-inw.''

    And what if I have no intention to do either?

    ''But¡­ then why did you feel like getting married again?''

    ''Because he went through the same pain that I did, maybe?''

    ''Ah¡­ Right, he''s also divorced.''

    ''That''s right. At the very least, I doubt the same thing will happen again. Well, it might just be wishful thinking on my end, but you can''t change your life while not straying from your path once or twice.''

    I found myself thinking Is that how that works? Like it wasn''t even my problem. What does it even mean to get married? I never really gave it much thought, so I have no way of seeing it the same way as Mom does. But I''ve found my own choice in life. I want to be able to earn enough money to support myself without the help of a husband. I want the strength to stand on my own two feet.

    ''Yes, yes. And if possible, I want you to call Taichi-san "Stepdad," if possible.''

    Thatment caught me by surprise. The words she told me didn''t even reach my brain immediately. "Stepdad"¡ªIf I had to guess, it''s probably Mom''s desire for me to openly ept Asamura-san, as he''ll probably feel a lot of pressure suddenly having a daughter-inw at what you''d call a difficult age.

    ''If not, things will get confusing.''

    ¡ªI was wrong.

    ''Confusing?''

    ''I mean, Yuuta-kun''s family name is also Asamura. It''d be confusing who you''re talking to otherwise, right?''

    ''Yuuta¡­ Who is that?''

    ''Oh? Did I not tell you? He''s Taichi-san''s son. Asamura Yuuta-kun.''

    ''So he¡­ has a child?''

    ''He''s 16, just like you. And since his birthday is one week before yours, he''ll be your older brother. Yuuta-oniichan sounds good, and Yuuta-nii has a nice ring to it as well. Then again, you''re basically twins since your birthdays are so close.''

    No, we are not. I''ve never heard of non-blood-rted twins.

    ''This is the first I''ve heard of this.''

    ''Well now you have. And I think you''ll get to meet him next week. So you have two choices. Either call Taichi-san "stepdad," or call Yuuta-kun "Onii-chan." I''m fine with either one, so it''s your choice.''

    I don''t remember much about what happened after that. I feel like the day ended after a bit more banter and idle talk. Either way, I was really thrown off at this sudden revtion. Not to mention that I''d be meeting him so soon. I really wish she''d told me sooner. Mom said that "At least you learned before the actual day, right?" but I couldn''t back ament.

    ''There''s no way anybody would just keep quiet about that until the day of the meeting!''

    It''s been more than half a year since then. Even if I asked Mom once more if she thinks she''ll be fine, she''ll probably respond with the same "For now." Mom knows that love doesn''tst forever, and she''s prepared for that. Even so, I feel like stepdad and Mom really resemble each other. It''s hard to really pin it down, but I can see that Mom has been a bit more open and rxed since she met him. Since she''s willing to take proper breaks and not work herself to death, I''m very thankful for that. Everything is much better than her ruining her health.

    Mom and father were not a good match for each other. In their ten years and more of being a couple, they never managed to adjust to each other even once. Instead, father could only see Mom the way he painted her in his mind.

    While talking about this and that, Mom and I proceeded with our preparations for the dinner. Time passed to the point stepdad shoulde home soon, and Asamura-kun appeared from his room again. He was probably taking a nap or reading a book like he always did. Asamura-kun''s a bookworm, after all. Mom called out to him.

    "Yuuta-kun, could you turn on the TV?"

    "Why the TV?"

    Apparently, she wanted to have a movie running in the background to create a bit of white noise. We couldn''t see the TV screen from our position, but we heard the voice of an energetic boy. And since it was ying Christmas songs, it was probably a Christmas movie. Asamura-kun sat down on the living room sofa and watched the movie.

    I could see his profile from here. And that sight reminded me of when we first met. I was so nervous I just created my own image of Asamura Yuuta, which he brushed aside instantly. Our parents probably watched our exchange in concern, but his words gave me a feeling of relief and peace. He made me realize that he wouldn''t force any expectations on me. And that''s why I said what I did back then.

    ''I won''t have any great expectations from you, so I want you to do the same for me.''

    Since that day, Asamura-kun has always been in my view¡­

    We finished preparing everything for dinner, and Mom said I could take a break. I took off my apron and started thinking. When I went back to my room, I spotted the vocabry cards I had scattered on my desk. It''s winter break starting today, so there''s no particr reason I have to practice ss material, and studying for entrance exams right now isn''t really worth it since we''ll have dinner soon, anyway. The best I could do is work through my vocabry cards some more.

    I connected my earbuds to my smartphone and started ying some lofi hip-hop. A faint tune with rain sounds in the background tickled my ears. I grabbed my vocabry cards and left my room, heading out to the living room. The TV was still ying the Christmas movie, but I was listening to my own music, so I couldn''t hear any of the lines or sounds. That being said, I could wait here for Stepdad toe home. I sat down next to Asamura-kun and started flipping through my cards.

    Bounce¡ªTo deflect something. Okay, got it.

    Concern¡ªTo get involved with someone or something.

    Ah, this is also in the context of showing concern for someone. Isn''t worry something simr? I stopped flipping through the cards and started thinking. I looked this up before in the dictionary. The difference between it and worry is that concern isn''t used when some sort of troublesome incident happens. It has more of a connotation of doing something to prevent the thing that is making you worry. It''s important to help and not just worry, after all. Though I don''t know how important that difference will be to remember.

    Consider¡ª¡­Consider? Um, thinking about doing something?

    I worked my way through my vocabry cards while enjoying a pleasant rhythm entering my ears. And this continued for a bit longer, with Asamura-kun next to me just enjoying the movie.

    I don''t quite know what woke me up that night. However, it was probably that I noticed something amidst the darkness. A faint ray of light entered my room that was otherwise pitch ck. The door was open.

    "I thought I closed it¡­" I mumbled to myself and stood up.

    I turned on the light next to my bed and spotted a small box standing next to the open door.

    "Santa¡­?"

    I remembered back to the time I actually fell for the whole ''Santa'' thing back in grade school. Though when I said "Thanks, Mom" to her the next morning, Santa stoppeding. I put on my cardigan and reached for the present. It wasn''t anything huge. It fit pretty snugly into the palm of my hand. I removed the ribbon and undid the wrapping paper to see a white box. On top of the box was a letter that started with the words "To Saki."

    It was from my mother, writing about the gratitude she had for me as her daughter, and how she was worried that she may have put too much pressure on me. Why is it always so embarrassing to read a genuine letter from your family? ¡­But I still read the letter a bit more, and then opened the small box. Inside was a bracelet from an expensive manufacturer. I returned to the letter.

    Knowing you, there''s a good chance you might try to be independent right after graduating from high school¡ª

    I nearly jumped in shock when I read that. I never clearly voiced that desire, and yet she had already seen through me.

    And since that is probably what is going to happen, since you''re my daughter, you''d never waste any money. You''re stubborn, after all.

    "Because I''m your daughter, yeah¡­" I looked at the bracelet in my hand.

    That''s why I''m giving you this bracelet as a present. Next year, it''ll be nothing but entrance exams filling your mind, so I want to give it to you now while you still have some freedom. If pushes to shove, you can even sell it. It''ll allow you to buy food for at least a month. Use that time to ask for help from someone, okay?

    She even knew I had trouble relying on others.

    "But¡­ I just got this as a present. Who in their right mind would tell the other person to sell their present if pushes to shove?"

    Actually, there''s one person right here, huh? Mom continued the letter by apologizing for making it something expensive like this, but she wanted me to let her do this for me, and then she ended the letter like that. I couldn''t hold back a sigh. She knew that writing a letter to go along with it like this would make it hard for me to return it. I put it around my wrist for a bit and then ced it back on my bed, and the faint light from mymp illuminated it with a bright silver color. I poked my finger at it.

    "I''m not afraid of working my butt off. I''ll repay you ten-fold for this someday." I dered, though with a meek voice.

    If anything, it felt more like I was praying. I carefully put the bracelet back into the box and put it away. I won''t ever think of selling this. I''m going to put this on whenever I see the people who are important to me. I made it so the bracelet was visible from outside the box and stored it next to my bed, then snuggled under my nket.

    "Thanks, Mom." I mumbled and looked inside the box onest time before I closed my eyes.

    Even amidst the darkness, the faint silver shine was still visible. The size of it could fit atop an angel''s head like a halo, right? Though halos are supposed to be gold. Well, it''s a small difference. The faces of all the people I care about shed up behind my eyelids and then vanished.

    Merry Christmas. I hope they all continue to be happy.

 Chapter 78 - 11

    <h4>Chapter 78: Chapter 11</h4>

    December 31st (Thursday) ¨C Asamura Yuuta

    The sky was grey, my breath white, and the cold air blowing against my cheek hurt ever so lightly. At around 6 am, the sky to the east began to light up ever so faintly, but it was still pretty much dark out. When we have to get up and leave this early, it bes pretty clear that Tokyo and Nagano are quite a distance apart from each other. You could reach the tourist spot Karuizawa with the bullet train, but since my old man''s family lives fairly deep in the mountains, that''s not gonna work.

    We''ll only be there for two nights, but preparing everything was still a hasty mess. We all went around the house checking for what we needed, what we needed to buy, and what we wouldn''t need. It''s honestly been a while since I''ve experienced this much stress. In fact, thest time was probably when Ayase-san and Akiko-san moved here. Back then we moved together like a flock of birds moving everything inside the house.

    In contrast to that, we''re now actually acting like a family, preparing to head out for what could be considered a vacation, and I didn''t dislike this feeling. The one who seemed the most nervous out of all of us was Akiko-san. These two haven''t held a marriage ceremony yet. In other words, this is the first time she''ll meet my old man''s rtives. Though she''s met my grandparents at least. I think they had a meal together.

    In order to get married, an adult man and woman only need each other''s consent, and the family can''t go against their decision from a legal standpoint. Even if they were against Akiko-san being my old man''s wife, there''s no reason to worry. At least, again, legally and on the surface. However, reality is always cruel and realistic. Plus, unlike random acquaintances, it''s hard topletely cut your rtives off from your life. If they hate you, it eats away at your mental state. Whether that''s a grandmother, cousin, or parent.

    ¡­Or even your step-sister. Even if you hold genuine dislike towards the other person, you''ll regrly run into them, so it''s hard to avoid each other. And since Akiko-san pretty much was fighting a long-distance battle, she didn''t hold back when it came to thorough preparation. The fight had already begun. And she''d be fighting the enemy on their home turf.

    We packed everything necessary into a bag, which included drinks, snacks, a change of clothes, toiletries, and a wallet¡ªBasically regr traveling equipment, but the most important thing was souvenirs for the family, after all. These we hadn''t forgotten. Three boxes of wrapped snacks for the three families were all stored away in the trunk of the car.

    Akiko-san nced down at the checklist in her hand, making sure we had packed everything. Part of that was New Year''s presents for the younger children. She even had their names written down with the corresponding amount. This is probably thanks to her experience serving customers as a bartender. She must have asked for all the names of these children from my old man. Once again, she''s disying perfectly adult behavior and what is expected from an adult. Being mindful of your surroundings lets you get off without major problems, and you don''t lose out on much. It''s the way of the adult, I guess.

    When I imagine myself getting married, and realize that the same thing will be expected of me, I can already feel my head hurting. And it gives me stomachaches. I do like my cousins, but that doesn''t change the fact that all this extra work sounds like a pain. Can you just have these sorts of important social gatherings and events on socialworks instead? But even as my thoughts drifted around, my hands kept moving.

    Then again, most of my belongings easily fit into a sports bag. I don''t need to change that often, and the only thing I can''t forget is my school homework. When I was younger, I''d usually take like three or four copies of books with me, but now I can just save them on my phone. Sometimes the progress of technology isn''t so bad.

    "I think it''s time to head out," my old man said, so we headed to the parking lot outside our t.

    "This is the first time the four of us have headed somewhere together, huh?"

    "Oh yeah, that''s right." Akiko-san nodded at my old man''s statement.

    If you live in a big city like this, you rarely have to use your car. So this''ll be the first time we''re all traveling together.

    "I haven''t even taken a ride in Stepdad''s car yet."

    "Don''t worry, he drives safely," Akiko-san said.

    It sounds like she has experienced my old man driving before. By the time we left the parking lot, the sky had already begun to light up halfway. We all hopped in the car, closing off the cold air from the outside. And since we''d be heading to Nagano during the winter, the tires had already been changed into winter ones. If we used the Kan-Etsu and the Joshin-Etsu Highways, and if there weren''t any traffic jams or snow on the road, we should reach our destination in about four hours. And since it''s near the end of the year, there''s a good chance we''ll encounter both. That''s why we estimated our arrival would be in the afternoon. And that''s also why we left this early.

    "I think it''ll just be Akiko-san and I next year. You two will be busy with entrance exams, and then you''ll find your own rtionships once you enter university. In fact, we might not get many more chances to travel with the four of us. That''s why I wanted us to go together as a family this year at least. Although it might be a bit boring since there''s not much to see¡­"

    "You both have to prepare for entrance exams starting next year, after all. How time flies."

    My old man and Akiko-san both said the same thing. Basically, this could be ourst time going on a trip. These words reverberated deep inside of me. I put on my seatbelt and leaned against my seat, thinking to myself.

    Ourst time, huh? I nced over at my step-sister, sitting on the opposite side of the back row. She had her earphones in as she gazed outside the window and up at the sky turning bright. She seemed to have noticed my gaze. She removed one earbud and looked at me, which made her medium-length hair sway a bit.

    "What''s wrong?"

    My heart skipped a beat.

    "Ah, it''s nothing¡­ I was just thinking that you might be tired since it''s this early."

    "Actually¡­ I might be a bit sleepy."

    My old man heard that and spoke up.

    "You can always take a nap if you''d like, Saki-chan."

    "Thank you. But I''m fine for now." She put her earbud back in and entered the world of music once more.

    She had her face turned towards the window, not looking at me. Even though we''re close enough for our elbows to almost touch, she felt so distant¡­ and it made me feel lonely. No, calm down. This is for the best, actually. Ayase-san and I are siblings still in high school, and we''re sharing the same living space with our parents. We can''t do anything that would cross the line of us being regr siblings, and we can''t let anybody find out either.

    Once all the doors were closed and the tires started moving, the sound of the wind outside soon disappeared, and the slight vibration began to lull me to sleep. My eyelids began to feel heavy, but thanks to the periodic conversations happening between Akiko-san and my old man, I somehow managed to stay awake. After experiencing a slight traffic jam, we passed the junction at Ooizumi and finally got onto the Kan-Etsu Highway. Using that, we traveled north into Saitama Prefecture.

    During the ride, it was mostly our parents doing the talking, with the topics being about whatever came to mind, about life and the world¡ªas well as Akiko-san''s homemade cooking¡­ So basically, it was the same as ever. As for myself, I would periodicallyment on their conversation, but not participate much. Even so, I realized that Akiko-san must have been really nervous. And my old man probably realized it too. Then again, I understand that she must feel a lot of pressure. Especially when ites to the eyes of our rtives.

    For example, what would happen if Ayase-san and I made our rtionship public? It''d just make things awkward for us, as well as our parents. Realistically speaking, we''ll be attending school while living with our parents. That means we''d run into them every morning despite everything being so awkward. I don''t even want to think about it. That being said, I can''t even think of stopping the rtionship I have with Ayase-san. Can I really give up on the girl I love this easily? I mean, it''d be one thing if she began to hate me.

    But once I started thinking about that, another possibility rose inside my head. What if my rtionship with Ayase-san were to end prematurely? And despite that, we''d still have to continue being siblings? Our rtionship as brother and sister wouldn''t disappear. Even if one of us gets married to someone else. I''m the older brother, and Ayase-san is the younger sister. Logic says that''s how things will go, and both of our families see each other this way. Well, things would be different if our parents happened to break up¡ªWhat am I even thinking? I shouldn''t even consider that possibility. I shook my head.

    "Is anything wrong, Yuuta? Motion sick?"

    "I''m fine. I just had a nasty thought is all."

    "Did you forget your homework?"

    "¡­I have that with me, don''t worry."

    So my old man thinks that the worst thing filling my mind is homework? Well, I doubt he''d even consider that I''d be thinking about love and whatnot. Especially in close rtion to his own daughter-inw. And yet I let out another sigh that could be easily misunderstood. Meanwhile, Ayase-san''s face was still glued to the world outside the window. It had cleared up fully, and the sun hade out to greet us now that we had reached more nature. Before, it was only peeking between the high-rise buildings of Shibuya. Both sides of the highway now are riddled with either trees or fields. It would have been beautiful scenery, but the winter season made it look dead and barren, creating a painting of ck and brown. In the distance, we could see the snowy mountains.

    Two hours into our drive, we opted to take a break at a rest stop.

    As we drove further north, the sights around us changed from brown-ish to brown with a few touches of white here and there.

    "There''s some snow left."

    "When it snows up here, it stays for a while."

    "As you''d expect of Nagano," my old man said.

    "Is this your first time seeing Nagano during the winter, Akiko-san?" I asked.

    "I came here to ski many years ago."

    "Can you ski?"

    "If you refer to skiing as ''rolling down a mountain,'' then yes."

    I don''t think that counts¡­

    "How about you, Taichi-san?"

    "Me? Of course. Before moving away because of university reasons, I lived up here."

    "I had no idea¡­"

    That''s surprising. While we were talking, the car entered a tunnel and passed through it. Thanks to that, the scenery opened up a bit further. The number of houses grew fewer, and you could see smaller hunts, the distance between each of them growingrger. After passing through another tunnel, my old man said "Once we''re past Saku, we''ll reach Komoro." The next time we''ll see the Hokuriku Bullet Train while driving on the Joshi-Etsu Highway will be at the Saku Interchange past Karuizawa. From there on out, we''ll pass through Komoro and Nagano, with my old man''s hometown even farther past there.

    Then again, just dropping names left and right doesn''t make it any clearer. Even I don''t remember everything around here, I''m just listening to the exnations my old man is giving Akiko-san along the way. When I looked to my side, I saw that Ayase-san had raised herself up and was gazing at the scenery outside with even greater interest than before.

    "Curious about something?" I asked her, and she turned around like she''d forgotten I was even there.

    "Erm, not really. Just that over there." She pointed outside the right window, and I turned around to look where she was pointing.

    It was on the opposite side of the highway. There stood a single home surrounded by fields that were covered with white makeup. It had a roof made out of tiles, standing out more than anything else amid this scenery.

    "That old building?"

    "Yeah, it looks pretty old. Isn''t that one of those old Japanese-style houses?"

    "Yep."

    I think you call them that if they''ve been around for more than 50 years after construction. From the choice of words, it sounds a bit like it''s an odd building, but considering these were built in the 1950s and earlier, that''s right when the Second World War ended.

    "That home just now looks the oldest out of all of them."

    The scenery outside the car flew past us incredibly quickly, as there were no scattered and withered trees. Even so, you could see some houses popping up left and right.

    "That one''s just that much older than the rest, I guess."

    "But it had an antenna on top of it."

    "It did? I''m surprised you could tell."

    "Maybe that just caught her attention first."

    My old man caught on to our conversation and joined in.

    "Around here, it''s nothing but mountains. You don''t get any signal or inte. If you want to watch TV, you''ve gotta rely on cable or satellite."

    I nodded.

    "It ruins the elegance, though."

    "It''s a necessary sacrifice if you live here."

    "That is true. When I was still young, I had to fight for my inte connection, but now they''ve pretty much got the same as in the big city."

    "Makes sense."

    "Do you like this sort of stuff?" I asked Ayase-san, and she nodded.

    "Old-fashioned buildings, shrines, temples; I like the stuff that has kept its shape over the passage of time."

    "So, like castles?"

    "Yep, castles, too. And stone walls."

    "Stone walls¡­ Just the stone walls?"

    Ayase-san nodded. She seemed oddly delighted at that.

    "When looking at older castles, even if the castle itself breaks apart, the stone walls keep standing. Only the stone walls, or the ditches¡­ Maybe even the pirs, too. Any ruins of that."

    "And looking at that stuff is fun?"

    "It really is. If you look at the way they built the walls and piled up the stones, you can have a good guess as to when it was built. So the people who understand a lot about this context can figure out quite a lot with small hints like that. And when I heard about that, I was engrossed. It''s amazing that people can see and understand things that should have disappeared by now."

    "I didn''t even know there was a difference in the way you''d stack stones to build walls."

    "Really? I think we worked through that in our textbooks before¡­ Maybe not? I tend to remember these things from picture collections or videos."

    "There are videos?"

    "Of course. Just look up ''Castles in Japan'' and you''ll find a ton. I rarely watch any videos, but these types of videos have always interested me."

    "You''re quite engrossed with Japanese history, then?"

    She nodded once more. That reminds me. In thest two exams, she always had a perfect 100 points when it came to Japanese history. So she''s a fan of history in general? That''s a bit surprising¡­ but also not really. Ayase-san turned her head back towards the window and mumbled.

    "That''s why I like these sorts of old buildings. They''re brimming with memories and facts about the past. Now that I know there''s more around here, I''m really looking forward to this."

    Well, it''s true that Shibuya doesn''t have any old buildings like what she''s talking about. As for Nagano¡­ Maybe the Shimazaki Touson Temple? That one''s frequently mentioned in our Japanese textbooks. ''By the Ancient Castle at Komoro, White Clouds Grieve The Wanderer,'' one of the textbooks said. The ck and white scenery outside the window briefly lost all its color, like it had turned into a photo primary with a sepia hue.

    The car brought us further and further away from civilization, deeper into the mountains, and the buildings disappeared amongst the snow. We went down from the highway after passing Komoro and Nagano City, deeper into the woods. After drifting up a mountain road that twisted left and right like a snake, we reached a basin. Finally, we spotted a tall bungalow in the distance. There was no parking lot. Instead there was arge open area in front of the building, with the snow shoveled to the side. In one of that area''s corners, my old man parked the car.

    "We''re here."

    We all got out of the car. The cold breeze made my body tremble. The area was covered with snow, and without it being shoveled to the side, we''d probably be knee-deep in here. Even the breathing out of my mouth was white, my cheeks turning red from the cold air.

    "This yard is quite big." Ayase-san looked around as she stretched.

    "It''s not so much of awn," My old man answered, "It''s just that nothing was built here. Well, they''ve got plenty ofnd to use."

    "And what an elegant home," Ayase-san said as she looked at therge bungalow in front of her.

    "Old things are still old. I was told my grandfather built this."

    The building in front of us with its tiled roof was much older than 50 years, which qualified it as one of Ayase-san''s beloved Japanese-style houses.

    "Amazing¡­"

    "The inside''s been kept up. And it''s prettyfy, too. But more importantly, Saki-chan, Akiko-san, let''s head inside. We don''t have to freeze out here."

    "Yes, Taichi-san."

    "I''ll help carry the luggage, Dad."

    "Yeah, let''s split up the weight."

    My old man and I took care of the heavy luggage. He led the way as we headed for the entrance. Next to him was Akiko-san with a stiff expression, with Ayase-san and I behind them. We had left our house so early, but the sun had already started moving towards the West. As she let out white breath over and over, she gazed at the bungalow ahead of us.

    ¡ªI enjoy looking at older buildings. They''ve brimming with memories and facts about the past.

    Just what is she seeing in that house right now?

    "I''m home." My old man shouted as he opened the front door.

    Every time I hear this word, it makes me realize that this truly is the ce he was born.

    "Yeees," a voice came back from deep inside, followed by the sounds of footsteps approaching us.

    The person who appeared was my father''s mother, meaning she was my grandmother.

    "Wee back, Taichi. Kanae and the others have just gotten here," She said and shed a peaceful smile.

    Her back had still yet to start to stoop, and her voice was brimming with energy. She really never changes. And what a relief that was. My old man nodded and Akiko-san bowed politely.

    "Thanks for having me, Mother-inw."

    "Yes, yes, I haven''t seen you in a while, Akiko-san."

    Grandmother seemed a bit relieved at seeing Akiko-san practically frozen stiff. Following that, Akiko-san wrapped her arm around Ayase-san''s back.

    "And this¡­ is my daughter Saki."

    "Nice to meet you, I''m Saki."

    Ayase-san took a step forward and bowed politely as her mother had. Since our parents had met my old man''s grandparents during a weekday, both Ayase-san and I were at school and didn''t participate. So this is likely their first meeting.

    "Yes, wee, wee. I''ve been waiting to meet you, Saki-chan."

    "It''s my pleasure."

    "Wonderful. Make yourself feel at home, okay? But for now,e on in. Everyone''s in the living room, so I''ll go prepare some tea now."

    "Ah, let me help you," Akiko-san spoke up.

    Grandmother showed a perplexed expression for a moment, but then responded with a t "Sure."

    "That being said, I''ll show you to your rooms first."

    "Yes."

    We took off our shoes at the front entrance and followed my grandmother through the entrance hallway. Well, I''ve been here plenty of times, so I don''t need any guidance. However, Ayase-san raised a quiet voice right as we went inside.

    "It''s a hard-packed floor¡­" She seemed oddly impressed.

    I was a bit confused at her statement, but quickly realized she was talking about the floor we were standing on. I mean, I bet she''s seen it before, but maybe this is her first time actually experiencing it? ssic Japanese residences usually have a bit of space between their floor and the ground in order to let wind pass through underneath. Since Japan is known for its humidity, it''d immediately ruin any wooden-built buildings without this air gap. That''s why there''s a difference in height when you enter a hallway. The entrance is usually on ground levelpared to the rest of the building. That''s where you take off your shoes and step up, or more urately step in. The part where the entrance is the same level as the ground is what you call doma, and if the doma is made out of stiff mortar, then you have a tataki, which is what Ayase-san was talking about.

    But of course, Ayase-san should be more knowledgeable about this sort of thing than I. I can''t forget that she scored a perfect 100 points in Japanese history during ourst exams. Even as we walked down the hallway, Ayase-san inspected various areas of the building. The initial hallway we walked through immediately split up into two paths, going left and right. If we went left, we''d get to the kitchen. However, grandmother didn''t take that route and went right instead. As we followed her, the hallway changed into an engawa, the traditional external corridor going alongside a garden. The storm shutters to our right were all inside specifically-built boxes, directly blocking off the garden. At first nce, it may look like an open veranda, but if you close the storm shutters, it bes a regr hallway again. Meanwhile, the sun shone brightly and illuminated the hallway from its western position in the sky.

    "So spacious¡­" Ayase-san''s murmur reached my ears.

    The left side was blocked off by typical sliding screens, but there were at least three rooms next to the engawa. The living area was the room in the center. The one in front was my grandparents'' sleeping area, and the one in the back belongs to my old man''s older brother and his wife. My old man''s name may be written with the kanji for older brother, but he''s actually the second-oldest son.

    It''s also not visible from here, but further in the back (or north) harbors three more rooms, which will be the guest rooms for these next few days.

    "Wahaha!"

    We heardughtering from deeper within the room.

    "My, my, they''re awfully lively today." Grandmother made a bitter smile and opened the sliding screen.

    We were greeted by arge Japanese-themed room. The majority of the Asamura Family had gathered already. Starting with my grandfather and his eldest son (who is my father''s brother and my uncle), a few other adults were sitting around the table, which made the tatami room seem much smaller. The low table¡ªabout the height of two tea tables¡ªwas filled with drinks and snacks.

    "Taichi has arrived."

    "Oh! Finally! Must have taken you a long drive from Tokyo." An elderly man stood up with a loud voice.

    He''s my grandfather. His hair has already turned snow-white, his forehead is nk, but his voice has the same energy as it did years ago.

    "It''s been a while, Akiko-san. Are you doing well?"

    "Yes. It''s nice to see you again, Father-inw." Akiko-san bowed her head, which focused all the attention in the room on her.

    Whoa, look at this pressure. The only two people in this room who have met Akiko-san before are my grandparents. My uncle, his wife, their son, my aunt, her husband, and their two children were all meeting Akiko-san for the first time. It was practically 7 vs 1¡­ Wait, there''s one more person. A woman in the center of the room. I don''t know her.

    "Yes, yes. Let''s leave the introductions forter. I''m sure they must be tired, so I''ll show them to their rooms."

    "R-Right."

    My grandmother read the room and broke up the atmosphere. I was a bit curious about the unfamiliar woman, but we just exchanged brief greetings and then left after grandmother. Walking down the hallway, we were brought to the room the furthest in the back.

    "Please use this room this year. I''ve already prepared futons and everything."

    "Thanks, Mom," My old man said.

    The guest room was as Japanese as you''d expect, about thirteen square meters in size, with four futons stacked atop each other in the corner of the room. The scent of tatami material was especially strong. It''s probably because this ce isn''t usually used. And this is where we''ll be spending the next two days, huh?

    ¡­Hold on a second. Here? All four of us? When I realized this, my heart started beating faster. This means¡­ Ayase-san and I will be sleeping in the same room?

    "I''m sorry we couldn''t find more rooms for your children this year, the thing is¡ª"

    Right as grandma started trying to exin things, we heard a voice from beyond the sliding screen,ing from my cousin Kousuke-san. My old man answered him, and the sliding screen moved to the side. As expected, he''s my cousin, currently eight years older than me. He graduated from university two years ago, and he''s working now. And a woman was with him. The same woman I had just seen in therge hall. She''s probably the same age as him, seeming like a polite and collected person.

    "Hm? What''s up, Kousuke-kun?"

    "Ah, well, there''s someone I''d like to introduce to you¡­" He said and stepped aside for the woman to take a step forward. She lowered her head.

    She had semi-long hair that fluttered as she did this, and she introduced herself as Nagisa. After that, Kousuke-san said "We''ve gotten married" with a bashful expression.

    "Oh, really?! Congrattions, Kousuke-kun!" My old man grinned as he congratted Kousuke-san.

    Personally, I was absolutely shocked. Untilst year, he didn''t even mention having a girlfriend. Apparently, Nagisa-san is a year younger than Kousuke-san, and they were members of the same circle at university. Basically, they''ve been dating for several years¡­ No, this isn''t weird. He''s eight years older than me, and he graduated from university two years ago. I guess he wouldn''t tell his cousin who is 8 years younger than him about his love life. My old man called Akiko-san and Ayase-san over and introduced them. Kousuke-san nced at Ayase-san and then back at me.

    "So, you''ve got a younger sister now, Yuuta?"

    "Ah, yes."

    "Oh, huh. I thought you''d gotten married, too."

    I knew he was joking, but for a split second, the inside of my head went nk. Ayase-san and I¡­? Married¡­?

    "There''s no way I did. I''m still in high school."

    I really tried my best to not show my confusion in my voice. Still, what is he saying? And in front of our parents, no less. But this is the kind of person he is, so I can''t say I''m surprised.

    "I was just joking, you know?"

    "I know, I know."

    ¡­But still, Kousuke-san got married? It felt like my cousin had suddenly grown up to be an actual adult.

    "I didn''t even know you were part of any circle, Kousuke-san."

    I pushed the luggage into the corner of the room as I spoke to Kousuke-san. My old man took Akiko-san into the hall in order to formally introduce her to the rest of our rtives, leaving just me, Ayase-san, Nagisa-san, and Kousuke-san in the room.

    "I wasn''t too passionate about it, so I never mentioned it."

    "But he was the best at skiing."

    Kousuke-san seemed to remain modest but Nagisa-san threw in a follow-up. Even though they had just gotten married, they were already in perfect sync. Maybe that''s why they got married so quickly.

    "Skiing?"

    "Yeah, it was like a ski gathering of sorts. Well, it''s not a big skiing event or anything, andpared to the other folks here, I''m beginner level."

    "Can all people from Nagano ski?" Ayase-san joined in on the conversation.

    What a rare urrence. Normally she didn''t participate in other people''s conversations.

    "Well, we''re better off than regions with less snow, for sure."

    "And that''s where you met Nagisa-san?" I asked, to which both of them suddenly looked all bashful, fumbling over their own words.

    Seeing a cousin who''s eight years older than I am acting like that made even me embarrassed.

    "Well, about that¡­"

    "Right?"

    Something''s going on between the two of them. After exchanging a few nces, they were willing to exin how they got together.

    "I was just thinking I wanted to try out skiing, see. A friend of mine who knew that Kou-chan could ski set me up for a meeting."

    "And I had no idea, I was just dragged to the cafeteria."

    "So, they introduced me to Kou-chan, saying stuff like ''He''s really good at it, so why not have him teach you?''¡ª"

    "And before I knew it, I was training her."

    "Did you now¡­?" Nagisa-san smiled, but her eyes made it clear that this wasn''t how things really yed out.

    "And what was he like, then?"

    "My friend tried everything to get him to help me, but he was all sour about it. Saying ''There''s plenty of people who are as good as me'' or ''As long as you keep a good center of gravity, skiing down the mountain is easy'', and so on." Nagisa-san exined.

    "I see."

    "So he was ying hard to get, then."

    "Again, I''m sorry¡­"

    "It made me feel like you hated me, even though we''d barely met."

    "If you''d just been honest and said you wanted to teach me, then I would have¡ª"

    "So you would''ve taught any girl as long as she asked you to?"

    "Ack, ugh¡­ That''s not what I meant¡­"

    Nagisa-san snickered to herself. Kousuke-san tried to clean his te.

    "I''m just not used to being praised excessively¡­"

    "You should be more confident in yourself, Kou-chan. Plus, that''s what made me interested in you in the first ce."

    "Huh? Really?"

    I didn''t expect that, so I let out a shocked voice.

    "Yes. I liked how he didn''t put himself up on a pedestal like he was some kind of being greater than the universe. It made me realize how genuine and honest of a person he is."

    "Erm¡­ thanks."

    "Hee, hee."

    They''re absolutely head over heels, I see. Still, if they''ve been dating since their second year in university, then they''ve been dating for almost six years now. It sounds like quite a long time, but they still act like a couple that just got together. Because I''ve been watching my old man and Akiko-san flirt right in front of me for the past year, I thought I''d gotten enough maple syrup and cream poured over me to finally became used to it, but seeing it from my cousin of all people, who never showed any interest in romance,pletely threw me off.

    "I get it¡­"

    I heard a faint whisper that barely reached my ear. Looking to my side, I saw Ayase-san leaning forward, listening to their story with awe and excitement. I had no idea what exactly she meant by that, but once she noticed I was staring at her, she immediately turned her head away.

    "But your decision to get married came out of nowhere, right?" I asked, looking back at Kousuke-san.

    Not even my old man knew about it, but wouldn''t at least our grandparents know when the papers starteding in?

    "We haven''t had the ceremony yet," Kousuke-san responded.

    Apparently, it''ll happen in half a year. Basically, they added their names to the family register, just like my old man and Akiko-san did.

    "Do you not n on holding a ceremony?"

    "Not exactly. I want to have one. The thing is just¡­ I would have preferred to propose a bitter than this."

    "Huh¡­?"

    For a split second, my gaze moved towards Nagisa-san. Wouldn''t a woman be a bit annoyed if her soon-to-be husband said such a thing? However, she didn''t seem too bothered by it.

    "It''s just¡ªand Dad and the others don''t know about it either¡ªbut I''m going to be transferred overseas."

    "Overseas?!"

    "Yeah. For two whole years."

    "When?"

    "This spring."

    "That''s right around the corner!"

    "That''s why we can''t really have a ceremony right now. Getting everything ready takes a lot of nning and all that."

    "We can''t even find a ce, either¡­ Although we did try."

    "The way things stand right now, it''d have to happen after next summer."

    "I¡­ see¡­"

    Since I had never even thought about all of that, I couldn''tment much. I can''t even imagine that.

    "Yes. I mean, if you really had to, you might be able to find a ce, but considering how many rtives you have, Kousuke-san, it''d probably be hard to get them together on the right day, let alone at the perfect ce."

    "And of course, anywhere that''d work really well like that is already fully packed. Plus, there are also Nagisa''s preferences to take into ount. We guys don''t care much for traditional or Western and all that, but women want to be clear about their dress or traditional robe."

    "Can you not make me sound selfish?"

    "Sorry, I didn''t mean it that way. But once I head over there, I can''t guarantee that everything will be done in two years."

    "I don''t wanna wait."

    Nagisa-san seemed like a patient type, but she could voice her emotions when she needed to. That''s what makes her such a good match for Kousuke-san. He''s not too good at reading other people''s thoughts, after all.

    "That''s why we at least decided to put our names into the family register. She wants toe with me, after all. Luckily, mypany is fine with us moving together."

    "So you''ll both be moving overseas¡­ When did you hand in the form?"

    "The 24th."

    "Huh¡­? Wait, this month?"

    "Yep."

    Well, I guess it makes sense that nobody would know.

    "We''ve been living together for the past half year, so that day is when we technically made it official by handing in the form. Plus, it makes it easier to remember our anniversary."

    "I''m sure you''ll manage to forget it even then, Kou-chan. If I don''t remind you, you''llpletely forget my birthday."

    "No way, no way."

    "Reaaally?"

    "Come on, have some faith in me."

    These two really are close, huh?

    "Anyway, Yuuta. I think we should head back now."

    "Good point, then Ayase-san and I will also¡ª"

    ''Go with you''¡ªis what I wanted to say when I heard small footsteps approaching. After that, the sliding screen swung open as two children came in cheering "Yuu-chan, let''s y!" They then immediately leaped at me.

    "Yuu-chan, Yuu-chan! Let''s y!"

    "Let''s y!"

    Everything got really noisy really quickly.

    "Oh, Takumi! Mika! It''s been a while," I said and picked up the two grade school children.

    I had just seen themst year, but they really grew up a lot. The older boy was Takumi and the younger girl was named Mika. They''re both the children of my old man''s younger sister, so they''re my cousins. Also, Takumi''s two years older than Mika.

    "Hey, hey, Yuu-chan! Look! I got a monster!"

    "Got a monster!"

    "That''s not true! You got a ring, Mika! I got the monster!" Takumi held the plush monster as high into the air as he could.

    Mika saw what her brother was doing and also held her toy ring high in the air. Of course, we weren''t talking about a genuine ring you''d buy as an adult or anything like that. It was a stic one about the size of a small ball. The part where you''d put a jewel or gem had a magic circle drawn on it. It might be some kind of merch from an anime or something. I bet Maru would know.

    "Then this is a ring monster!"

    "No way! Oh, whatever! Hey, Yuu-chan, let''s y!"

    "Let''s y!"

    "Calm down, calm down."

    Children really do whatever their brain tells them to.

    "Hey, who''s this beautifuldy?" Mika asked while clinging to me.

    "That''s Ayase-san," I answered, and then I realized something.

    They don''t understand what this means. She''s keeping her family name for convenience in our daily lives and at school, but our rtives were introduced to her as Asamura Saki. Here in my old man''s hometown, they''re still rtively old-fashioned. Namely, the family names are taken over by one party. And if I call her "Ayase," wouldn''t it sound like I''m rejecting her as a family? If so, maybe I should introduce her as "My younger sister Saki"¡­? Or simply "Saki-chan" could also¡­? No, I can''t. That''s not possible for me.

    Mika for her part turned around, pointing at Kousuke-san and Nagisa-san.

    "Ko-chan, Na-chan!"

    "Yes, yes. But, you shouldn''t point at people, okay?" Kousuke-san said as he rubbed Mika''s head.

    "Okay!" She said and then looked at me.

    "Yuu-chan!"

    "Ah, yeah. Hello."

    "And, um¡­ Aya¡­A-chan!"

    "Huh? Ah, yes?" Ayase-san seemed bewildered, responding with a questioning tone of voice.

    In response, Mika tilted her head in confusion, like she was wondering if she had made a mistake. Which she did. Ayase isn''t herst name, but her first name. However, even if I introduced her as Ayase Saki or Asamura Saki, it would only confuse her more. Plus, A-chan should work out just as fine. A bit of an emergency solution, but nothing should be weird even if she continued to call her that.

    "Hey, hey, Yuu-chan!"

    "Hm?"

    "Is A-chan your friend?"

    "No, she''s my little sister. Though we only became a family recently."

    Mika once again tilted her head in confusion. I guess she''s still a bit confused.

    "Mika, remember what your mother said? Uncle Taichi got married again."

    "And you get a little sister when you do that?"

    I shed a bitter smile. How could I exin it so that she understands it? I thought about it, but there''s no real exnation that might get through. I instead opted to change the subject. I think that, when I was their age, I also yed with Kousuke-san the same way. Because when I was Takumi''s age, my mother wouldn''t give me much attention anymore. It was only two days over New Year''s, but ying with Kousuke-san was a small salvation for me.

    "So, you two. What should we y?"

    ""A game!""

    They both spoke at the same time.

    "A game, huh?"

    The game they were referring to isn''t some regr card or board game you''d see during family gatherings, but genuine console games. As expected of the digital age we live in.

    "I''ll go borrow it from Mom!" Takumi said and stormed out of the room.

    Mika frantically chased after her older brother, and she would have tripped while doing so if I didn''t catch her in time. Instead, we opted to head back to the hall together. Takumi told his mother that he wanted to y the game, probably on a phone or a handheld console. We took the console and made our way to a room with a TV. I could understand that all the difficult talk from their parents and rtives would be too boring for little children like them. I always felt the same way. Kousuke-san helped me set it up, and since we had four controllers, four people could y at the same time.

    "Yuuta, can you take care of the small ones?" Kousuke-san asked me, and I nodded.

    With that, he and Nagisa-san returned to the hall where everyone else was sitting. They might want to talk about the marriage if I had to guess. After they left, they quietly closed the sliding screens, leaving Ayase-san, the two kids, and I in the room.

    "Let''s y, Yuu-chan!"

    "Sure. What should we y?"

    I booted up the console, looking for games. I specifically looked for a co-op game that the four of us could y and spotted a fitting title.

    "This should be fine¡­ Are you two okay with that?"

    As expected, the both nodded along energetically. I personally wasn''t too familiar with that game itself, but I had yed it once since Maru rmended it to me.

    "You too, Ayase-san. Join us."

    "Huh? But, I don''t know this game."

    "It''s simple. Plus, it''s co-op. We''re all ying together."

    If they hadn''t brought in their own game console, I would have used my tablet instead. But this allows us to y together on the big screen, which I''m a big fan of. Meanwhile, the game booted up. We could see four small cooks on the screen. We have to control them and prepare meals for the customers. Of course, it''s not that simple. There are time limits for the orders, and the kitchenyout keeps changing. However, if we all work together, we can easily clear each level. It''s basically an action-based puzzle game.

    Sitting in front of the screen, the four of us began ying. Immediately after, the four miniature cooks appeared and responded to the movement of our controllers. We started cutting the vegetables and putting the meat into the frying pan. Orders came flying, and so were the tes and ingredients. All we could hear were theints from the customers that their orders werete. As you''d expect from the two kids, they were used to ying and effortlessly worked through the orders as they gave each otherments. Ayase-san and I could barely even keep up with them, in fact.

    "A-chan! A-chan!" Mika called Ayase-san.

    It seems like both Takumi and Mika have gone with ''A-chan'' now.

    "Wh-What?"

    "Your meat is gonna burn!"

    "Huh?"

    Ayase-san rushed to the frying pan, but the meat was going up in mes before she could do anything.

    "Ahhhhh!"

    Following that, the ingredients caught fire, and so did the entire kitchen. For a moment, I admired Ayase-san''s panicked voice because I never got to hear it, but I didn''t have much time to admire it. Ayase-san hadpletely started to get flustered and couldn''t keep up with everything that was going wrong.

    "Calm down, Ayase-san!"

    "What do I¡ª?"

    You can put out the fire with a fire extinguisher. Well, the food is ruined either way. However, we ran out of time and thus failed the stage.

    "I''m sorry."

    "A-chan, are you bad at cooking?"

    "Hey, now, Mika. Ayase-san is a great cook. This is just because it''s a game. But we can clear it next time. Right, Ayase-san?"

    "You don''t have to protect my pride like that. That just hurts even more."

    "Huh?!"

    I didn''t mean for that to¡ª

    "I mean, it''s true that your cooking is delicious."

    "But the meat caught on fire, and so did the kitchen."

    "That''s just because this is a game. This sort of stuff happens."

    "I won''t lose next time."

    "You''ve just gotta get used to it, and you''ll pass me by in no time."

    "So frustrating."

    I''ve never seen Ayase-san this worked up. Well, I know she hates losing.

    "A-chan, A-chan!" Mika tugged on Ayase-san''s sleeve. "Mom said that siblings should get along!" She said and turned towards Takumi. "Right, Onii-chan?"

    Takumi nodded.

    "Do you hate Yuu-chan?"

    "O-Of course not¡­"

    "Then you should try and get along. Should we teach you how to do it?"

    "Um¡­please do?"

    Why''d she turn that into a question? It''s weird to see. Ayase-san can easily stand her ground against an assistant professor''s argument about philosophy and psychology, but she has no way of winning against small children. Meanwhile, I''m used to dealing with Takumi and Mika, and I faintly remember the way I was treated when I was their age. However, the way I see things, Ayase-san rarely meets her rtives. The difference in experience really shows here. And I knew that Takumi and Mika have always been pretty close.

    "Onii-chan, let''s make up!" Mika grabbed Takumi''s arm.

    "Yes, yes. Mika, I''m sorry."

    "I forgiverive you."

    "Yes. Now let''s get along."

    They both said and then pushed their cheeks together, hugging the other person. For a second, all sense of reality was erased from my mind. It felt like I was watching a foreign movie. Because they were both pretty cute, it felt like I was witnessing a scene from a religious movie where two angels appeared. After that, the two angels snickered. Aunt Kanae-san''s husband actually has non-Japanese grandparents, which gave the two children an extra boost of an angelic atmosphere. But, then it happened¡ªAs we watched over this heartwarming scene, Mika suddenly kissed Takumi on the cheek.

    "And, done."

    "Now it''s your turn, Onii-chan and A-chan!"

    We were both pushed closer to each other, as Ayase-san and I froze up. Huh? This is how you make up? The two angels with their cheeks still rubbed against each other looked at us with a gaze of "Not gonna do it?" But, no matter how close you may be as siblings, you won''t just kiss the other like that, right? I don''t think so, at least.

    "Are you not going to make up?"

    "Um, no, we''re already getting along just fine."

    "Yeah¡­"

    "Ayase-san?"

    Something was off about her.

    "Children! The food is ready!"

    We heard a voice from the hallway, pulling us back to reality. I sighed and put my hands on the tatami mat behind me. One of them slipped and I panicked for a moment. By the time Ayase-san and I had taken distance from each other, the two kids had already dashed out of the room screaming "Food!"

    "I guess we should go, too?"

    "Yeah."

    It felt like we both had just woken up from a dream as we slowly walked down the hallway. My heart kept beating painfully loud, making me wish it''d at least calm down before we made it back to everyone else.

    Our rtives had all gathered already in therge room that they were using as a banquet hall. I think the room was about 25 square meters in size, and three low tables were pushed together in the center of the room. On top of them was the food, which looked like it would be sukiyaki today, since three gas cookers were ced on the tables. On top of them stood the iron pots, with the soup stock already boiling inside. When ites to sukiyaki, vegetables are one of the most basic ingredients. Lotus root, gobo, shiitake mushrooms, field mushrooms, winter mushrooms, onions, crown daisies¡­ with chicken being the main meat. I think most people are used to beef, but here in the Asamura Family, we usually go with chicken.

    Why? I don''t know. Maybe it''s because of the cheaper price, maybe it''s a simple tradition, only God knows. That being said, I like chicken so I don''t mind. Besides that, they also prepared traditional food for the holidays. And in keeping with a more traditional approach, all of it was handmade. Rolled omelet with fish paste, mashed sweet potatoes with sweetened chestnuts, ck soybeans, herring roe, steamed seasoned fish paste, kelp¡­ Looking at it from a broader angle, it was all typically Japanese and mostly brown in color, but the crimson and white from the fish paste, the red from the shrimp, and the yellow-ish color from the rolled omelet fish paste and mashed potatoes created a brighter color spectrum.

    Out of all the traditional food, I liked the rolled omelet with fish paste the most. I remember I used to get scolded all the time because that''s basically all I ate. But when you have the taste of a child''s pte, that''s about the only thing that really tastes good. Maybe it was only after I grew up and entered high school that I started to enjoy grilled fish, herring roe, and all sorts of other things like ck soybeans. Plus, the environment can have a huge impact on your tastes and how they develop.

    As expected, all our rtives were already seated around the table. They had opened up their beer cans and were talking with each other, our parents with them. Once Ayase-san and I arrived, my grandmother and Akiko-san brought the drinks for us minors and bottles of water and tea. After all of us had seated at the table, we pped our hands together.

    My grandparents and their oldest son (My old man''s older brother) with his family (which includes Kousuke-san as his son) are living here in this house. My old man lives down in Tokyo, and his sister and her family live down in Chiba. With all of us gathered together here, we''re¡­ 14 people, Ayase-san and I included. To me, this scenery wasn''t anything out of the ordinary, but Ayase-san''s expression made it clear that she was a bit taken aback.

    We clinked our sses together and began munching away at the food, and my old man once again introduced Akiko-san and Ayase-san to our rtives. Akiko-san had already finished her initial introduction before, but since Ayase-san had only mentioned her name before, she was now asked about her age, how she was doing at school and all sorts of things. I feel like if we were in Tokyo right now, our rtives wouldn''t ask much more than her name, but the traditions here still are fairly old-fashioned. After a while, my grandmother threw Ayase-san a lifeline with "Come on, that''s enough," and Ayase-san was finally allowed to sit back down. She seemed relieved.

    Taking her ce was Kousuke-san, who introduced Nagisa-san, and our rtives began questioning her. Meanwhile, I turned to Ayase-san, mumbling a quiet "Well done" to her, and pouring some tea into her cup.

    "Thank you."

    "Wanna try some of the food? I''ll grab it for you."

    "Then¡­ I''d like some rolled omelet with fish paste. I like it quite a lot¡­ Um, did I say anything weird? Why are you looking at me like that?"

    "Not at all, not at all. I just like it myself."

    I grabbed some of the rolled omelets and ced them on a small te close to me. Ayase-san epted this and carried some to her mouth.

    "So this is the taste Stepdad grew up with. I see, that''s why Mom¡­"

    I don''t quite understand what made Ayase-san so satisfied, but I didn''t want to be obstinate and question her either. After that, we just continued to eat in silence while listening to the conversations of our rtives here and there. Kousuke-san went to university in Saitama, but after his graduation, he returned to Nagano. Basically, he ended up in a long-distance rtionship with Nagisa-san. He came to visit every weekend in his car, until he eventually got himself such a cute wife¡ªording to his own words. That''s one conversation I heard.

    "I was feeling worried since we wouldn''t be able to see each other anymore. Well, the inte and modern technology allow me to see his face every day." Nagisa-san said and Kousuke-san nodded along.

    That''s why they decided to hand in their marriage registration before moving overseas. Hearing about this predicament, I thought about what I would do in that situation. What if I wouldn''t be able to meet Ayase-san anymore¡­

    "Well, Kousuke gets lonely easily. He never wanted to be left alone at home, and was always following us." Uncle Kouta said, which made Kousuke-san act embarrassed.

    But even so, his embarrassing past continued to be revealed by his father. Literally everything, from good to bad, admirable to embarrassing. Kousuke-san resigned himself to his fate with a wry smile, but Nagisa-san listened with great interest. Listening further, Nagisa-san mentioned that she had been living with Kousuke-san in his house sincest summer when his transfer overseas was decided, but she herself had no idea how to handle her own job. And if she found a job, what would she do about it once she left with Kousuke-san, and so on? Though that''s their personal problem, and normally I wouldn''t give it much thought, I started listening in rapt attention like it was about myself. I was surprised at my own subconscious behavior.

    A realistic rtionship between a man and a woman is different from the ones depicted in movies or books. Fiction is always sparkling and something to aspire to, making it easy and so that everything will always work out. However, the world we live in is painfully realistic. You won''t encounter a dramatic roadblock that gets in the way of your love, and all the problemsing your way are nothing more than chores to ovee.

    Getting the procedure done at the local government office, telling the people around you and meeting with rtives that know the other person''s past and get curious about your own. Having your grandparents tell you that they want to have grandchildren soon. As the average age of married couples continues to increase, a lot of them decide to not have children, but that''s a bit more of a sensitive topic, I think. And as expected, Nagisa-san is just smiling and letting our rtives talk and talk.

    "So mature¡­" Ayase-san mumbled, and I looked over at her. Ayase-san was bad at just smiling and waving.

    Meanwhile, Akiko-san was pouring her grandparents another drink as they talked. She continued the conversation with a smile, going into full bartender mode. No matter how she may feel on the inside, she''s showing absolutely no hint of an issue on the outside. She''s acting the same way as my biological mother did. Each year, she faked it until she made it.

    In the few years after their divorce, whenever the family got together for New Year''s, my old man was always on the receiving end of the interrogation. He kept on being questioned about why he ended the rtionship, but he never med my mother, just saying that a lot happened. If Ayase-san and I were to get married, how would the people here react? Would we be able to even keep propermunication going?

    Time passed, and night arrived. We remained seated in therge hall, eating New Year''s soba, and talking about all of the events from the past year. Mid-way, Takumi and Mika fell asleep, so I helped Kousuke-san put them to bed, but other than that, I was just listening to our rtives talking. In the meantime, Ayase-san sat still like she didn''t quite fit in.

    "Should we head out now?" My grandfather stood up, everyone following after him.

    Ayase-san also stood up but seemed a bit bewildered. "Um¡­head out where?" She whispered in my ear.

    "To visit the shrine and stay there until midnight. We''re going there by car, but since it''s pretty cold, you should make sure to dress up warmly. Also, I''d rmend you take a bath after we get home, too."

    "We''re going right now?"

    "Yeah, so we''re in time for when the clock turns over."

    Ayase-san''s eyes grew droopy as if the sleepiness had already started getting to her.

    "I mean, you can also just stay here and sleep if you''re tired. Which would you prefer?"

    "¡­I''m going."

    This tradition is something that''s rtivelymon. You make your way to a shrine before the clock strikes midnight, and wee the new year with your rtives. After changing into warm clothes, we left the residence. Luckily it wasn''t snowing, but we were still deep into the mountains of Nagano. The temperature was getting closer and closer to what would be considered freezing. The moment we opened the front door, a cold breeze hit us, which made my body tremble. The cold was creeping up from my legs up to my head.

    My old man hopped into the car, and until the car''s heat really started up, that was probably the coldest for me, as I still had my coat on myp. After that, the entire Asamura Family headed for the shrine in their three cars. The first taste of the New Year''s bells came from the car''s radio.

    We arrived at the shrine and my old man parked the car. After getting out, I put on the coat, making sure I buttoned it up to not freeze immediately. I haven''t forgotten Ayase-san''s neck warmer either, so I was fully prepared. Meanwhile, Ayase-san had put on her gloves, and even her cap, snuggling up into her duffle coat that should keep her plenty warm. The mustard-yellow amidst the cold and white night suited her quite well. After that, Akiko-san approached us and handed us pocket warmers.

    "Put these in your pockets, okay?"

    We gratefully epted them and did as we were told. As expected of Akiko-san, she''s perfectly prepared. As with the front of the Asamura residence, the snow was shoveled to the side here, too, and created arge wall. With this much snow, visiting a shrine like this wouldn''t normally be possible. That thought always made me thankful to the poor souls who do the snow shoveling each year.

    "This is pretty deep into the mountains," Ayase-san said.

    "Well, yeah. It is a rear shrine, after all."

    "A rear shrine?"

    "When you go up this path, there are actually several shrines. You know the mythical story of the Ama-no-Iwato, right? The gods rted to that are resting here."

    "Ah, yeah. Of course I do. When Amaterasu was angry with the gods and hid in the cave of Ama-no-Iwato, the other gods started a banquet to draw her out again, right?"

    "Y-Yeah, that." I gave a bewilderedment at Ayase-san''s added exnation and talked about how we''d always go to the rear shrine every single year. "By the way, we''ll be walking for around two kilometers now."

    "Huh?"

    "And we''ve got some long stairs on the way, so you should be prepared for some heavy muscle pain tomorrow."

    "I was never told about this." She red up at me.

    "You could wait in the car where it''s warm, you know? What''s it gonna be?"

    "¡­I''m definitely going. I don''t wanna wait here all by myself."

    "Well, let me know if it gets too much. Next time, you can wait in the house," I said in the heat of the moment and Ayase-san looked at me in shock.

    "Next time?"

    "I mean, this is a yearly tradition, so¡­"

    "Ah, next year. Got it. You''ve gone through this many times already, after all. Okay, I''ll let you know if it gets too much."

    "That''d be great."

    Even this might be another small type of an adjustment. But that was just a brief thought that filled my mind.

    Akiko-san fell in line next to my old man who started walking ahead, with Ayase-san and I right behind him. Once we reached therge torii shrine archway, Ayase-san took out her smartphone. She booted up her camera app and took a picture. The resulting sh from the camera momentarily lit up the darkness around us, revealing the wooden archway much better, as well as the endless sea of snow right behind it. Needless to say, she was careful not to blind the other shrine visitors.

    "Hey folks, don''t get left behind, okay?" My old man called out to us, so Ayase-san and I sped up a bit to catch up.

    It was really hard work making sure we wouldn''t slide back down. We passed by the corner of the shrine archway, as the center of the path was the passage for the gods. The shrine pathway ahead of us stretched so far into the distance that we couldn''t see the end of it. Although they did their best to keep it free from snow, the white mixture beneath our feet mixed with the white beauty and salt, so any careless movement would cause us tond on our faces.

    Ayase-san naturally wasn''t used to this environment, so she almost slipped a few times. I took it upon me to teach her a few tricks to make it through this mess a bit better. The idea is to use the back of your sole to stomp on the ground first to get a better grip. After we made it past the next shrine archway, we were able to walk on even ground for a while. After another 15-minute walk, we finally reached another waypoint.

    We saw a reddish gate in the distance, which was the midpoint. Therge gate had a thatched roof attached to it, which would have green grass growing on it if it weren''t winter. Right now, it was covered by white makeup like the rest of the world around us. The red gate with its shimenawa rope hanging down on its sides stood tall and imposing like it would not allow the entry of any misfortune. As I expected, Ayase-san took out her phone and took another picture. She really loves these older buildings, huh? I looked ahead and at the gate in front of us.

    "When it''s this old, you can really feel the history it''s gone through."

    "Hm, I don''t think it''s just that."

    "Huh?"

    "I don''t think that''s the only reason you can feel the history. Maybe it''s because we''re actually observing the way the buildings have been treated?"

    "The way they''ve been treated?"

    "Let''s say you found an old tumbling doll, a daruma, without its eyes. That''s because nobody offered its wish to it¡ªthat nobody used it. So you would feel sadness seeing an old and forgotten daruma without its eyes."

    "I see, I see."

    "Plus, wooden buildings and structures unprotected from wind and rainy weather need to be attended to by people, or they will rot away and disappear. You see buildings breaking down and copsing in ces where no one lives anymore, right?" Her words reminded me of what she told me when we drove to Nagano earlier today.

    They''re brimming with memories and facts about the past. And that''s probably what Ayase-san meant. Even the rustic and countrified red gate in front of us isn''t just a sign of the times, the fact that it''s still standing here means that it has been taken care of over the years.

    "Exactly."

    And that is what Ayase-san referred to as the ''Old memories.''

    "Are you doing some criminal profiling, Ayase-san?"

    "Pro¡­ what now?"

    "It sometimes pops up in detective genres. They call it criminal profiling. They statistically analyze the crime and the person whomitted it."

    "How is that different from a regr investigation?"

    "They don''t identify the criminal. Instead, they statistically establish that people whomit crime X have portrait Y, and that''s all they can work with. Because there are exceptions in every field. The murder may have been the same, but the motive could be entirely different from the previous case. Or rather, because they assume that the motive is different. That''s why the whole ''Who done it'' genre exists."

    "¡­You really love mystery stories, Asamura-kun."

    "I''m not too familiar with them myself, but¡ª"

    At work, we''ve got someone who''s absolutely into mystery stuff. The silhouette of a charming Japanese beauty with long ck hair shed up in the back of my head.

    "¡­Well, it''s basically knowledge I read about in a book. Just like how you''re interested in how an old building ended up in its current state, yeah?"

    "I¡­ think so."

    "Like ''My Grandfather''s Clock,'' then."

    ''My Grandfather''s Clock'' is a song about a clock that moves every single day, from the day the grandfather was born until the day he died. The inspiration for that song was an actual clock, too. The current appearance of things that were once created, once given to you by someone still holds the traces of how they had been treated from the moment they were brought into this world. The clocking to a halt symbolizes the life of the grandfather.

    "Don''t sing that." Ayase-san immediately warned me.

    "Hm?"

    "Don''t."

    "Do you not like it?"

    "I''m gonna cry."

    Amidst the reigning darkness, even with the faint candles lighting the way, I could barely make out Ayase-san''s expression. But even so, her different attitude from her usual dry behavior is what was making me stare at her face.

    "Ah¡­ Got it."

    We walked up the stairs, past the stone guardian lion-dogs, entering deeper into the shrine. The water at the washbasin was frozen, not allowing us to wash our hands. Moving up to the front shrine, we put the 5-yen coin we prepared into the offering box and rang the bell. A dry nking sound rang through the air. We then bowed two times and pped our hands together in prayer another two times. Excluding the idea of keeping your wishes secret, this was standard procedure at every shrine. When we pped our hands together again, I felt the entire past year y in my head. It''s like my thoughts were being organized.

    The idea of the first shrine visit of the year had begun back in the Heian period, called a toshigomori, and when youbined it with the idea of the ninenmairi, basically what we are doing right now, the intention is to reflect on the past year while also weing a new year. Or that''s what just went through my mind.

    A lot has happened this year. My father got remarried, and Ayase-san came to join our family with her mother. This happened barely six months ago. I suddenly found myself with a younger step-sister who was the same age as me. And seeing how she was the exact opposite of me, I was truly bewildered. I ended up helping her for the exams when she struggled with modern literature, and we both ended up going to the pool with our ssmates from schoolst summer break. That''s also when I realized that I like Ayase-san.

    And what an oppressive realization that was. Since our parents had suffered greatly in their past rtionship, we didn''t want them to suffer like that again, so we worked together to allow our parents the happiness they deserved, and acted like what was expected from us, namely to be perfectly normal siblings. Through many back and forths, we became honest with our feelings for each other. That''s when we promised to start dating while acting like "Normal but rtively close siblings" in front of our parents. However, on the night of Halloween, we happened to share a kiss¡ª

    All of these memories ran through my head like revolvingnterns. I pulled my hands away and slowly opened my eyes. Since a line of other people were waiting behind us, I didn''t have time to get particrly emotional. After another bow, we moved away from the offerings box. While walking to where our parents were waiting, I turned towards Ayase-san.

    "What did you wish for?"

    "I was too busy remembering everything that happened this year, I didn''t have any time to wish for anything," she said with a bitter smile.

    Realizing that she was the same as me, I let out a snicker. We walked the same way back and reached the parking lot, where Ayase-san turned back to look at me.

    "Ah, we didn''t draw any fortune slips, huh?"

    "Oh yeah, I''d rather not miss out on that. We usually do that every year."

    My old man heard us talking.

    "Then let''s do that before we get home."

    We hopped in the car and headed to the central shrine. Since the original location for the fortune slips was closed due to the winter season, we had to drive all the way there. And when Ayase-san opened her slip¡ª

    "Terrible fortune¡­"

    "They put these in here even during New Year''s¡­?"

    "What about you, Asamura-kun?"

    "Small fortune."

    She red at me yet again. Hey now, this isn''t my fault, right? I mean, I was the one who wanted to draw fortune slips¡­

    "Well, you can just leave it here and forget about it. The stand''s over there."

    Looking over to where my old man pointed, we could see several folded papers tied to a rope. Ayase-san did the same with her fortune slip. She was smiling again as she walked away, but I bet she was still concerned about it. With the ringing New Year bells behind us, we left the shrine. And just like that, a new year began.

 Chapter 79 - 12

    <h4>Chapter 79: Chapter 12</h4>

    December 31st (Thursday) ¨C Ayase Saki

    "It''s a hard-packed floor¡­" I blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

    Asamura-kun''s family''s house (or Stepdad''s family) was much bigger than I had imagined. Not to mention that it was rtively old. Judging by the architecture, it was probably built in the early Showa period. It had tiles for a roof, with a tataki at the doma. After stepping into the doorway, the hallway shone brightly like ebony, making it obvious how well it had been looked after.

    I really love these kinds of old, Japanese-style houses. Looking at buildings and furniture that has survived the passage of time thanks to the care of the inhabitants tells me the story they went through, and I like doing that. The hallway that was hidden by the covered storm shutter was illuminated up by the winter sun''s shine. It was directly connected to the garden, and the covers of the storm shutters had faint signs of rain remaining on them.

    But leaving that aside, I was feeling a bit¡­ no, I was extremely nervous. To be perfectly honest, I was scared. I began to regret that I had so nonchntly agreed toe with the others, but at the same time, I felt disgusted at myself for my unfriendliness, and I wanted to cry. I''m different from Maaya, who can open her heart to practically anybody within three minutes. Stepdad''s mother seemed like a genuinely nice person, and she was smiling throughout my introduction, but I still can''t fight this sense of nervousness assaulting me. From the sliding screen to the left of us, I heard loud banter.

    "My, my, they''re awfully lively today." Stepdad''s mother said, opening the sliding screen.

    There were several people sitting around a table in therge Japanese-style room. Met with the pressure emitted by them, I took a step backward.

    "Taichi is here."

    "Oh! Finally! It must have been a long drive from Tokyo."

    An elderly man with white hair responded and stood up. He''s probably Stepdad''s father. And to me, he''s my step-grandfather.

    "It''s been a while, Akiko-san. Are you doing well?"

    "Yes. It''s nice to see you again, Father-inw." Mom lowered her head, which caused all of the gazes in the room to focus on her, and soon they moved to me.

    Since even I could tell it wasn''t 100% weing feelings that were packed into this gaze, I felt my heart growing heavy. I don''t think they hold any particr resentment toward us, but it was more like they didn''t know how to interact with us.

    "Yes, yes. Let''s leave the introductions forter. I''m sure they must be tired, so I''ll show them to their rooms." Stepdad''s grandmother said and let us escape.

    She pushed the sliding screen shut again, cutting off all the gazes from the inside, which let me breathe in peace again. The fists I had formed in fear started to rx, too. But still, they felt very sweaty. I was feeling sick, like I was about to throw up. Is this how every person feels when they meet the family of their marriage partner, especially if it''s a remarriage? Maybe my armament was a bit too much in a ce like this. I took a deep breath and wondered if I should have dyed my hair ck for at least these few days. Maybe I''m thinking about it too much.

    In the end, high school students like us are allowed to act this way. The same goes for university students. If you reach this sort of age, wearing makeup, essories, and these sorts of things is perfectly normal. Since even Suisei High allows this, it should be normal in today''s day and age¡ªis what I would like to think, but the sheer pressure of everyone''s gazes caused me to falter. I took another deep breath. Calm down. I didn''te here to fight.

    We would all be staying in a room of around 13 square meters in size. Seeing the four separate futons in the corner made me realize that we''d all be sleeping in the same room. Basically, Asamura-kun and I would be sleeping much closer than usual. I mean, our parents will be with us, but still¡­ Wait, that means he''ll see my sleeping face when I get up in the morning, and even my position when I sleep? Do they¡­ really only have this room?

    "I''m sorry we couldn''t find more rooms for your children this year, the thing is¡ª"

    Yep, this was the only room. While I was thinking this, the sliding screen to our room was pushed to the side. A man and woman entered, both of them looking around 25 to 26 years old. I immediately guessed that they were a couple. The woman was constantly looking at the man, after all. Asamura-kun called him "Kousuke-san." He is Asamura-kun''s cousin and 8 years older¡­ which means he''s 25. Yep, just as I guessed. And the woman standing next to him said that the two had gotten married recently.

    "Oh, really?! Congrattions, Kousuke-kun!" Stepdad was beaming with joy.

    Meanwhile, Asamura-kun stared at them in disbelief, his mouth open. He''s definitely surprised by this. Maybe this is the first time he even found out that his cousin was dating someone. Meanwhile, Stepdad introduced Mom to them, and I said my name s well.

    "So, you''ve got a younger sister now, Yuuta?"

    "Ah, yes."

    "Oh, huh. I thought you''d gotten married, too." He spoke with a teasing tone, so he probably knew that I was Asamura-kun''s step-sister the moment he stepped into the room.

    "There''s no way. I''m still in high school." Asamura-kun returned with a calm tone, but I could tell that deep inside, he was definitely panicking.

    After we moved the luggage into the corner of the room, Stepdad and Mom went over to our other rtives. Left behind, Asamura-kun and I talked with the other two¡ªKousuke-san and Nagisa-san. They had gotten to know each other from the same friend group in university. They started dating ages ago, but they''re still as lively as newlyweds. They also exined the reason they had handed in the marriage form before holding a proper ceremony.

    Namely, the fact that Kousuke-san will be moving overseas for his job. And Nagisa-san decided to follow him. That''s why they wouldn''t be having the ceremony yet. Or rather, that they wouldn''t make it in time before they left. Honestly, I realized I was underestimating what it meant to hold a marriage ceremony. To think you''d have to start looking for a venue half a year prior. Getting married in itself sounds like a lot of trouble.

    Plus, I never would have imagined myself wanting to hold a marriage ceremony at one point. The man and woman in front of me had begun walking the path of life only a few years earlier than I. It was definitely possible that my life could take a simr path to theirs. And although I wanted to ask a lot more questions, Asamura-kun''s younger cousins arrived. They were a brother and sister, both in grade school. They had bright-colored hair and cute facial features. It felt like they could brighten up the room with just a smile. They seemed fairly clingy with Asamura-kun, hanging off of him as they asked to y together, and Asamura-kun dly epted the offer.

    It was decided that we''d be ying games, so we moved to a room with a TV. Kousuke-san and Nagisa-san went back to the other adults, and we stayed here with the children. Watching all of this unfold, I had to admire Asamura-kun once more. Seeing him handle the young children so well made me think of him like a young father. For a moment, I wondered if he''d be this kind of a father if he ever had children, but I then shook my head in a panic because I was clearly jumping the gun here. First of all, you can''t be a father all on your own. You can''t have children as a single man. For that, you would need a wife, and¡ªWait. Again, I''m thinking too far into the future.

    As it turns out, the two children were pretty good at ying games. Since thest time I had yed any games was back when Maaya came to visit, it went pretty much how I would have expected, but I''ve got a pretty bad sense when ites to games. In the game in question, we were small cooks who were grilling meat, cutting vegetables, swinging around pots and frying pans and cleaning the dishes. In reality, I had repeated these simple acts over and over, but with a small controller, I couldn''t get a good feeling for it. In the end, my meat caught on fire and burned down the whole kitchen.

    "Ahhhhh!"

    "A-chan, are you bad at cooking?"

    Words sharp like an arrow stabbed me right where it hurt. I felt myself close to tearing up. I knew I shouldn''t be so sensitive when it came to what young children like them said. When I looked at Asamura-kun, he was just smiling and nodding.

    "Hey, now, Mika. Ayase-san is a great cook. This is just because it''s a game. But we can clear it next time. Right, Ayase-san?"

    "You don''t have to protect my pride like that. That just hurts even more."

    Realizing that this was all because I couldn''t deal with young children frustrated me even more. But I just don''t know what to do, so I can''t help it. I''d have a much easier time dealing with adults. I just can''t handle kids. Sitting here made me feel like I''d rather be going through another lecture by Assistant Professor Kudou. I reminisced about the time I was the same age as these two. At that time, I thought that every adult other than my mother was an enemy. Just imagining how the past me would think if she saw me like this makes me feel terrified.

    Since I''ve seen the bad side of adults, I have no confidence that I actually seem like an adult in their eyes. Baseless assumptions that they hated me and whatnot started to fill my mind instead. When we were called in for dinner, I was already mentally exhausted. And yet this was where the real fight would begin. When we''re all sitting together, I''ll have to introduce myself to our new rtives, alongside Mom. It made me realize that marrying someone means that you have to deal with their rtives and other children, somethingpletely different from just studying or talking about fashion.

    Sitting in therge banquet hall of the Asamura Family, I once again introduced myself. After that, all of the other rtives did the same. But I''m sorry, I can''t remember anything after that. By the time I was getting sleepy because I had eaten too much¡ª

    "Should we head out now?" Stepdad''s father said and everyone stood up at the same time.

    They talked about visiting the shrine. Asamura-kun exined that it''d be fine for me to stay here if I was feeling sleepy, but there was no way I''d stay in this huge of a house all by myself.

    "¡­I''m going." I responded briefly and followed after Asamura-kun.

    I''m d he''s here with me. Mom is way too busy staying around Stepdad and the other rtives and has no time to even look at me. I don''t want to drag her down just because I don''t feel too secure here. If not for him, I probably would have holed myself up in my room. Really, I''m so d he''s here.

    The shrine we headed to was located deep in the mountains. Or up the mountain, depending on how you''d like to phrase it. Not to mention that it would take a whole two kilometers of walking to reach that ce. Can you imagine how long that would take? But I also didn''t want to wait for them toe back in the car. Plus¡ª

    "Well, let me know if it gets too much. Next time, we can let you wait."

    He probably said it without meaning too much by it, but I was happy. He was saying that we woulde here again next year. I understand that he said that because he cared about me, but he was ready to leave me behind. I understood that two kilometers were nothing to scoff at, but once we actually started walking, it became pretty fun. I''ve always enjoyed looking at antiques and older buildings. I may not be as passionate as some kind of history buff, but indulging in a building''s past has always been interesting to me. Not to mention that the winter scenery at night and the various parts of the shrine made me excited, too. Plus, talking with Asamura-kun about it helped me cheer up.

    "It''s just like how you''re interested in how an old building ended up in its current state, yeah?"

    Being told that by Asamura-kun made me gasp. I''ve never once looked at myself from such an objective perspective. Humans can''t normally observe their own appearances. And maybe I never totally understood what kind of person I truly was. Maybe I could never truly see myself because of the armament I wore. If so, then keeping it at a moderate defensive level should be fine, right? How would I know if my armament hadn''t turned into the skin of a hedgehog? I just don''t want to get hurt. This doesn''t mean I''m fine hurting others.

    I think it took us around 40 minutes of walking one way. On the way there, it passed midnight, and we were greeted by the new year. Reaching the offerings box, we threw our change inside and put our hands together. Closing my eyes, the memories of the past year flew around inside my head. The memories of thest few months were especially prominent. Back in June, Mom and I moved in with Asamura-kun and his father. After meeting him, my way of life drastically changed. My father had left an immensely negative impression on me when it came to men. I didn''t want them to have any control over me or my life. I did my best at school to be able to live independently and live on my own two feet, but I also didn''t want people to see me as some studying addict who could only do that.

    Thinking back on it now, the offer of an exchange I made towards Asamura-kun was one of the most embarrassing things I had ever done, even if I did it in order to not have any debts I owe to other people, and to not have to rely on another man. That''s why I made that bet with my body on the line. And yet Asamura-kun scolded me. I think it started back then¡­ I had begun chasing after his shadow.

    I chose to work at the same bookstore as Asamura-kun did, realized that I held romantic feelings for him, and still opted to lock these away and call him Nii-san. Standing here, it makes sense. It may have looked like I was choosing my own future for myself, but in the end, it all reverted back to him. On the day of the open campus when I met Kudou-sensei, she told me that being too narrow with my field of view would be the enemy of all reason and wisdom. She argued that I should keep an eye open for other men¡ªAnd yet, Asamura-kun suddenly confessed to me.

    That''s why we both agreed to be friendly siblings who are on good terms. And that we would allow anything that would fall under that idea. We adjusted to each other and decided that we would suppress our feelings of wanting to cross that line.

    After we finished our prayer, Asamura-kun spoke up. "What did you wish for?"

    "I was too busy thinking about everything that happened this year. I didn''t have time to wish for anything."

    "Same here," Asamura-kun let out a snicker.

    Looking at his eyes, he gave off the impression that he had organized his thoughts and feelings, the light in his eyes making it seem like he was feeling refreshed. When he shows me that kind of expression, it makes me realize¡­ Realize that I like him.

    Asamura-kun said that there would be a "next time." So that''s what I''ll wish for. I hope that I cane here again with Asamura-kun next year.

 Chapter 80 - 13

    <h4>Chapter 80: Chapter 13</h4>

    January 1st (Friday) ¨C Asamura Yuuta

    Thus, a new year arrived¡ªDespite my wish, my awakening in the new year was neither peaceful nor rxing. After returning from our shrine visitst night, I took a bath to warm my chilled bones and snuggled deep into my futon, and I didn''t even remember when I fell asleep. I did have a good sleep, but the first thing that greeted me after waking up was severe pain all over my body. My calves especially were screaming in agony.

    If you walk down a mountain pathte at night with your legs one step away from slipping for a whole two kilometers, anyone in your situation will end up like this. There''s no exception. I ended up this way, so let''s just ept this hell as the expected result.

    "Yuu-chan, breakfast is ready!"

    The sliding screen swung open, and Takumi stormed into the room. He''s brimming with energy even this early in the morning. That''s a young and healthy child for you. Takumi leapt into the air and mmed his body onto me.

    "Breakfast!"

    "Gah! So cold!"

    "If you don''t eat, it''ll be gone!"

    "I get it, I get it! Tell them I''ll be right there."

    "Okieee!"

    He ran away without closing the sliding screen. What an innocent brat he is. I''m just d he jumped onto my futon and not Ayase-san''s. Oh yeah, where even is Ayase-san? I realized that I was the only one left in the room. All the other futons had been neatly stacked together in the corner of the room. Wasn''t Ayase-san really tired? She''ll really do anything to not show me her face right after waking up, huh? I finished changing and headed to the banquet hall.

    "Good morning," I said and looked around the room.

    This was still the same room we had the partyst night, but now the low tables were piled high with breakfast. The furthest seat away from the entrance was where my grandfather sat, and the closest was Takumi and Mika. My old man sat between them. As for an open seat¡­There''s the one next to my old man and across from him, but Akiko-san is probably going to sit next to him anyway, so I opted to sit down across from him¡­ But then I realized why Akiko-san and the rest weren''t present yet, so I lifted the hip I had just begun to lower.

    At around the same time, my grandmother came back to the room. Behind her were the female squad, carrying today''s main focus of our breakfast¡ªzouni, which was basically soup that contained rice cakes and vegetables, on a tray and towards the table. They probably prepared thisst, as leaving it standing around for too long would ruin the food.

    "You can sit down. You''d only be in the way if you stood around."

    Or so my grandmother said¡ªAnd Ayase-san ced a bowl of zouni in front of me.

    "She''s right, Nii-san. Have a seat."

    "Ah, okay."

    Her gaze made me shut up and I obediently sat down on the floor cushion. I guess I overslept a bit too much, huh? I''ve gotta be careful tomorrow.

    "If we need more, we can always prepare it, and if you wanna eat some while it''s grilled, then just say so."

    Everyone responded to my grandmother''s words and breakfast began. The shape of the rice cakes for the zouni varies depending on where they''re from. In Japan, in the Asamura main family, we keep it simple and straightforward. I put my mouth to the bowl, using my chopsticks to keep the rice cakes and shiitake mushrooms away to enjoy the soup. The scent of Japanese parsley tickled my tongue. The liquid filled my body and warmed me up from the inside. It felt like I was washing away the exhaustion from our shrine tripst night.

    During the entire breakfast, there is one thing that made me curious. It didn''t look like Ayase-san''s chopsticks were moving much. When we all began eating, she didn''t seem too different, but now that I''m getting a better look at her, her gaze was on the ground, and she was sighing pretty regrly. After we finished breakfast and cleaned up everything, I decided to call out to her as she sat on the porch.

    "Can I sit next to you?"

    "Go ahead."

    Now that I had permission, I sat down next to Ayase-san. My legs were turned towards the garden, so I kicked them up and down a bit. After that, I carefully built up a conversation. I said that she seemed a bit down during breakfast. It might have just been my imagination. But even so, I was curious how she felt. I wanted to know if she was okay. After all, it wasn''t just Akiko-san here anymore. She must be feeling a bit alienated.

    "Not at all," she said.

    I expected that response. But I kept looking at her. She narrowed her eyes.

    "I was just thinking that the start of the new year didn''t go too well."

    "Huh? Are you talking about the fortune slip?"

    She nodded. I was honestly surprised. I had always seen Ayase-san as the type of person who wasn''t shaken by such spiritual tellings.

    "It''s not that I have absolute faith in it. There''s no way some paper like that would have the power to turn my life around."

    "So you''re bothered by it to the point you have to act strong about it."

    "Ah," Ayase-san raised a bewildered voice. "Yeah, I guess so¡­"

    "Well, I can understand how it might drag you down. This is part of the reason fortune-telling is still a thing."

    "Not just that¡­ I think. Say, Asa¡ªNii-san."

    "Yeah?"

    "Have you ever thought about something that would definitely not happen when you were given a fortune?"

    "Something that would definitely not happen?"

    "For example, if it said that tomorrow you''d wake up and find out you''ve turned into a woman."

    "That''s an interesting idea, but¡­ I don''t think I would live my life any differently."

    "Right? But look at it from the opposite side of the same coin. What if you felt like it could actuallye true?"

    Basically, she''s saying that, taking our rtionship into consideration, this "terrible fortune" could very well happen. Honestly, it''d be easy to just scoff at her worries and move on. I could say it was just a random fortune slip, and that tying it to the rope basically nullified it, and whatnot. But what would happen if I were that nonchnt about it? A shrine fortune slip really doesn''t matter much. It''s just a means to show fortune. The thing that makes you decide to believe in that vague fortune-telling, the thing that causes you to see things that aren''t really there¡ªthat''s your own heart. So I started thinking.

    "Wanna head out for a walk?" I continued as Ayase-san raised her head. "I know just the spot around here."

    "A rmendation from Asamura-kun¡­ I''d like to see that."

    After we both put on our coats, we left the house.

    We didn''t walk too far. Some snow had umted already, but it had already beenpacted into the ground by other people, and the path was t. But I still didn''t want her to feel tired, so I told her to tell me when she couldn''t walk anymore. But when I looked at her face, she seemed to be doing fine. We made our way up a slight hill with thickets to the left and right. Since this was a regr road, we had enough space to walk on the sides. Once we reached a ce with a cliff to the left, we turned right. After making our way through the thickets, the scenery in front of us was¡ª

    "Whoa¡­ Ake." Ayase-san swallowed her breath.

    Past the thicket, there was a beautifulke.

    "Let''s get a bit closer. Right over here."

    We went down several stairs that had been freed from the snow already. Farther down was a small hut. I don''t know what use it has now, or ever had, but it''s been there since I was a young child. Going down towards theke, we reached the edge of the thicket. Beyond it was untouched snow, and roughly ten more steps would get us to the water''s surface.

    "We can''t go any further than this or we might slip."

    "Yeah¡­ But wow. The frozen surface looks like a mirror."

    The blue sky above us looked like it had been copied and pasted down onto the ground, surrounded by snowy white clouds. There was no breeze, either, so the frozenke was smooth and solid.

    "Nice, right?"

    "Yeah¡­"

    "I like toe here during the winter. I think I''ve only been here two times during the summer, and once when it was fall and all brownish-red everywhere. But honestly, I never get tired of this sight. Depending on the season, the scenery in theke''s reflection changes."

    "Like the leaves turning red?"

    "In fall, yeah. In summer, there are cumulonimbus clouds, and cirrocumulus clouds when it turns to fall. At night, you can see the moon and stars. On windy days, it creates waves that distort the sight like you''re looking at it through tinted ss."

    "I see. This is wonderful. You found a wonderful ce. Is this area famous?"

    "Not exactly. This isn''t a tourist attraction or anything."

    "So you found it yourself."

    "It was just pure luck. When I was still young, there was barely anything here. As a child, you''d get bored immediately. Having Kousuke-san with me was fine and all, but he couldn''t be with me 24/7¡ª"

    Yep, it was just a coincidence. When the other adults got together, I didn''t want to see my mother and didn''t care about the rest of them, so I just walked around randomly and stumbled upon this ce. She put on a fake smile whenever she interacted with our rtives, but I could see through it clearly. She was way different from the mother I knew at home. Especially her voice and expression.

    "Well, that allowed me to find a great ce like this, where I could just rx and stay away from all the trouble. It''s not all bad, in the end. It''s all about turning misfortune into fortune, y''know."

    "Asamura-kun¡­"

    "So, about that terrible fortune of yours¡ª"

    I don''t know if these words will help her to cheer up. But I had to say them.

    "Are you having fun right now, Ayase-san?"

    "Right now¡­? Are you not talking about today or yesterday?"

    "I''m just¡­ asking in general, I guess?"

    Ayase-san started thinking like she was taking a deep dive into her own heart, and responded after a brief break.

    "Yeah. I''m having fun¡­ I think."

    "Same here."

    She gasped and looked at me in surprise.

    "And think about it. The ''terrible fortune'' you pulledst night is reflecting on the current situation. Meaning that this enjoyable time is the worst possible oue, right?"

    "Huh? Um¡­ Maybe?"

    "That''s at least how it works on paper. So, anyway, if this is already as low as it can get, then there''s no need to be worried. After all, it won''t get any worse. In fact, it''s only gonna get better from now on."

    "Erm¡­" Ayase-san looked at me in disbelief, like she was chewing on my words.

    I don''t me her. I was half aware that I was just pulling stuff out of thin air. But then she looked at me and¡ªBurst outughing.

    "Pfft¡­ Ha¡­ hahaha, that''s a bit of a stretch, don''t you think?"

    "I mean, I think it''s a perfectly logical deduction?"

    "Ah¡­ haha¡­ I don''t think you can use the word ''logical'' for that."

    "But if you think about it that way, all your worries suddenly sound stupid, no? Basically, depending on your thought process, you can turn even a bad fortune into something positive."

    "I¡­ guess so. Haha." Ayase-san rubbed one eye.

    I mean, I didn''t think it''d be funny enough to make her shed a tear.

    "Yeah¡­ Thanks. You were worried about me, right?"

    "Well, yeah¡­ I''d always worry about the person I love."

    The person I love, huh?

    "Asamura-kun¡­"

    "Personally, I don''t want to see you forcing yourself to smile when we''re here."

    Like that person did.

    "Yeah. I''m d I came here. And I got to see you interacting with your younger cousins Takumi-kun and Mika-chan."

    "Me?"

    "Yeah. It made me realize what a good older brother you are. Meanwhile, I couldn''t do anything. I couldn''t interact with them like you did. I can''t remember how my parents or rtives treated me when I was their age."

    This time, I was the one bewildered. I see. She''s never dealt with rtives that much before. She made that obvious when she first brought Naraka-san over to my house.

    ''What a happy family you are. Everyone''s close and friendly.''

    That''s what Ayase-san said. The ''Everyone'' part of the statement was much more important than I had thought it was at first. I had Kousuke-san, Takumi and Mika. I was always surrounded by friendly rtives. However, Ayase-san had nobody but Akiko-san.

    "I don''t know how to act or interact with those children. I''ve never had an experience like that. So I was a bit scared."

    "Then¡­" I spoke up. "You don''t have to rush things. Taking things one step at a time is just as important."

    "One step at a time¡­"

    "I don''t see any reason to panic. Even if you''re not perfect right now, even if you''re worried about us growing up into respectable adults or not. Let''s just grow together?"

    "Grow¡­ together¡­"

    "Yeah." I nodded and Ayase-san put her hands together in front of her chest, nodding back.

    She gently caressed the bracelet shining on her wrist.

    "That''s a beautiful bracelet."

    "Yeah¡­ It''s wonderful, isn''t it?" She said and gently caressed her bracelet.

    After that, Ayase-san and I just observed the surface of theke in silence. As a breeze passed us by, we both headed back to the residence.

    That evening, after we finished dinner, Ayase-san and I were once again ying a game with Takumi and Mika, which was a racing game where you try to obstruct other yers using items. Ayase-san seemed to be doing much better with this game, and she even beat me several times. However, Takumi and Mika were even better than that, always at the top of the ranking. I figured that it wouldn''t be nice to use too many items against Mika, so I left Takumi to battle her while I mainly fought against Ayase-san. If it was me, she''d definitely have a chance.

    Like this, time went on and we yed for almost two hours, and the two of them ended up falling asleep. Children have what you''d believe to be an endless reserve of energy, which they use up all at once and then fall asleep on the spot if they run out of it. That''s the kind of creatures they are.

    "My, my, they should at least head to their beds if they want to sleep." Aunt Kanae sighed.

    "Yuuta and I will carry them over."

    Kousuke-san grabbed Takumi, and I picked up Mika. Ayase-san offered to help out, but I said that she should at least let me handle all the physical babor, so she reluctantly stepped back.

    "I''ll go back to my room, then," she said and headed to the room the four of us were staying in for one more night.

    After seeing her off, Kousuke-san smiled.

    "She''s a good girl."

    "Yes. A little sister I can be proud of." I said without thinking too much about it.

    We put the two children to bed, and Kousuke-san returned to the banquet hall. I headed to the kitchen since I was feeling a bit hungry. There''s food in the banquet hall still, but going there would just get me captured and pulled into their conversations. On the way to the kitchen, I heard my grandparents and my old man talking.

    "How are things with her?"

    My grandfather spoke with a somewhat worried voice, bringing up the name of my mother. I was surprised and stopped in my tracks. Why would he ask that now, when things are going great with Akiko-san? My mother was good at keeping up appearances. On the surface, she was always smiling andughing with grandfather. That''s why both my grandparents were surprised by the divorce. My old man said that he was at fault for everything that had happened, but I can''t agree with that. After all, she got married to the person she cheated on Dad with only half a year after their divorce. And since then, we haven''t heard a peep from her.

    My old man said that although he agreed to the remarriage, he said he was still not fully on safend. Akiko-san seemed a lot more pleasant than my mother on the outside, but we learned that this wasn''t everything. Logically, it made sense. When my old man introduced Akio-san as his marriage partner, I was worried that she might be deceiving him too. My mother seemed much more docile with nothing negative on the surface, only for things to suddenlye crashing down. Akiko-san definitely has more shy looks and works at night in the big city, so it made sense for grandpa, who had no experience of life in Tokyo, to think that she doesn''t seem as good of a partner as his previous wife.

    Grandmother tried to soothe grandfather and his words, but he kept pressing my old man further. Plus, he said that Akiko-san''s daughter Saki had her mother''s shy looks and seemed rather cold and blunt. That''s why he seemed to be worried. However, that was something even my old man couldn''t just let slide.

    "It''s okay. They are both wonderful people that you don''t have to worry about, Dad." He said without a glimmer of hesitation.

    Grandfather was a bit taken aback, but he was not stepping down.

    "You say that, but what about Yuuta? He''s in high school, and he''s suddenly got himself a new mother and sister. Isn''t that too much for him to handle?"

    "That''s not¡ª"

    "Can you truly say that, Taichi?"

    "¡­"

    My old man was at a loss for words. He probably didn''t want to speak for his own son. I think it''s this genuine care and seriousness that didn''t make him a good fit with my mother, and that''s what brought him and Akiko-san together. That''s what I think, at least. I remembered his straightforward response to grandfather just now, and spoke up through the sliding door. The argument inside the hall stopped. I named myself and stepped in front of grandfather.

    "I have absolutely noints about Dad''s remarriage with Akiko-san." I dered.

    "Yuuta¡­"

    "And this also goes for Saki."

    I couldn''t afford to call her "Ayase-san" right now. I needed to set her on the stage as a single individual¡ªand that I epted her into my family.

    "She''s not the type of person you see her as, Grandpa. She may have a hard time interacting with people at times, but I''m the same way. Saki is kind, sincere, and a truly hard-working person."

    "Yuuta¡­" My old man looked at me with dampened eyes.

    And now, my grandmother chimed in.

    "Gintarou-san, don''t you remember what Takumi said? He taught Saki-san how to y that whatsit game because she was so bad at it, but she was very earnest about listening to his advice."

    I kept a straight face on the outside but couldn''t stop myself from groaning mentally.

    "It means she was doing her best with the help of someone else, right?"

    "W-Well."

    "Plus, you weren''t exactly the most weing when it came to Saki-san either, remember?"

    "Yeah, but with her hair dyed like that¡ª"

    "That much is normal nowadays. Did you already forget that Kanae dyed her hair red a long time ago?"

    Receiving this follow-up attack from grandmother, grandfather had nothing else to say. He probably realized there was no winning this argument. Meanwhile, grandmother looked at me as she gently narrowed her eyes. Somehow, I feel itchy all over.

    "Yeah, I see¡­ Well, if you are that adamant about it. But to think our docile Yuuta would go this far¡­"

    "Enough of this then, Gintarou-san?"

    "Yeah, I won''t say anything more for now. Yuuta, your birthday has already passed, right? How old are you?"

    "I''m 17 now."

    "I see. Then you''ll be an adult next year¡­ And you could find a wife."

    "A wife¡­ That''s still a bit too early for me."

    "Well, Kousuke brought it up out of nowhere."

    Since I couldn''tment on that, grandmother came to the rescue.

    "Yes, yes, surely. But, that''s enough, Gintarou-san."

    "Yeah. Taichi, let''s drink some more."

    "Erm¡­ I can''t drink that much, I have to drive home tomorrow, remember?"

    While the two headed back to the banquet hall, I opted to return to my own room. Iid down in my futon and reminisced about the incident just now. If¡­ if our family found out about my rtionship with Ayase-san¡­ Then even if they won''t ept us here any longer, I just have to stay resolute like my old man did.

    Let''s both do our best¡ªSaki.

 Chapter 81 - 14

    <h4>Chapter 81: Chapter 14</h4>

    January 1st (Friday) ¨C Ayase Saki

    I hurriedly turned off the lights and snuggled up into my futon to pretend that I was asleep. My heart was racing painfully fast. The sliding screen opened, and I felt Asamura-kun entering his own futon. Our futons were on opposite ends of the room, with our parents in the center. It was good enough that we wouldn''t be too conscious of each other while sleeping in the same room, and it allowed me to not show my defenseless side to him.

    He¡­ didn''t notice, right? My heart beat faster and faster. I felt it thumping right up to my ears, showing no signs of calming down. My face felt hot. Even though it was below freezing outside, I felt like I was sweating beneath my futon. Worried that he might hear me breathing heavily, I pulled the nket over my head.

    ''Saki is kind, sincere, and¡­ a truly hard-working person.''

    That''s what Asamura-kun said. Not to mention that he called me Saki. Not just Ayase-san, but Saki.

    I wanted to go to the toilet, but I realized that Asamura-kun wasn''t sleeping in his futon yet. However, my drowsy brain didn''t think much about it and just epted this as a fact as I left the room. After almost ending up lost in therge hallway, I made my way back to the room when I heard Asamura-kun''s voice. I didn''t mean to peek inside, I just went a bit closer to listen. This allowed me to hear his voice clearly. And without any hesitation, he said that¡ªThat he doesn''t have anyints when ites to Mom''s marriage with Stepdad.

    And not just that, he even protected me. I don''t know what led to him saying that, but¡ªI didn''t expect him to praise me and call me kind, sincere, and hard-working. I was worried if I could even live up to these expectations. I was happy, but at the same time I was scared. I don''t know what it means to be liked. I haven''t done anything to make other people like me. I''ve kept my armament to block off anyone who''s tried to approach or attack me in any way.

    But, when there was a person I wanted to get along with, I had no armament or equipment that would allow me to do so. I''ve just been doing everything in my power to be able to live all by myself without the help of anybody else. I never saw any need to get along with people. But all of that came crashing down half a year ago. I won''t have any great expectations from you, so I want you to do the same for me.

    When I said these words to Asamura-kun half a year ago, I never would have imagined that he woulde to like me. On the contrary, the only reason I wanted to get along with Stepdad was so that Mom could finally be happy. But to my surprise, Asamura-kun not only epted this contract of us adjusting to each other, he even took the time to always talk things through with me.

    At some point, I fell in love with him, and I even began seeing Stepdad as not just the person Mom married, but as a genuinely caring individual. I began wanting to care for him because the person I like does the same.

    I bet I could have avoideding here with a well-made excuse. I could have said that I had to study, said that I had to work, or even just said I simply didn''t want to. I doubt they would have forced me toe. I agreed toe because I wanted to. Just as Stepdad said on the way here, there''s no guarantee we might get another chance to travel together like this, and Mom said that all of his rtives are genuinely nice people. I want toe to like the people that the person I cherish also cares for.

    However, dealing with rtives I wasn''t even directly rted to, let alone these people who live so far away, was much more difficult than I had imagined. In a ce like this, with rtives from what felt like a foreign family, adjusting to each other and understanding the other party takes time. In that case, you need someone to take your side, to act as your shield as they enable you to build up a conversation¡ªA shield. And this time, it was Asamura-kun who did that for me.

    Or maybe you could even call a cushion. The same goes for Stepdad, of course. Thanks to that, my step-grandfather''s gaze towards us should be a lot softer starting tomorrow. Without his prejudices, it in return makes it easier for me to interact with him. Of course, that''s all because he acted as the shield between me and his rtives. Even though I had decided to live independently and all by myself, I started thinking that I wanted to walk next to someone¡ªNext to Asamura-kun.

    I focused my attention on any sounds outside the room, but nobody was nearby. Mom and Stepdad are probably busy talking with our rtives. Right now, it was just Asamura-kun and I in this room. I carefully pulled the nket off me and moved towards his futon, gently touching his shoulder. Touching him without first adjusting to each other isn''t like me. Not to mention that our parents could see this at any given moment. But even so, I called out his name, packed with all my feelings.

    "Thank you, Yuuta-kun."

    I pushed myself closer to his back until I almost touched him, indulging in the warmth I felt on my hand, which then passed through my own body. Just like ice melting away, the reason and logic in my mind lost their shape and became a twisted unsightly shape like a non-uniform mineral. But even so, I came to adore this twistedness. And during the few seconds it took until Asamura-kun woke up in shock and called out my name, which felt like an eternity to me, I simply indulged in the warmth he gave me.

 Chapter 82: Afterword

    <h4>Chapter 82: Afterword</h4>

    Thank you very much for buying volume 6 of the novelized [Gimai Seikatsu] series. I''m the original creator of both the YouTube version and this novel series, Mikawa Ghost. And this time, I believe I have to bring up the news that most of you have most likely heard about already. That''s right, I''m talking about the anime adaptation. The other day, a glorious anime adaptation for [Gimai Seikatsu] has been announced, with the cast of the YouTube series being enlisted for the actual anime. There couldn''t be any better news, don''t you think? I was truly delighted to hear of this decision. And it''s all thanks to the fans who have supported this series all the way until now. Thank you so much. It will take quite some time until the broadcast, but I hope you look forward to it.

    Finally, my thanks. My illustrator Hiten-san, voice actors and actresses Nakashima Yuki-san, Amasaki Kouhei-san, Suzuki Ayu-san, Hamano Daiki-san, Suzuki Minori-san, video director Ochiai Yuusuke-san, and everyone else from the YouTube version, as well as my editor O-san, mangaka Kanade Yumika-san, and everybody else from the publishing and editorial department, and finally all my dear readers: Thank you very much.

    This has been Ghost.

 Chapter 83: Table of Contents

    <h4>Chapter 83: Table of Contents</h4>

    This is a fan trantion by Cws Trantions,piled together into a file by a fan.

    Please consider buying the official release to support the author, illustrator and their team.

    Table of Contents

    Prologue

    Chapter 1

    Chapter 2

    Chapter 3

    Chapter 4

    Chapter 5

    Chapter 6

    Chapter 7

    Chapter 8

    Chapter 9

    Chapter 10

    Chapter 11

    Chapter 12

 Chapter 84: Prologue: Asamura Yuuta

    <h4>Chapter 84: Prologue: Asamura Yuuta</h4>

    The solid snow filling the world slowly vanished on the 12th day in February, bringing us to Friday morning. I opened my shoe box with my hands numb from the cold and a voice called out to me right as I changed into my indoor slippers.

    "Morning, Asamura."

    When I turned around, I saw my good friend Maru greeting me with a mysterious smile.

    "Morning, Maru. No morning practice today?"

    "The snow''s forced us indoors, so we stopped early. But you''ve got zero hesitation, eh?"

    "Huh?" I didn''t understand what Maru was talking about, so I let out a dumbfounded voice. "What do you mean?"

    "I was just admiring how you opened your shoe box without even a moment''s pause."

    "Is that¡­ bad?"

    "Normally it wouldn''t be. However¡­ look." Maru''s gaze wandered towards a boy from the ss next to ours.

    He seemed hesitant to open his shoe box for a moment. But once he did, he faintly sighed, but still loudly enough for me to hear.

    "February 14th falls on a Sunday this year, right?"

    "Ah, I see."

    I was well aware that February 14th was known as Valentine''s Day. In the Christian religion, it''s seen as a day when you present the people you care about with something thates from the heart, and this has been passed down even to Japan. Except it somehow changed into a day where women would give men chocte. Lately, it''s been getting a bit loose in that regard (or rather has returned to its roots), where boys and girls both give chocte to the people they care about. And since this day fell on a weekend this year, it means that chocte is being handed out either today, Friday, or on the day itself.

    "There might be chocte waiting in your shoe box, so you''d normally hesitate for a moment before opening it. But I just swung it open without a care in the world, huh?"

    "Exactly."

    "But does that really happen? Finding chocte in your shoe box, I mean."

    I don''t recall having ever received chocte that way, nor have I heard of it happening to anyone around me. And in this day and age where we care so much about hygiene, putting food into a shoe locker of all ces seems very unsanitary and meaningless. Not to mention that a high school boy''s shoe box isn''t exactly a prime example of a clean environment. A letter is probably the only thing you''d want to risk putting in there.

    "That''s a valid argument to be sure, but¡­ Asamura, thinking about hygiene on Valentine''s and trying to make it realistic¡­ is not how most boys think."

    "You¡­ think not?"

    "Your brain might understand the logic behind it, but you can''t shake that small glimmer of hope. It''s perfectly normal to assume that there might be¡­ No, that there must be at least one girl who likes you."

    "That''s not normal at all."

    "But all of us boys are somewhat crazy. Thus, it is normal."

    "What wed logic."

    We reached our ssroom during our discussion, and I subconsciously nced around to see if the atmosphere felt different or not. In short, the air in the ssroom was somewhat calm, and not too many people were talking about Valentine''s. That''s probably because Suisei High is more of an advanced school than average. However, throughout the day, I''d see girls giving each other chocte, or boys receiving chocte if they had a lot of female friends. However, the couples we knew of didn''t actually give each other chocte in the ssroom. I wonder why not? Eventually, the final bell of the day rang, and Maru turned around.

    "What''s gotten into you, Asamura? You''ve been looking around with a weird look on your face all day."

    "Weird look¡­? It must have been pretty obvious if even the person sitting in front of me noticed."

    "You had the face of a philosopher."

    Now hold on. I''m not Socrates, ton, Nietzsche, or Satre, you know? Also, I wasn''t wracking my brain that much.

    "I wasn''t trying to solve world hunger or anything. I was just thinking that even the couples who are openly dating don''t give each other chocte in front of everyone."

    After hearing that, Maru gave me a dubious look.

    "Asamura¡­ That statement basically reveals your underlying assumption that all couples are perfectly fine with openly flirting with each other in front of others, you know?"

    "That''s¡­"

    Not true¡ªI wanted to say, but then the faces of my old man and Akiko-san came to mind. That is true, I guess. Any kind of romance I''ve seentely has just been those two.

    "¡­a possibility, I guess?"

    "Hey now¡­ Do the couples you know just brazenly hug and kiss each other even in public?"

    "I haven''t seen anything like that¡­ But if they did, it wouldn''t surprise me."

    I don''t know if my old man and Akiko-san kissed each other while going on a date through town, but I wouldn''t be surprised if they at least locked arms while walking¡­ Though, as the son, I''d rather not be having fantasies about my parents'' love life.

    "You''ve probably watched too many American movies. In fact, couples like that will get teased if they simply walk next to each other. Showing any kind of skinship is way too embarrassing."

    "Embarrassing¡­ Yeah, that makes sense."

    The reason Ayase-san and I don''t do these things must be that we''re embarrassed¡­ right? It feels like that''s the case, but also not really. I faintly remembered what happened when we visited my father''s family over New Year''s. After I made my point clear to my grandfather, I went back to my room and went to bed, only for Ayase-san to touch my back and say "Thank you, Yuuta-kun."

    I''ve never had anyints about Ayase-san bing my little sister. Realizing that she heard my discussion with my grandfather made me feel flustered, but I was happy that my genuine feelings reached her. There was still a risk of our rtives finding out about us, and our parents could havee back any time, and despite this danger, Ayase-san moved closer to me and sought out physical contact. Along with what she said, how could I not feel anything at that?

    Ayase-san didn''t say anything else afterwards, and she quickly returned to her own futon, but my heart was racing so fast that I had trouble sleeping. Despite the danger of possibly being seen we indulged in physical contact. It made me wonder why Ayase-san had done something so risky. It''s not very like her to do such a thing, but I felt happy that we could bond in that way.

    The argument Maru made about my subconscious assumption yed back in my head. Deep inside my heart¡­ Could I possibly want to be that open with our skinship in front of others? And am I just feeling embarrassed, which is why I won''t?

    "Asamura, someone''s calling for you," Maru''s words caused me to raise my head.

    I spotted a girl peeking inside our ssroom at the door. It turned out to be Ayase-san''s good friend from her ss, Narasaka Maaya-san. She waved her hand at me, beckoning me toe over, so I said goodbye to Maru, and he went on his way to his club.

    "Narasaka-san? How can I help you?"

    "Come with me."

    She took me to the lower stairs near a storage shed in the corner of the floor. To my surprise, Ayase-san was already waiting there.

    "Maaya wouldn''t shut up about giving this to you¡­"

    "Giving¡­ what to me?"

    Narasaka-san turned toward me with a smile.

    "I''d rather not have your adorable little sister get all jealous at me because I gave you chocte in secret. So here you go!" She handed me a wrapped package she hid behind her back and held it out towards me while exining herself.

    "This is your Valentine''s present!"

    "And this is from me. Though it''s nothing special." Ayase-san also handed me a wrapped package.

    She''s not giving it to me at home¡­ but at school? I mean, it''s not that big of a shock, since she probably couldn''t argue against Narasaka-san.

    "Um¡­ Thanks."

    I always wonder if I should open presents like this right on the spot, but there are times when seeing my reaction will make them happy, so I at least checked first.

    "Can I open them?"

    "Of course! There''s no love letter in there or anything." Narasaka-san said with a smile, so she''s probably telling the truth.

    "Then I''ll start with yours," I ripped the wrapping off of Narasaka-san''s Valentine''s present, revealing store-bought chocte.

    And topletely kill off any potential sweetness, she even wrote "Obligatory" on the cover.

    "It''s the perfect example of obligatory chocte that won''t cause any possible misunderstandings!"

    "Thanks. That makes epting this obligatory chocte much easier."

    "Right? I''m amazing!"

    With that done, I moved on to Ayase-san''s gift. I could immediately tell that it wasn''t store-bought and that she put a lot of effort into her chocte. In fact, it looks more like chocte truffles, so I''m unsure if I could call this simple chocte by any stretch of the imagination. She even scattered what looked like kes on the outside of them.

    "You made these just for me?"

    "Wooow! Saki, that must have taken forever! Did you make the feuintine yourself, too?"

    "Of course not. I bought it and sprinkled it on the truffle."

    "Feu¡­ What now?"

    "Feuintine. It''s what''s on the round chocte. There''s a lot of names in the business, but it''s what you get by lightly toasting a raw crepe and then delicately grinding it."

    "I see. So like baked rice crackers but ground into powder?"

    "Y-Yeah¡­ Something like that. Though exining it that way will only ruin the magic of Valentine''s and turn it into the nice neighbordy''s candy, so stop it. But it looks great, right?" Narasaka-san asked.

    "Wait¡­ Is that why the kitchen lights were ontest night?"

    "W-Well, yeah. This much is normal for siblings, right?"

    So Ayase-san said, but I couldn''t tell if that was true in the slightest. To be honest, this is the first time I''ve ever even gotten homemade chocte, so I don''t know what kind of emotion to have right now. And judging from Narasaka-san''s reaction, it must have taken ages to make this.

    "It''s nothing much, really," Ayase-san said and averted her face, clearly flustered.

    Narasaka-san watched this from the sidelines and then whispered to me.

    "Not bad, Asamura-kun. Maybe you''re a lot more of a yer than I took you for?"

    "I haven''t the foggiest idea what you''re talking about."

    Why would receiving chocte as a present make me some kind of yboy? I can''t follow her thought process at all.

    "What are you talking about?"

    "I was just saying how much of a hardworking person you are, Saki. Well, with an older brother like him, I guess you''d wanna try hard!"

    "I didn''t do it because it''s Asamura-kun¡­"

    "Reaaally now? Well, that''s fine. Anyway, that''s the mission aplished. You''re free to go home now, Big Brother~"

    "Yeah, yeah."

    "See youter, Asamura-kun," Ayase-san said and turned her back toward me, walking away.

    Left behind, Narasaka-san jogged back to me.

    "The field trip is soon, right?"

    I nodded slightly, although I didn''t know what exactly she was going to say.

    "I''ll do my best so you two can walk around together."

    "Huh? Together?"

    "You''ll be lonely if you can''t be with Saki, right?"

    "N-Not at all, don''t mind me."

    "There''s no need to be modest! It''s your first trip with your adorable little sister, right?"

    Actually, we had already gone through that when we visited my old man''s hometown, but if I said that, I might hint at anything that happened between Ayase-san and I. Though when I see Narasaka-san grinning at me like that, it makes me worried that she might have possibly realized that there''s been some form of change in our rtionship already. I somehow managed to y along and satisfy Narasaka-san, but after she finally left, I could feel myself dripping with sweat, realizing how much I was panicking deep inside. At the same time, though, I didn''t feel too bothered by Narasaka-san''s teasing. Instead, it made me happy¡­ and fuzzy inside. So¡­ if this really is happiness, why am I feeling the need to keep the amount of skinship with Ayase-san to a minimum?

    I grabbed a piece of the chocte truffle and stuffed it into my mouth. The feuintine gave it a crusty sensation when chewing on it, and the chocte melted and filled my mouth with sweetness.

 Chapter 85 - 1 - February 14th (Sunday) â€“ Asamura Yuuta

    <h4>Chapter 85: Chapter 1 - February 14th (Sunday) ¨C Asamura Yuuta</h4>

    Morning arrived. Specifically, 8:07 am. Since it was Sunday, I could allow myself to sleep in a bit longer than usual. The sun shining inside from the window illuminated the faucet in the bathroom. I bit down on my yawn as I turned the lever towards ''warm'' to counteract the coldness against my bare feet and warmed up my face with the water. After that, I opened the door to the living room with a "Good morning."

    "Morning, Yuuta."

    "Good¡­ yawn¡­ morning, Yuuta-kun."

    My old man and Akiko-san were already present. As for Akiko-san, she seemed fairly sleepy. It looked like they had finished their breakfast already and when I looked over at the dinner table, I saw two tes of breakfast wrapped up in stic. As was typical for our weekend menu, there was ham and eggs with sd and miso soup. Normally you''d have toast with such a meal, but my old man haspletely fallen victim to Akiko-san''s miso soup, which is what created this oddbination. Then again, once you get used to it it''s just as good.

    "¡­Hm? Where''s Ayase-san?"

    "She''s still sleeping."

    "Maybe she was upte studying again¡­"

    I guess I should wait for her. Eating alone won''t make it any more delicious, at least.

    "I don''t know when she''ll get up, so just eat without her."

    "Well¡­ Okay, I''ll do that."

    "I''ll heat up the miso soup for you."

    "Thank you," I answered as I slid the slices of bread into the toaster.

    After that, I ced the ham and egg inside the microwave to warm it up and removed the wrapping, picked the toast out of the toaster, and sat down at the table. Shortly after, Akiko-san brought me the miso soup.

    "She was sleeping in the living room. With her earphones in, too. She didn''t even hear mee home."

    I munched on the toast as Akiko-san told me aboutst night. Even if she got home early from her bartending job, we''re talking 3 am the earliest. Was she up studying thatte? ording to Akiko-san, she had her earphones in with English texts in front of her. I understand that we have the field triping up, which will mean she won''t be able to get as much studying in, but that''s still pretty amazing.

    Though it''s rare for Ayase-san to sleep in the living room like that. She''s usually careful to not lower her guard when she''s at home, but I guess that maybe this means she''s showing more trust in us? My old man and Akiko-san got married and they moved in with us back in August. If she really is starting to feel like we''re her family, then I''m happy. Well, she''ll get up soon enough, I bet.

    "Time to dig in."

    I poured some soy sauce onto the ham and eggs, cing it on my toast with my chopsticks. The most important thing here is to keep the egg yolk all clean and in the center of the toast. That makes for the perfect setup. I bit into it. The closer to the center I got, the more egg yolk I obtained with each bite, and the soup-like consistency mixed with the crunchy texture, filling my mouth with the taste of egg. Eating it like this without losing any egg yolk is actually the real pleasure and¡ª

    "You really do eat like Taichi-san, Yuuta-kun."

    "Pffft! Cough! Cough!"

    "Oh my. Here, have some water." She handed me a cup filled with water.

    "Th-Thank you¡­"

    "You''re wee. Make sure to slowly eat and take your time," Akiko-san smiled as she sat down across the table, resting her cheek on her palm. "But really, you two look identical."

    "R-Really?"

    I was never that aware of it, but it would make sense. Plus, I never really take a good look at my old man when he''s eating, either. And with that timing, Akiko-san pped her hands together.

    "Today is Valentine''s Day, right?"

    "Um¡­ yes?"

    "Then¡­ Here you go!"

    She handed me a wrapped box. I had been wondering what that one was about when I saw it on her seat on the dining table when I was getting my breakfast. Upon a closer look, I could see a ribbon wrapped around it, signaling that it was a present. I hesitated for a moment but thanked her. I guess this is the final line of obligatory chocte¡ªMother chocte. To think such a minor thing could make me realize that I actually have a mother now. And as I was getting emotional, I heard my old man''s voice from the sofa.

    "What about me¡­?"

    It seemed like he hadn''t gotten his present yet. But¡­ that''s all the presents I saw on the table. Meanwhile, Akiko-san looked at my father''s empty seat, then looked at him, and just let out a baffled "Huh?" in response.

    "No waaay¡­" My old man sighed in disbelief, and Akiko-san stuck out her tongue.

    "Hee hee. Just kidding, I have something for you," she said and opened the refrigerator.

    She then took out a white rectangr box and offered it to him. My old man ced this box on hisp and opened it, revealing a chocte-colored cake.

    "It''s chocte chiffon cake."

    "You made that just for me?"

    "It''s a special event, so we need to make it memorable, right? I made sure to keep the sugar levels to a minimum so you don''t have to worry about your stomach when eating it."

    "H-Haha¡­ Oh, man. You didn''t have to say that," my old man grumbled as he scratched his nose in a bashful way.

    Really, she''s the exact opposite from my birth mother. My mother was what you could call a ''good-for-nothing,'' always changing how she acted simply based on the person she was dealing with. To me, my biological mother is a failure, whereas Akiko-san is an understanding woman. Then again, I don''t think Akiko-san is purposefully buttering us up, either. I think that just shows how human rtionships don''t work based on that.

    Though she did go out of her way to make a cake especially to please my old man. And that''s something Ayase-san would regrly do, too. I guess they really are mother and child.

    "I''ll make some more coffee. And I''ll grab a knife, fork, and a te."

    "I''ll handle that, don''t worry."

    "Thank you, Taichi-san."

    "That''s my line. Happy Valentine''s, Akiko-san."

    "Yes. Happy Valentine''s."

    The two looked at each other, as their gazes looked like they melted away as if they were chocte. This caused me to remember when Maru told me that I''m assuming it''s normal for couples to flirt around in front of people¡­ and I have to say, my thoughts about it were correct. At least in front of their family, these two do not hold back. And while trying my best to not look over toward the kitchen, I calmly munched on the rest of my toast.

    Morning sses at my prep school ended, bringing us to lunch break. I left the prep school building and made my way to the nearest convenience store to buy lunch. Upon entering the automatic door, I was assaulted by a wave of red. Left and right, top and bottom, everything was Valentine''s chocte. At the top was a coboration from a super famous store, which girls my age were admiring. Next, someone who seemed like a sryman bought the cheapest packs that had like 50 pieces of chocte in each, probably to hand out at work. I passed by the shelves and headed deeper inside the store, wondering what I should eat. Since I''d like to save up some of my allowance for the field trip next week, I probably shouldn''t go all out. That means¡­ This. I grabbed a package with one salted onigiri and headed for the self-service register, standing behind a tall woman.

    "Ah, I just finished, so please go ahead¡­ Oh, what a coincidence."

    The person who turned around was actually a fellow student at my cram school who I knew quite well.

    "Ah, Fujinami-san."

    "Imagine this. Also, sorry, I''ll get out of your way."

    "It''s fine."

    I scanned the barcode and finished the payment with my smartphone, only to hesitate as I was about to put it into my bag. Fujinami-san saw this and spoke up.

    "If you''d like to eat it at the prep school, I can carry it for you," she opened her stic bag from the convenience store.

    Inside were several sandwiches, some bread, as well as cafe auit.

    "Erm¡­ Thanks. I can carry the bag if you want."

    "One single onigiri isn''t that heavy. Well, if it makes you feel better, then I''ll take you up on that offer."

    I dropped my onigiri inside the bag and epted it from Fujinami-san. We then left the convenience store and headed to the food court in the prep school. It was actually fairly crowded because a lot of other students were using it, too. We spotted two open seats and sat down next to each other, and after I pulled my onigiri out, I handed the stic bag back to Fujinami-san.

    "Thanks."

    "Don''t mind it. Thanks for carrying the bag." Fujinami-san took everything out of the shopping bag and folded it, using it as a lunch mat as she ced her food and cafe auit on it.

    She must have realized that I was staring as she looked at me.

    "This is just my personal custom. I n to use it as a trash bag after I''m done."

    "It''s okay. Sorry for staring."

    "It''s fine. Also, while we''re on the subject of curiosity, I have a question. But it''s totally okay if you can''t give me an answer. The reason you didn''t want to put your rice onigiri inside your own bag¡­ did you refrain from doing so because you didn''t want it to get in contact with everything else?"

    "Ahh¡­ Um, not really. It might be a bit hard to understand, but I''ve got my part-time job at a bookstore after this."

    "Okay?"

    Her face was basically asking ''What does that have to do with anything?''

    "And it can get pretty stressful during work."

    "When a customer is just venting their stress out on you?"

    "That too. But to me, it''s the shoplifters. No matter how careful you are, no matter what you do to try to stop them, there are always people who have to just steal stuff."

    "Wouldn''t setting up surveince cameras inside the store solve that problem?"

    "The fact that I distrust customers is what causes the stress to build up. Normally, they would be crucial for our business. But when you work part-time in ces like these, you learn to doubt other people."

    "I had no idea that could happen."

    "I''ve only been told by my senior at work, so I don''t know if this would bemon or not. However, she told me not to look away from customers who enter with arge bag, especially if it''s already opened."

    "Like a sports bag?" Fujinami-san looked at the bag at my feet.

    "Exactly. If you had a stic bag like you''d get after a purchase, you can tell what''s inside there, and it changes shape."

    Compared to that, something like a Boston bag is a lot more solid, allowing you to slide in a book or two and nobody would be able to tell from the outside. And once they zip up the bag, it''s totally impossible to notice. That''s why customers like that should be the absolute focus when they happen to enter. But the idea of being doubtful of others like this can weigh down heavily on you, chipping away at your mental health.

    "Ah, I see. So even if you''ve paid for it, the employees won''t know if you actually paid for it or not. And even if you aren''t doing anything evil, you can''t help but be conscious of the way other people are looking at you."

    I nodded.

    "I just built up a natural resistance towards putting items in my bag. But I don''t feel right taking a single onigiri to the cash register either."

    But I didn''t think she''d just see through my momentary hesitation that easily. If not for her offer, I probably would have held the receipt with the onigiri in hand while leaving the store.

    "That makes sense. But on that note, I''m surprised that''s enough for your lunch. I assume you don''t eat much?"

    "Actually, our school''s got a field trip next week, so I want to save money."

    "A field trip¡­ during this cold season?"

    "Well, I don''t know. My school does it every year, at least."

    Once again, I didn''t know if this wasmon or not. But I think there''s usually a field trip in your first summer when you''re in your third year of middle school. Since Suisei High is supposed to be a preparatory school, they most likely didn''t want to have it in the students'' third year so they could focus on their exams.

    "Where are you going? Kyoto or somewhere around there?"

    "Singapore."

    "Overseas? That''s a surprise," she muttered with an impressed voice, but I don''t think it was that weird for a school like ours to choose an overseas location. "I''m¡­ a bit jealous."

    It seems like her school didn''t have a field trip like that.

    "Well, even if we had that, I wouldn''t have been too sure about participating or not. Plus, that''s money better saved for tuition fees."

    I wasn''t dense enough to tell her a few words of sympathy. I would bet that she wouldn''t be happy even if I tried to say something about it. In that way, she''s probably a lot like Ayase-san.

    "For that reason, once I can afford it financially in university, I''ll travel overseas a lot. Go here, go there, meet all sorts of people."

    "I bet it''d be fun if you canmunicate with them."

    "I''m fairly good when ites to English, so I should be able to get by. Are you good with foreignnguages, Asamura-kun?"

    "I don''t think I''d handle myself too well with English conversations."

    "Really? That''s a surprise. Your grades are fairly good, no?"

    Just because I''ve been practicingmunicative English for my exams doesn''t immediately transfer to actual speaking skills. I don''t do listening practices on the regr, either. Speaking of which, I suddenly remembered that Ayase-san fell asleepte because she was studying Englishst night.

    "Are you able to speak English well, Fujinami-san?"

    "Somewhat, yeah."

    "That''s amazing."

    "Comes with my environment, so it''s not all sunshine and rainbows."

    ording to what she had told me before, she''s living with her foster parent she calls Auntie. And from the sounds of it, one of the people she looks after is from South Asia, someone who speaks English quite well and often, and this person owns a restaurant which Fujinami-san regrly visits.

    "At first, I had no idea what they were even saying. But while trying to talk with them, I acquired that skill naturally."

    "You learn from what is around you without realizing it, huh?"

    "I think it''s just getting used to it, rather than just learning. When taking a trip overseas, there are things you can''t experience without speaking thenguage. Though that''s just how I see things. Well, even if you manage to hold a conversation, being able to get your thoughts and feelings across is an entirely different question, and some things are easily lost if you get too fixated on conversation alone."

    "For example?"

    "That you lose track of time, for example," Fujinami-san said. She put her trash inside the stic bag and tied it closed.

    Only then did I realize that hardly anybody was left in the rest area. When I checked the time, I started panicking. I barely had two minutes left until afternoon sses started.

    "Fair enough."

    "W-We should hurry. I''d rather not waste tuition fees by missing sses."

    We rushed down the hallway as I thought to myself that there were still a lot of things to be learned from conversations like these.

    Prep school sses ended for the day, and the sun had already set by the time I left the building. I put on the neck warmer I had received from Ayase-san and rode my bike to the bookstore near the Shibuya train station. The wind hitting my cheeks was awfully cold to the point that just blinking brought me close to tears. I didn''t even want to imagine how cold it would be after my shift. Maybe I should stop taking the bike to work at least during these cold days.

    I stored my bike at the usual parking area and entered the building with its blessed interior heating, which made a sigh escape my lips. After that, I headed inside the bookstore''s employee area. After I was done changing into my uniform, I stepped out into the sales area to take a walk around and see how the shelves and tables were looking.

    "Oh, Junior-kun!"

    My senior at work, Yomiuri Shiori¡ªYomiuri-senpai called out to me. Since she hasn''t changed yet, she probably just got here.

    "Good eve¡ªNo, good morning, is it?"

    "Why are you wishing me a good morning thiste?"

    "Haven''t you told me before that the industry asks for such a greeting?"

    "¡­Yes, I did say that. Aren''t you a diligent one, Phelps-kun."

    "¡­And who would that be?"

    Knowing Yomiuri-senpai, it''s probably some character from a novel, but I really wish she wouldn''t make random references without even checking if I knew what she was referencing1.

    "Who might it be? Those memories have been deleted automatically."

    "I don''t think you should do that."

    In other words, she isn''t even bothering to remember.

    "Heh heh heh¡­ Oh? Where''s your little sis?"

    "Her shift has just ended."

    Ayase-san worked from 10 am to 6 pm today, and I''m here for the shift after hers. I think she''s gonna be done changing any minute now. Since she''s gonna use some of the money she''s been saving on the field trip, she''s been taking pretty long shifts on the weekends for thetter half of January. For that reason, she''s also done working earlier than usual. And that led to us working fewer days on the same shift. I exined all of this to Yomiuri-senpai as we walked toward the office.

    "Oho, the field trip? Sounds nice. I''m jelly."

    "That''s why Ayase-san and I don''t have any shifts next week."

    "That''s a painfulck of workforce we''ve gottapensate with. Then again, February''s usually pretty rxed. But that sounds nice. I''m out here worrying about employment as you are just fooling around. No fair!"

    "It''s not like I can help it. Still, even you worry about work in your future, huh?"

    "What are you implying?"

    "You seem like the type of person who can separate work and hobbies, so I figured you''d be fine with wherever."

    "Well, duh. I can read no matter my job."

    Bingo.

    "Even so, I need a job that pays well enough to fund my book addiction. That much I know, so¡­ Junior-kun, what kind of job do you think would be good for me?" She said this while pointing to her nose.

    "Knowing you, I think you''d seed at whatever you do."

    "You''re not getting anything from me with empty praise, you know?"

    "Do you have any preferences, then?"

    "Hm¡­ Either working at a bookstore, moving on to a publisher, maybe bing a streamer or celebrity. Just anything for a quick buck, really."

    It sounded so serious in the beginning¡­

    "I think you could pull off all of that," I said honestly.

    She''s pretty enough to get confessions on the regr, and she''s a talented student who''ll graduate from Tsukinomiya Women''s University. Even the part about bing a celebrity sounds doable when talking about her.

    "Pull off all of that¡­ huh?" She sighed with a somewhat profound tone. "Oh, well. I''ll leave the worrying forter. Still, without your little sis, it''ll just be me and you hitting the cash register today. Then again¡­" Yomiuri-senpai looked around inside the store. "At the moment, it looks like we''ll probably be bored for most of that."

    "Yup."

    Despite the fact that it was Sunday, the bookstore wasn''t too crowded. February in Japan is the period when the season and its environmental changes are the harshest. With the climate freezing, so do the demands, as there are regrly fewer goods being sold. Books are no exception to that, and most books experience a severe drop in sales other than manga magazines and super popr works, as well as an author''s newest releases. The same goes for bookworms, because other than those crazy ones who read on exam days, you usually hold off on reading much.

    "Anyway, let''s get today over with, Junior-kun," Yomiuri-senpai waved her hand at me as she disappeared into the changing room.

    As for me, I went to the office and greeted the manager. If there''s anything he needs done right now, he''d usually ask me. And as expected, he wanted me to help carry the returns when I found time while taking care of the cash register. All deliveries and pick-ups from the wholesaler stop during the weekend. Returns and deliveries usually happen together, and we''re full of cardboard boxes with returns.

    Put simply, lots of physicalbor awaits me. I agreed to his request and then made my way out into the store area. Not even an hourter, the store was almostpletely empty and devoid of students and srymen, leaving us bored. The mountain of returns was taken care of, too, and even if we stood at the cash register, we were waiting for customers to arrive. Looking at the time, I still had another hour left. In the end, both Yomiuri-senpai and I were just standing around.

    "I''m so bored!"

    "It is a slow day, yeah."

    "Hey, Junior-kun? Where''s your field trip gonna be, anyway?"

    I told her pretty much the same thing I had exined to Fujinami-san earlier. That we''re heading to Singapore, and I''m saving up allowance for that. Despite the fact that speaking with the locals will probably be fun, I''m not confident in my conversation skills. Needless to say, we spoke in a quiet voice and helped out any customers as needed. That being said, this kind of conversation was to be expected since we had nothing else to do.

    "The field trip and Valentine''s¡­ Smells like youth, eh?"

    "Where did the topic of Valentine''se from?"

    "Shibuya''s full of couples, so I figured that was enough of a segway."

    "So many prejudices¡­"

    "Did you get any chocte, Junior-kun?"

    "Huh? Ah, no, well. Just from family, that''s about it."

    Ayase-san and Akiko-san are family, so they don''t really count, and Narasaka-san emphasized the fact that hers was obligatory chocte. Now that I think about it, Fujinami-san didn''t even bring up the conversation of Valentine''s, but that''s probably her way of keeping afortable distance. Either way, I didn''t want Yomiuri-senpai teasing me as always, so I kept things vague.

    Eventually, my shift ended and I returned to the office. Yomiuri-senpai had her break around the same time, as she came from the changing room with a small bag. She took out a small red box and handed it to the manager.

    "Manger, here''s some duty chocte."

    "Oh, thanks a lot, Yomiuri-kun."

    Duty? Not obligatory? I tilted my head in confusion, and Yomiuri-senpai approached me, giving me a small red box, too.

    "Here, obligatory chocte."

    It was the same chocte she gave the manager, leaving me a bit bewildered.

    "What''s the difference between duty and obligatory chocte?"

    "The feelings packed into it?"

    "Why does that sound like a question?"

    "I''m saying that the type of feelings packed into the chocte is different!"

    How does that even make any sense? What''s there to pack into?

    "Affection?"

    "Yet again, another question¡­"

    "You write it with the kanji for ''Obligatory'' but read it ''Love''."

    "I don''t think there''s any corrtion between the two."

    "I''m just trying to cope with stress at work by being a good senior and supporting my junior."

    "That''s just the early stages of power harassment, you know? Also, don''t use your junior for stress relief."

    "But I wanna go overseas, too! Sob, sob. Hey, Junior-kun¡­ Won''t you hire me as a guide for your field trip?"

    "If you''re that confident about yournguage skills, you should probably apply to an officialpany for that sort of thing."

    "I''m not good enough to call myself proficient, at least. And my department doesn''t have too many people who are able to speak English well, either. Though they can at least work their way through a text."

    "Really?"

    "Most modern dissertations and essays are written in English, yep. So we have to make abstracts¡ªbasically short summaries of the papers. Put simply, when looking for papers and so on, we go through all the abstracts to look for one that could be useful for our argument."

    "I¡­ see?"

    "And those abstracts are usually in English, too. You''ll end up reading a lot of English abstracts and then reading through the longer papers, also in English. That''s why¡ª"

    All this abstract and abstract talk is making my head spin, quite frankly.

    "We have a lot of students who can read normal papers and longer texts just fine. Also, those who go to graduate schools can usually hold proper daily conversations. But the average student usually doesn''t reach that level. Kudou-sensei could talk all day in English, at least. She knows we all can''t stand it and is trying to make the seminars English-only. Last time, she was grinning to herself as she talked about making the regted exams full of reading and questions that arepletely in English¡­"

    University sounds rough. Or maybe that professor just has a screw loose. I can''t tell. I felt sympathy for her as I asked her for some tricks when ites to English conversation.

    "That''s a question, all right. Well, practice makes perfect in the end, I guess."

    She was basically saying the same thing as Fujinami-san.

    "A foreign-owned top-ss enterprise usually has their written exams entirely in English. Both reading and answering, that is!"

    "For real?"

    "That''s why I think it''d be best for you to get somenguage work in. And if you can read a foreignnguage, you can work through the various books and texts you''d like to read before they get tranted. You can read all the cool science-fiction novels before Hollywood turns them into movies!"

    "Ohh!"

    "And if you can have decent conversations¡­"

    "If I can do that¡­?"

    "You can enjoy the movie in real-time with all the other views across the world!"

    "Oooh!"

    "And it''ll even help you in your job! Well¡­ probably?"

    "O-Ohh¡­?"

    Thatst part wasn''t as convincing as it probably should have been. But either way, I gratefully epted her advice and listened until she went back to work. I then left the bookstore and headed home.

    I stowed my bike and then went inside the t. Since it was a Sunday night, there was no particr reason for me to do so, but out of habit, I went to check if we''d gotten any mail. Seeing that it was empty, I didn''t waste much time and took the elevator up to my apartment. Announcing my return with a quiet voice, I opened the door.

    "Wee back."

    "Huh? Ayase-san, you were studying here?"

    I was greeted by Ayase-san, who was sitting in the living room working through some English texts.

    "You mentioned that a change of location could be a good change of pace, right? I was feeling a bit out of it, so I decided to study here."

    "I''m d I could give you some advice. But first I''m home."

    "Yeah." Ayase-san took off her earphones. "Would you like to eat dinner?"

    I finally nodded and thanked her. As always, my old man was asleep, and Akiko-san was at work. When I ced my sports bag in my room, I remembered something. I took out the obligatory chocte I had received from Yomiuri-senpai and ced it inside the fridge. It might still be the cold season, but leaving it inside a heated room for too long will cause it to melt.

    "That¡­" Ayase-san muttered while looking at my hands.

    "Ah, yeah. I got this from Yomiuri-senpai. It''s obligatory chocte," I responded and showed her the box.

    "Ah."

    "Hm?"

    "No, it''s nothing. I was just impressed that a university student like her could afford to buy branded chocte¡­ This is obligatory chocte, right?"

    "At the very least, it''s not duty."

    "Come again?"

    "It''s probably another Yomiuri Joke if you ask me."

    Ayase-san seemed just as confused as I was, but I don''t have the confidence of exining just what exactly Yomiuri-senpai is thinking on the regr. However, when ites to her, she apparently mixes the answer to aplicated puzzle with an equally difficult joke, so it''s a bit hopeless. Either way, I ced the sports bag in my room and went back to the dinner table.

    "It''s almost done. I just have to warm it up a bit."

    "No worries." Ayase-san was busy warming up the white stew leftovers from the afternoon. I prepared the tableware, as well as the rice in a small bowl.

    With perfect timing, Ayase-san ced today''s main course down as I sat down with my rice bowl in hand.

    "Thanks."

    "You''re wee. Just give me a moment, there''s one more thing."

    "Hm?" I looked at the food in front of me.

    There were the vegetables and chicken from today''s white stew, with rice and boiled seaweed. Honestly, that was more than enough for ate dinner like this. But to my surprise, a small bottle was ced in front of me.

    "¡­Shichimi2?"

    "Yep. This is everything."

    "¡­Huh?"

    Now I was even more confused. I''m part of the soy sauce faction, so all I need is soy sauce to give my seaweed that extra vor.

    "The dessert''s gonna be sweet, so I figured a bit of spice would mix in better."

    "I think¡­ it''s plenty good as is?"

    "You can just use it as you see fit. Anyway, I''ll go back to studying," she said and turned her back towards me, grabbed her stuff, and went back to her room.

    This made me start thinking. Maybe shichimi just goes with white stew really well? I tried a bite with that anticipation, but it didn''t make it any more delicious. In the end, the day came to a close without me understanding what that was all about.

    ©¤©¤©¤

    1 Not too sure, either, but my guess is the character Phelps from one of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle''s short stories called The Adventure of the Naval Treaty.

    2 Amon Japanese spice mixture containing seven ingredients.

 Chapter 86 - 2 - February 14th (Sunday) â€“ Ayase Saki

    <h4>Chapter 86: Chapter 2 - February 14th (Sunday) ¨C Ayase Saki</h4>

    A faint metallic sound remained in my ears, but it took me a few seconds to realize this was the sound of the door closing. I slowly opened my eyes and checked the clock next to my pillow¡­ 8:54 am. Almost nine, huh? Well, it''s Sunday, so I can just take my¡­ Wait, I can''t take my time! I''ve got a shift starting at 10 am. Ipletely overslept! The instant that realization hit, I threw the nket off me, which caused cold air to hit my body, sending a shiver down my back. I wanted to reach for the AC remote, but even those few seconds I desperately needed.

    "Huuup!" I gathered energy from my outburst and took off my clothes.

    Normally, I''d wait for my room to warm up a bit before changing, but if I do that today, I''ll end up runningte for sure. If everything goes ording to my calctions, I should get there 15 minutes before my shift starts. Assuming I run all the way, of course. In my head, I drew my course of action to make it in time, matching the time reflected on my digital clock in the corner of my eyes, moving my arms and hands in unison. I didn''t even have time to think of a proper outfit for the day, and I just went with a matching set of clothes to save myself time.

    I stuffed my essories into my sports bag¡ªbecause I could still put them on at work¡ªand ran to the bathroom. I brushed my teeth at the speed of light and checked my hair. Yep, no bed hair in sight. But seriously, this just makes me want to have arge mirror in my room! Anyway, I washed my face and checked the scent of my skin. If I don''t like it, I usually add some deodorant alongside my perfume, but I don''t have time right now. I''m looking fresh, too. Probably because I slept so soundly¡­ Too soundly, you could say. I think Yomiuri-san said she needed moisturizer when she began attending university.

    I went back to my room to check if I had my phone, wallet, and everything else I needed and put on my coat. To guarantee higher speed, I stuffed my scarf and gloves into my bag and dashed out of my room.

    "Saki-chan."

    A voice called out to me so I turned around. My stepdad jingled his car keys around his fingers and stood up from the sofa.

    "I''ll drive you there."

    I wanted to decline with the reason that my blunder of oversleeping shouldn''t trouble other people, but I swallowed those words.

    "Um¡­ Thanks, that''d be a huge help."

    "No problem," he gave me a happy smile, which made my chest hurt.

    While rushing to the t''s parking lot with him, I started thinking to myself. It''s not like my blood-rted father is the only person who could ever be my father, but looking at the categories inside my head, Asamura Taichi had only been ''Mom''s husband'' until a short while ago. And it was the same for Asamura Yuuta. We were simply living together, nothing more. However, when we went to visit the Asamura Family over New Year''s, both stepdad and Asamura-kun worked their hardest so that Mom and I could fit in with our rtives. They acted as pirs for that.

    And because that happened, I wanted to do the same for both of them in case they went through something simr. Basically, I wanted us to be a family. He''s a stranger no longer. Taichi-san is my stepdad. And while thinking about this, I slid into his car.

    "Did you put on your seatbelt?

    Oh, yeah. He asked the same thing during New Year''s. I panicked and tried to put it on but it got stuck.

    "I-I did."

    "Good, then let''s roll. I can just drop you off in front of the bookstore, right?"

    "Yes."

    The car elerated, and I was pressed into the seat. When walking this way, it''d usually take me more than ten minutes, but thanks to this, we''ll be there in no more than five. This should be easy.

    "Thanks again."

    "I''m going to pick up Akiko-san after this, so I might as well."

    "Ah, is Mom out shopping?"

    "Yeah. That''s why I figured I could use this as a chance to show off how good of a father I am."

    He''s going out of his way to say that so that I don''t need to feel bad about this. He''s such a kind person. Mom really managed tond a good catch with him.

    "Even so¡­ Thank you, this is a huge help."

    He''s someone that Mom can rely on. And if I had to guess, the same goes for him. That doesn''t mean you''repletely in your family''s care, and more that they trust each other. I think Asamura-kun said something about this before¡­ about properly relying on others. Until now, I''ve always actively tried to avoid doing so¡­ but it''s been half a year since then.

    We were quickly moving away from the t we live in. That''s where Mom and I moved to. And the advice came from his senior at work, all for me. It all began with Yomiuri-san.

    "It''s fine, we''ll make it in time."

    "Ah¡­ Yes." I gently rubbed my cheeks.

    I''m about to start my shift, which is a job that involves me having to deal with customer requests. I can''t look stiff in front of them. And if I had to guess, I was looking tense right about now.

    "I was just¡­ remembering some bad memories."

    Stepdad looked at me and tilted his head. I''m sorry for giving such a weird response.

    "Well¡­ you seem very passionate about your studies. You''re staying upte every day, right?"

    He wanted to clear the awkwardness in the air and had changed the topic, I guess.

    "Um, well¡­ I was getting a bit engrossed with English conversations."

    "Conversations? Are you struggling with them?"

    "Not exactly¡­" I gave him a bitter smile. "I wouldn''t call myself proficient, but I think I''m doing all right. It''s just¡­ we''re heading to Singapore next week, so¡­"

    "Ah, your field trip is right around the corner, isn''t it?"

    I nodded.

    "And¡­ It''s also for my entrance exams. However, the reason I want to focus on it right now is that I''d like to be able to speak it as well as possible when I''m over there. I''ve been practicing my listening skills for some time now, it''s just¡­"

    Stepdad listened to the end and nodded.

    "Actual talking skills aren''t something you can just acquire by studying day in and out, after all."

    "Yes, that''s true."

    "But¡­ isn''t that good enough? You''re not just studying for your entrance exams, after all. The vocabry andnguage are used tomunicate, so the motive of wanting to converse with the locals is admirable if you ask me."

    I''m not used to being praised upfront like this, so it made me feel rather bashful.

    "I would have preferred to improve a bit more, though."

    "I mean, the field trip isn''t as big of a deadline as the entrance exams will be, so it''s fine if you use this as a test run."

    "That''s true."

    "Just don''t overdo it. Akiko-san will worry too much if you don''t get proper sleep." He told me with a worried tone, so I nodded along resolutely.

    And at the same time, the car stopped. We had reached the building with the bookstore.

    "Have a good shift."

    "Thank you¡­ Oh, yeah. I put chocte in the fridge. It''s addressed to you, so you should be able to tell which one it is."

    Seeing Stepdad''s happy smile when I closed the door once again gave me the resolution to treasure this family of mine.

    Work passed surprisingly quickly, and it was time for me to head home. I went to the office and informed the manager that I was leaving, and he praised me with "Good work. You did a great job today." It''s probably because I worked extra hard since I almost arrivedte. But since I didn''t expect these words, I was a bit surprised.

    I reyed his words in my head while changing in the changing room, making me realize that I''d been getting a lot of praise today, especially from my elders. And to think that it was all for areas that I wasn''t even consciously working towards. That reminds me, someone during my shift was handing out obligatory chocte, and yet I didn''t have any interest in that stuff and never saw it as necessary. But thinking back on it, the manager never saw me as just Asamura-kun''s little sister, and had called me "Ayase."

    I regretted not giving him some chocte as a token of my gratitude. And at the same time, I was baffled to find myself thinking about this stuff. I''ve always assumed I would never be concerned about my gratitude and feelings towards other people, and yet¡ªI was about to leave the changing room, but right when I was gonna open the door, Yomiuri-san walked in.

    "Oh! You actually were here already. We almost missed each other by a second."

    "Good mor¡­ No, good evening, Yomiuri-senpai."

    "My apologies, dear Phelps-chan."

    "Huh?"

    "I won''t force you to head out for mission impossible, so can we just go back to our regr ''Good evening''?"

    I had no clue what all that was about, but since she pped her hands together in prayer, I had trouble declining.

    "Ah, sure. Good evening."

    "Are you on your way home right now?"

    She stepped past me to enter the changing room, only to beckon me inside once again. She had arge department store bag hanging down her shoulder, and she took out two small bags.

    "Here, I''m sharing the goods. I''ve got some candy. Got any preferences?"

    "How are they different?"

    "These ones are sweet. And these are spicy."

    ¡­Spicy candy?

    "They''re red pepper candy. I got them from a friend who came back from a trip."

    Ahh. That''s why she said ''Sharing the goods'' earlier. Still, I understand the idea behind salty candy (which is actually sweet), but red pepper candy is just¡­ spicy, no?

    "Don''t sweat the small stuff. It''s an interesting bunch, so go get ''em! One time I got durian candy, you know?"

    The one with the pungent smell?

    "Exactly. And it wasn''t even that fruity sweetness you''d expect. It was more like the scent was packed inside the candy itself. Just eating one made my tongue go numb from the bitterness!"

    "¡­I''ll take the red pepper candy, thanks."

    I''ll let someone else take the sweet candy. And I''m a bit interested in the idea of spicy candy, myself.

    "Here you go. All right, that''s all done. Now I won''t be on the receiving end of your jealousy for giving your older brother chocte."

    "I wouldn''t act that way."

    Who would get jealous over that? Also¡­ I see. She''s gonna give Asamura-kun some chocteter? I guess that makes sense, since they''re colleagues. Yup, nothing wrong with that.

    "Anyway¡­ I''ll be heading out, then."

    "Oh, one more thing! You''re away on your field trip next week, right? I''m so jelly! Have lots of fun for me, too, okay?"

    "Thank you very much. I''ll do that."

    I stepped out of the room, only to then realize something. Did I¡­ ever mention that we had a field trip next week? While walking through the front store, I snuck a nce at Asamura-kun. I imagine she must have heard it from him. And he''s gonna be on a shift with her right after this¡­

    Today is February 14th, which means I got to see lots of couples walking around Shibuya and its vicinity. They must be all out on Valentine''s dates, I''d imagine. Well, Maaya would probably say something like ''If you wanna go on dates, do that on Saturday!'' but I guess that''s not necessarily the case. I see lots of couples, in fact. Upon arriving home, Stepdad and Mom were eating dinner together. I hadn''t seen that in a while.

    "Thanks for the chocte. It was delicious," Stepdad said and thanked me as he spotted me entering.

    Thatment earned him an exasperated sigh from Mom, probably because he ate all of her chocte cake, too. Maybe I should have given him something else with fewer calories. And while eating the white stew from this afternoon that Mom heated up for me, my thoughts once again drifted towards Asamura-kun and Yomiuri-san, wondering what they were doing right now. And then I realized that I¡­ didn''t like the fact that the two of them were together right now. Was I always this greedy and selfish of a person?

    This emotion continued to stay somewhere deep within my heart, even after I moved to my room to study, so I couldn''t focus at all. I shook my head left and right. I can''t keep going like this.

    "I should study somewhere else," I said out loud, grabbing my study items and leaving my room.

    After moving to the living room, I restarted. I put my earphones in, trying to clear my head from any unnecessary thoughts, and instead focused on English. I ced a few English texts in front of me while listening to a recording of them at the same time. I wanted to try to understand what I heard without relying on the transcript. In other words, I wasn''t going with a direct trantion but instead attempted to understand the English I heard with my own English. After all, people who speak English don''t take the extra step of trantion inside their heads.

    However, saying is easy; doing is hard¡­ Wait, no. That was too Japanese again. Let''s see¡­ Easier said than done, was it? I have to rephrase what I hear in English¡­ But I don''t feel like I''m doing that at all. English conversations are soplicated¡­

    ''I mean, the field trip isn''t as big of a deadline as the entrance exams will be, so it''s fine if you use this as a test run.''

    I remembered what Stepdad said, reying his words in my mind. Language and words are there to be used formunication. To understand the thoughts and feelings of someone else, as well as to express those things to someone else. It''ll be an important part of my future, not just for exams. Just doing what I can isn''t good enough. And finally, I started to think more and more in English, as the Japanese vocabry disappeared from my mind. And yet, my heart was in such disarray that I didn''t even notice that the door to the living room had opened.

    I raised my head and uttered the first thing that came to mind. The fact that it turned out to be Japanese is probably an indication that your mother tongue will always be stronger than any secondarynguage acquired.

    "Wee back."

    Standing in front of me was Asamura-kun with a sports bag hanging down his shoulder. He must have just gotten home from work. I took out my earphones and stood up. While doing so, I nced at the time on my phone¡­ Oh, it''s pretty early. If I had to guess, Asamura-kun probably came home right after his shift ended.

    "Would you like to eat dinner?"

    He nodded in response, so I began preparing everything. Thankfully, Stepdad didn''t eat much of the white stew, so there was plenty left for Asamura-kun. He went to his room, only to turn around and return to the kitchen. Without a word, he opened the fridge and was about to ce something from his bag inside it. I happened to catch a nce of it and called out to him.

    "That¡­" My gaze was glued to his hands.

    Needless to say, he was holding chocte. It must be from Yomiuri-san. She made it obvious that she would give him some. Meanwhile, Asamura-kun wasn''t too flustered. He just stated what I expected, showing me the chocte he received. However, the package looked oddly familiar.

    "Ah."

    It was a popr brand of chocte where even one small piece was expensive enough to buy a whole sweet bread slice. As a high school student, it''s not something I could afford to buy just to hand over as obligatory chocte. Without really meaning to, I asked "This is obligatory chocte, right?" only to immediately feel embarrassed at myself. It''s not just that I wanted to make sure, but even more so that I was doubtful if I could even forgive any other answer than that. I had no idea I could be this narrow-minded. And to finish it off, Yomiuri-san''s face popped up in the back of my head.

    ''With this, I won''t be on the receiving end of your jealousy for giving your older brother chocte.''

    This is just as she predicted it. I opted to cut our conversation there and focus on preparing his food for him. Other than the main white stew, we had seaweed, as well as other boiled vegetables from the fridge. It''s prettyte, so anything lighter that''s easier on his stomach should be better here. Stepdad didn''t eat much because he had Mom''s cake and my chocte, so there''s even some dessert left over for him. And¡­ there''s the red box inside the fridge. The chocte. After I put all the food on the table and Asamura-kun thanked me, I ran my mouth again.

    "Just give me a moment, there''s one more thing."

    He tilted his head in confusion as I ced a red bottle in front of him.

    "The dessert''s gonna be sweet, so I figured a bit of spice would mix in better," I added as a miserable excuse. "You can just use it as you see fit. Anyway, I''ll go back to studying," I said, almost sounding like I wanted to escape, and returned to my room with all my studying items.

    Sitting down at my desk, I held my head in despair.

    "God¡­ I''m so pathetic."

    In front of me was the small wrapped candy Yomiuri-san had given me. I took it out of the stic and stuffed it into my mouth.

    "Mgh, spicy!"

    Really¡­ just what am I doing?

 Chapter 87 - 3 - February 16th (Tuesday) â€“ Asamura Yuuta

    <h4>Chapter 87: Chapter 3 - February 16th (Tuesday) ¨C Asamura Yuuta</h4>

    The sounds of balls mming against the wooden gym hall floor reverberated inside my head. Each time, I could hear the ear-splitting screeches of the students'' shoes as they slid along the ground. And despite this being the 5th period of the day, a voice energetic enough to shatter all the tension set itself apart from these sounds.

    "Give it to me!"

    A single boy ran towards the basket. At first nce, his body may have seemed dull in movement because he wasn''t slim-built. Still, as if to betray this first impression, the boy wearing sses dashed as fast as the wind, wearing armor made of muscle as impressive as you''d expect from the catcher of the baseball club despite only being in his second year.

    "Maru, carry it home!"

    With my shout, Maru epted the orange ball I threw towards him, swiftly making it past the opponent''s defense, bending his knees to crouch down. However, like a spring that was finally free after being pushed down, his legs stretched out and he jumped high into the air. The ball he held in both hands quickly moved to only his right, as he went for ayup, the ball leaving his hand¡ª

    "Like hell I''ll let you do that!"

    Right before the ball departed from Maru''s hand, another hand appeared and mmed down against his. Immediately after, a sharp whistling sound filled the air.

    "Foul!"

    Landing on the ground, Maru made a devilish grin, and the boy who caused the foul could only grit his teeth in anger. With the free throw given to him, Maru secured the victory for us and walked to the outside of the court as he gasped for air.

    "Great work out there."

    "Thanks. Though I can still keep going."

    As the exact opposite of Maru, many other boys had sunk to the ground,pletely out of steam. They groaned in pain and exhaustion, and the teacherined about how they simply didn''t get enough exercise. Meanwhile, the other half of the gym hall was being used by the girls, who were busy ying volleyball, filling the air with their own screams and cheers. The one who was the loudest was, to nobody''s surprise, Ayase-san''s friend Narasaka-san.

    I''m pretty sure I just heard her scream about her finger being broken or whatever. She probably got hit the wrong way by the ball (since if it was really broken, it''d cause a major uproar), but volleyball can still be a pretty tough sport.

    Maru also nced over at the girls. "We''re gonna be off for our field trip starting tomorrow, eh?"

    Hearing that, I sighed. That also means it''s flight time, too.

    "What''s that sigh for, my friend?"

    "I''m scared."

    "What?"

    "Do you know why nes can fly in the sky, Maru?"

    "Bernoulli''sw, right? Through the upwards and downwards movement of wings, the air flowing on the surface of the wing is sped up¡ªor rather, changed¡ªwhich can allow you to create a difference in pressure. This atmospheric pressure bes lower when it''s up, and higher when it''s low, generating a force that pushes the object upward. This is what''s known as Bernoulli''s theorem, and it exins how dynamic lift is created. In short, by changing the conditions, you can change the flow of the air by moving your wing ps up and down. I do understand the framework of how you change the flow of air, but exining that takes a long time and is a pain. Wanna hear it anyway?"

    "We''re having PE right now, so I''ll pass."

    I''d rather get a lecture about that right before a physics exam, to be honest.

    "Well, it''s perfectly normal to be scared of drowning even if we float in the water, and although we know that there are involuntary muscles that keep our heart moving, we''re still afraid that our heart might just stop one day. That fear isn''t logical, which it doesn''t have to be," he said andughed, forcing another sigh out of me.

    That''s absolutely right. I ept how it all works, but I can''t just ept it and simply not be scared.

    "I keep thinking about the worst-case scenarios. What if we actually fall from the sky?"

    "The odds aren''t zero, but in return, it''s also a possibility that the sky''s gonna fall onto earth tomorrow, ending all life here. Granted, it''s not the bestparison."

    "I get where you''reing from, but¡­"

    Now hold on. How''s the sky gonna fall on us?

    "If you''re worried about an elevator you''re about to take crashing into the ground, you''ll just be exhausted whenever you leave the house."

    "I mean, I''m used to elevators. But this is my first time traveling by ne."

    "You''ve just gotta get rid yourself of your fears by imagining how fun it''ll be once we''vended. Imagine how great you''ll feel once you''re finally off the ne again."

    "Seeing the fun¡­ huh? Do you have something like that?"

    "Naturally. There are lots of casinos in Singapore, right? I''d love to check one out myself."

    "I highly doubt that''ll work out for you."

    Granted, casinos in Singapore aren''t illegal¡­ But you have to be of age to see one from the inside. And if you''re not 21, then you''ll have to pay a criminal fine.

    "How do you know that? Thews might just change tomorrow and change the age of adulthood from 21 years to 17."

    "Yeaaah¡­ I wouldn''t bet on those odds."

    And if such a major change were about to happen in Singapore, we''d probably be seeing that in the news.

    "However, my dear Asamura, things like gambling are illegal in Japan, even if you are of age, right?"

    "That''s also true."

    "Why is it that some ces allow and some ces prohibit these things, even though they entail the exact same action?"

    ¡­Ah, crap. I shouldn''t have brought up that whole "Why do nes fly" nonsense. As usual, a switch in Maru''s head was flipped and now he''s trying to argue about anything and everything. Despite us being on break during PE ss, he was now warming up to talk aboutws and all that.

    "Um, well¡­ Isn''t it because of the intricate history and origin of the countries in question?"

    I think I read something like this in a science-fiction novel before. Because of a certain disease, the male poption has been drastically reduced, pretty much eradicated, which forced the women to rebuild the country, and the female shogun was given a male harem, as a polygamous system was established in that world. I think the existence of these circumstances is what led to the creation of aw like that. That''s why certainws get passed, while others get rejected.

    "So basically, the rules of society aren''t absolute, and if the circumstances change, so may the rules?"

    "I¡­ guess?"

    "Then it''s perfectly possible for casinos to open up to people above the age of 17."

    "That¡­ is a leap, I think."

    In fact, your leap just brought us five seasons past where we currently were.

    "There''s nothing vaguer than regtions andws rted to age, Asamura. Even in our beloved Japan, you were regarded as an adult at 20 years not too long ago. We''ve gone down two whole years now."

    "That''s true¡­ But we''re talking about a leap of four years in your case."

    "What I''m trying to say¡­" Maru said and stood up to grab a ball that came rolling his way.

    He mmed it on the ground a few times, switching between his left and right hand to skillfully control the ball''s movement. Can I just point out how unfair it is that he''s skilled at baseball and even pulls off this at least when ying basketball? I stood up after Maru, trying to steal the ball from him as he dribbled left and right. He, however, stepped backward and easily evaded me.

    "I''m over here. I''m not gonna let you take it this easily."

    "I wonder how long that confident smirk of yours willst¡­ though!"

    "Close, but no cigar."

    Maru pulled another faint to evade my approaching hand, turning his back toward me and blocking me from reaching the ball, using his body as a shield.

    "This ain''t fair. I request a handicap."

    "What are you bbering about? On the court, we''re all equal."

    "If it''s a 1-on-1 between someone skilled at sports and someone who isn''t, then I stand no chance."

    "Basketball is outside my range of expertise. We''ve got the same level of experience."

    "But not when ites to the general amount of exercise¡­ Ugh!"

    I tried to slip behind him, but even as we exchanged these lines, Maru carefully avoided my approaching hand. Talking like this while ying basketball is just too much. I stopped in my tracks and gasped for air as Maru continued to dribble.

    "Anyway, Asamura."

    "Hm?"

    "What I''m trying to say is that¡­ prohibiting something because I''m too young is a regtion I can''t ept."

    And what a Maru-like reason it was.

    "I get where you''reing from."

    "Sure, there''s bound to be people who ruin their lives by gambling. However, if that is so bad, then you should prohibit it as a whole for all ages. However, it''s just four years. What difference do these four years make in the end?"

    Was he that desperate to check out the casinos?

    "Isn''t it because young minds can be influenced much more easily by alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs?"

    "I would agree if we limit this to younger children and elementary school kids. However, we''re 17 now," he said as he started dribbling toward the inner ring of the field.

    I see how it is. Maru wants to be treated like an adult. While switching the ball between his left and right hand, he continued dribbling. He''s only five meters away from the basket, so I had to quickly chase after him¡ªBut that turned out to be impossible. I managed to graze his back only a bit, but that was all I could do. He stepped forward once, twice, and then¡­ He stretched out his legs and arms, throwing the ball towards the basket. It drew a beautiful arc mid-air, and itnded inside the metal ring and down the. Landing on the ground again, the ball bounced a few times until it ended up at the wall.

    "Anyway, all I''m saying is that, at 17, I think it''d be fine to let us take responsibility for what we want to do."

    "I get what you''re trying to tell me, but even if you line up wed argument after argument like that, we still won''t get inside Singapore''s casinos. And also¡ª" I continued while gasping for air and recounting how many steps he had just taken during thatyup. "Traveling is against the rules."

    "Saw right through me, eh?" Maruughed. "I know, I know. I was just joking¡­ about the casinos."

    6th period was ourst homeroom. We sat together discussing thest few details about our uing field trip¡ªOr put simply, we just bbered about whatever we wanted. We did have to sit together in our trip groups, but there really wasn''t much to discuss. Not the day before the trip, at least. We had already decided on our rough ns for our free time, and the school had their own schedule for the rest of the time, so this was just ourst check, so to speak. Our groups for our free time were made up of six people. Usually, you''d have three boys and three girls.

    "So¡­ Our general highlights are the Mandai Zoo and the night safari on the second day. On the third day, as long as we don''t stray from Sentosa Ind, we''ll probably be given a lot of freedom. We can buy souvenirs and just enjoy the scenery."

    "Nice work, Leader Maru! I''m d our group''s n is so rxed."

    "I gathered all of you like this because I knew you''d say that," Group leader Maru grinned, earning him a round of apuse from the other group members.

    I preferred a more chill schedule like that, so I didn''t mind. I can''t say I''m too good at forming a concrete schedule and keeping it tight and on time.

    "Is there anything else we have to check?"

    "Oh, right. Make sure you set up your phones correctly. You really don''t want to rack up a crazy bill because of this. Other than that, make sure to keep in contact and be on time when we have to gather up."

    Once more, all group members, including me, nodded. With that done, our group meeting ended, and we simply waited until the final bell rang. Other than the people on cleaning duty, the rest of us were now free to go, so I grabbed my bag and made my way to the front entrance. Granted, I didn''t have to rush anywhere since I had taken the week off from work, but I wanted to make sure I had everything packed for tomorrow. When I stepeed out into the hallway, I realized that nobody was there. Nobody had left their respective ssrooms, and yet I could hear their voices reaching me. I imagined they were still discussing things for the field trip. I could feel how excited everyone was. Which is fine, of course, but I was worried they''d all end up exhausted before the real trip even began.

    Upon arriving home, I took out everything I had already packed in my suitcase I bought just for this trip to make sure I wasn''t missing anything. Along with the general list of items we needed, Maru had also shared a personal list he made for our group. With my phone in one hand, I went through everything on the general list, as well as the documents Maru made as I packed them into my suitcase. Usually, Maru''s pretty rxed, but the checklist had all of the important things on it. Especially cash, passport, and phone were highlighted as very important items.

    If it''s just a sightseeing trip, you don''t need a visa to enter Singapore. All you need is a passport. However, that won''t count if the passport''s about to expire. You need to have at least half a year of leeway for it to be valid. Our homeroom teacher warned us about that a while back, with a lot of folks nodding along, so I''m guessing they regrly travel overseas.

    And surprisingly, there were a lot of them. This is my first trip overseas, as well as my first time flying on a ne, so I''m simply riddled with fear and terror or what would happen if we crashed. And the fact that I''m far more inexperienced than the people around me only adds to my feeling of restlessness. Since I was getting close to breaking point, I once again remembered Maru''s words earlier.

    ''You''ve just gotta get rid of your fears by imagining how fun it''ll be once wend.''

    I grabbed my phone and searched for some more information about Singapore, just so that I had something to look forward to. Since I''d finished packing all my luggage, this was about all I could think of to rx until we actually take off. After that, I was reading some of the digital book releases I had bought when I heard Ayase-san calling my name. When I checked the time on my phone, I realized it was probably about dinnertime. I responded through the door and left my room. Looking inside the room, I saw Ayase-san cing the food on the dining table.

    "Sorry. I was so engrossed in my book that I didn''t realize what time it was." I hurriedly sat down on my chair as a bowl of steaming hot rice was ced in front of me.

    "Let''s eat!" Ayase-san said in English with a teasing smile.

    I was a bit bewildered, but since that line was fairly simple, I had no problem understanding what she meant.

    "Um¡­" I asked with hesitation. "Let''s eat?"

    Ayase-san smiled once again. It seems like I nailed the trantion. Granted, we say itadakimasu when starting our meal and gochisousama when we''re done, but these two generally don''t have a direct equivalent when ites to English, so Let''s eat is probably the closest thing. Satisfied with my response, Ayase-san switched to regr Japanese.

    "I''ve been working hard on my listening and hearing this past month, so I felt the urge to test myself."

    "Um¡­?"

    "How about we try to talk only in English for a while?"

    Ah, that''s what this is about.

    "I''m not too sure if I can pull that off¡­"

    "Let''s try!"

    Hm¡­ Well, it might be a bit embarrassing, but only Ayase-san and I are here right now.

    "G-Got it¡­ Wait, no. OK," I nodded. In response, Ayase-san smiled again and then suddenly switched to English.

    "Are you ready for your school trip?"

    I was hesitant for a moment, but I was able to analyze each word in my head and grasp the meaning. Following that, I responded.

    "Of course, I am ready."

    "Where are you going in your free-activity time with your friends?"

    "Ah¡­ We are going to Singapore Zoo in Mandai on the second day and Sentosa Ind on the third day."

    I somehow managed to respond, but I heavily relied on easy vocabry, probably butchering the grammar as I did so. Since Ayase-san was speaking slowly, I could figure out what she was saying, but when it was my turn to talk, I couldn''t speak as calmly and naturally as she did. And while saying it out loud, I realized that I only remembered the local names and ces with my Japanese ent. I wonder how it''d sound locally? If I said it as I would to my friends here, would they understand Mandai or Sentosa? I might have to adjust that if I end up taking a taxi somewhere, for example.

    We continued to discuss our field trip for a while longer when Ayase-san changed the topic to the food in front of us. I tried my hardest to keep up with her, frantically tranting the words she said into Japanese inside my head, finding the English equivalent when speaking.

    "Is dinner good?"

    "So good! Especially this¡­ uh¡­ AJI-OPEN is excellent!"

    The moment I finished my sentence, Ayase-san burst outughing.

    "I''m sorry¡­ But tranting aji no hiraki to AJI-OPEN is hrious."

    "I mean, I didn''t know how to phrase it on the spot."

    "Aji here is horse mackerel," Ayase-san exined with beautiful pronunciation.

    "Horse mackerel? Like, a horse carriage horse? H-O-R-S-E?"

    "Exactly. That''s how you spell it. And the mackerel part is the fish mackerel."

    "How confusing."

    "I mean, I''m pretty sure foreigners would be even more confused to see the kanji (this app don''t support this text) for mackerel and (this app don''t support this text) or horse mackerel. We''re more used to it with the kanji, after all."

    "That''s true¡­ If I called it a horse-ish mackerel, would English speakers think of horse mackerel?"

    I mean, what even is horse-ish mackerel in the first ce?

    "There''s a lot of possibilities. At least ording to what I looked up, you can add the horse to the beginning which then creates the -ish automatically, or it can also mean that the origin of the word is Dutch, but I don''t know which is which."

    "So there''s no guarantee that calling it mackerel from the horse will get across, either."

    Words sure areplicated¡­ But there''s also some fun in that.

    "And continuing from there, aji no hiraki would be horse mackerel, cut open and dried."

    "Cut open? Like, sliced open, huh? And then dried."

    "Exactly."

    "I''m surprised you knew that."

    "Actually, I was looking it up just now while making the miso soup," she grinned like a little child, showing how resourceful she could be. "Either way, I wanted to learn some more vocabry rted to food and cooking. Especially when ites to ingredients or when you''re out shopping. It''ll be useful if I end up cooking outside of Japan."

    Even so, I don''t think you''d look up the origin of a word just for that. I can''t tell if she''s too diligent for her own good or just thirsty for knowledge.

    "Are you thinking of studying overseas?"

    "If it bes necessary. Right now, I have no such ns."

    Since we returned to Japanese, we just continued like that. Of course, that makes it a lot easier for me.

    "Your English pronunciation sounds so clean, Ayase-san."

    "Really?"

    "I still think I just sound like a Japanese person speaking English, so I''m not sure if the locals will even understand me."

    And she had a much easier time responding to what I said. Oh man, now I''m even more worried about our trip. I told this to Ayase-san, and she had a pensive look on her face.

    "Responding¡­ Well, I''m just trying to think in English as much as possible when I listen to it. Though I don''t think you need to be so pessimistic about it."

    "Really?"

    "English is used by people across the whole world, so it makes sense that ents vary. It''s definitely not on the level of something you have to worry about," Ayase-san said and finished up the conversation by saying "I hope we manage to properly talk with the locals on our trip," and she finished drinking the after-meal tea.

    Granted, I was worried about my pronunciation, but I guess I can leave that aside for now. Just as Maru said, I''ll look forward to all the joys starting tomorrow. While we were busy cleaning up the table, my old man came home. He said he''d take his bath tomorrow morning, so he urged us to take our baths now and head to bed.

    And since we had to get up at 4 am, we didn''t have enough time to take long baths either. I myself got out rtively quickly, put in new water, and finished changing. Then I knocked on Ayase-san''s room to tell her that the bath was free. Once I received a response, I returned to my room. Oh yeah, the hair conditioner my old man and I were using is almostpletely empty. If I''d known that, I would have bought a new bottle while shopping for the necessities for the field trip. And since my old man''s sound asleep right about now, there was no point telling him. Akiko-san was still working, too. And I doubt I''ll have time to let her know tomorrow.

    ¡­I guess I should just write a note to them about it. I wrote a brief message on a piece of paper and ced it on the dining table. After that, I went back to my room and made ast-minute struggle to look up local names and their pronunciation, but I eventually just gave up and started reading some more of the books I owned. By the time I was done with that, it was already past 9 pm. I figured I might as well head to bed now, but then someone knocked on my door.

    "Are you awake?" It was Ayase-san, whispering.

    I was a bit bewildered and I wondered what she wanted as I opened the door.

    "Could youe to my room?"

    "Your room?" I nodded and looked around outside my room.

    "Hurry." She grabbed my hand and pulled me out of my room.

    The door to our parents'' bedroom was closed, and only a faint light illuminated the living room. We headed further than that, past the living room. Right now, my old man should be sound asleep. We had one room and two doors between us. This far away, he shouldn''t be able to hear us as long as we don''t talk too loudly. And that''s fine, but we decided to act as particrly close siblings when our parents were around¡­ Actually, that''s not correct. We decided to act as close siblings in front of them¡­ which is why it should be fine as long as they don''t find us.

    Maru had asked me if I assumed that all couples were fine flirting around in front of others. And for us, who had confirmed our feelings for each other, even I felt like we weren''t doing too many things that lovers would do.

    In the end, I was dragged inside my step-sister''s room. The light was turned on, and it was as clean as I remembered it. What first stood out to me was a red suitcase standing near the left wall, which presumably held Ayase-san''s luggage for tomorrow. Right after I entered, Ayase-san turned the key to her room horizontally and locked the door. While I was standing there confused, her arm reached for the light switch next to the door. With a clicking noise, the bright light inside the room vanished, only leaving a dimming ceiling light to illuminate the darkness. In this state where I could only barely make out her silhouette, I mentally prepared myself with my back toward the door. Shortly after, I heard a voice close enough I could pick up her faint breathing.

    "Asamura-kun."

    "Yes."

    I could somewhat guess what she wanted to say. Thinking back on it, ever since we went on that first shrine visit, we hadn''t even held hands or anything of that sort. Even so, we could see each other practically daily, and there were lots of times we could eat dinner with just the two of us. However, with the uing field trip, as well as being in different groups, we probably won''t even get to see each other too much for the next four days¡­ probably.

    "We might not be able to see each other for the next four days, right? So, well¡­" She spoke hesitatantly, and the words slowly left her lips.

    "Wait. Can I say what I want to say first?"

    "Then let me, too."

    "Erm¡­ How about we say it at the same time, then?"

    "Okay."

    We paused for a moment and then spoke up as our voices ovepped.

    "I want to kiss you."

    "I''d like to¡­kiss you."

    We bothughed at the same time and then whispered to each other. Saying ''We can''t do this for a while, huh?'' and ''That''s true'' as we moved our faces closer to each other. The scent of soap drifted up from Ayase-san''s body, tickling my nose. Inside this darkness, Ayase-san''s fingertips touched my chest. She moved close to me so that I could smell her hair a few centimeters away from me. Subconsciously, I ced my hands on her shoulders. This action was to reaffirm her existence, and at the same time, it symbolized my restraint to go any further than this.

    At the same time, Ayase-san ced her hand on my shoulder, too. While only relying on her faint silhouette, I pressed my lips on hers. Once a few seconds passed. I could feel her put more strength into her hand on my shoulder as she pressed on it with her fingertips. This ended up being the signal to separate our lips. Ayase-san let out a faint breath that made my brain freezepletely. Her body moved away from my hands, and I returned to my senses.

    "Good night."

    "Good night¡­ Ayase-san."

    After returning to my room, I pressed my eyes shut inside my bed. I was worried that I might not be able to sleep after that.

 Chapter 88 - 4 - February 16th (Tue) â€“ Ayase Saki

    <h4>Chapter 88: Chapter 4 - February 16th (Tue) ¨C Ayase Saki</h4>

    Ten minutes before the bell rang, I was already seated in my seat. It was my morning routine, so to speak. Assuming nothing else got between me and my ritual, I would open my textbooks, open my notes, and read through everything once more to help me mentally rx. I''ve been doing this ever since middle school. However, in my second year in high school, there was always something that got in the way.

    "Sakiii!"

    And that something''s name was Maaya. She''s been at it for a while now, but it seems like the more seasons pass, the greater the level of energy she keeps up every morning to talk to me. I wonder why. I can''t fathom it. Oh well¡­

    "ss is gonna start, you know?"

    "What are you talking about?!"

    "¡­Huh?"

    "The bell hasn''t rung yet, right?"

    I mean¡­ it will ring in five minutes max. And isn''t that the point at which you should prepare for the next ss?

    "Seriously, what? Our field trip starts tomorrow, right?!"

    ¡­Wait, am I the weird one?

    "It''s the one and only field trip in high school, remember?"

    "That is true."

    "How could I not be excited about that? I can''t just sit still. I wanna jump up and dance! That''s how crazy excited I am!"

    "I think that''s just crazy, yeah."

    "Not at all! Gaze at it, Saki! Let me show you the world!"

    So she said as she wrapped her right arm around me. I followed her movement and looked at the other students. They were all sitting in circles, talking about this and that. I swear, ss is about to start¡­ And looking over, I even found a group of six, boys and girls alike, totally excited. The person in the center must be Shinjou-kun. Our eyes happened to meet and he waved his hand at me. But¡­ why did he remind me of a puppy who looked up at me all happy when we were on a walk?

    "Shinjou-kun''s really nailing it as the group leader."

    "Ah, right. Also, I''m impressed. You know who''s in all the other groups?"

    "I remember every single group and member of this ss."

    That is impressive. I don''t really have any friends, so I didn''t even know what to do when we had to get into groups, but she''spletely different from me. I just spaced out until she got invited by Maaya herself. Still, I don''t really see any reason to get this excited. But when I told Maaya that, she just sighed at me in disbelief.

    "Whaaaaaat?!"

    "¡­You''re exaggerating again."

    "Saki, do you really get it? We''re going overseas! It''s so out of the norm for us! And you''re basically living with your ssmates for a few days! There might even be a love or two blooming amid these special circumstances and environment."

    "We''re not living inside a novel."

    "You just don''t get it! Just like heroes of justice have their goodwill pre-installed, we youthful 17-year-old girls have a healthy interest in love hankered deep inside of us! And what awaits us in a foreign country is a blossoming love¡­ as well as a farewell!"

    So a breakup is still gonna happen?

    "That''s what transient love is all about. Ever seen ''Roman Holiday''?"

    "Sure."

    I know the basic gist. I''ve studied all the famous works, after all. And on that note, a blooming love, huh? It''s just a single trip, so I''m not sure if such a thing will really be born only to disappear immediately after. Asamura-kun and I started living together eight months ago, and it took us about five months from bing interested in each other to confess our feelings. From then on, the other three months passed without any major change. In fact, with this field triping up¡­ won''t we end up more distanced than we''ve been before?

    We''ll be apart from each other. And we might not even get to see each other for the next four days. Upon realizing this, I became aware that I was feeling a lot more anxious about this than I would have liked to admit. Every time I think about him having fun with his ssmates in his group, a gloomy feeling fills my chest. But feeling like this isn''t healthy. It''s not good for me. I should think about something else.

    Since this is just a regr field trip, I should find a simpler way to enjoy it. And the original goal of a field trip is to learn. I should find an academic drive for this field trip. Any wicked thoughts should be expelled. My maiden-in-love train of thought switch flipped off. A student''s main motivation should be to study. There''s nothing to be anxious over. Nothing at all.

    "Hey, Saki! How do I say ''Heydy, wanna grab some tea with me?'' in English?"

    Huh? That sure came out of nowhere. But either way, I booted up my English mode and thought about it.

    "¡­Youngdy, why don''t you drink tea with me? Maybe?"

    "I see, I see."

    "Who are you going to invite with that?"

    "I''m not inviting anybody. I just needed to know in case I get invited! And, what about I''m sorry, I''m actually waiting for someone, then? Wooo!"

    What''s she getting so excited for? But s, her fantasies continued until the homeroom teacher entered the ssroom and reprimanded her. Recently, this is what my before-ss routine has be.

    sses ended for the day. Since I didn''t have any work, I just had to make my way home.

    "Hmm¡­"

    After passing through the school gate, I looked up at the white and cloudy winter sky. There was still plenty of daylight left, and quite some time until evening would arrive. Which makes sense, since we were halfway through February. From here on out, afternoon time would stretch out more and more. And the long nights I dreaded during the winter days would grow shorter and shorter. Finally, the plums will grow, cherry blossom petals will fill the trees, and we all will be third-year students¡ªand examinees.

    Once the field trip ends, I''ll probably have to put even more attention and focus into my studies. Maybe I won''t even get much time to go to the pool. Or watch a movie. Or do some window shopping¡­ Will all my time be stolen away by my studies?

    "Well, that''s to be expected from an examinee," I blurted out.

    And as I caught myself feeling like that, I shook my head to get rid of these thoughts, sighing along. Wanting to hang out with others¡­ I never would have imagined myself to one day wish for these things. It must be Maaya''s influence. Or possibly even¡ªNo, I shook my head again. All this thinking is just pulling me down. I can''t be feeling down with the field trip right around the corner.

    While making sure I walked on the corner of the road, ensuring I didn''t get in anybody''s way, I took out my phone, opened my map, and checked where I currently was. Hm¡­ Tomorrow, we''ll be overseas¡­ Overseas, huh? I typed "Embassy" into the search window. Immediately after, I was shown various embassies here in Japan.

    "Ah, there''s one near here."

    It''s called the ''Denmark Embassy.'' I clicked on it and checked the details. Going from the school near Shibuya station, you have to cross Hachiman Street, and then walk for about ten minutes. The distance says it''s around 1 km away. It''s not too far of a walk there, and it''s also not too far from our t, either.

    Well, it''ll at least clear my head, I guess. I made my way to the embassy in an attempt to get excited about the field trip, but that didn''t really work out too well. It''s more like practice. Granted, Maaya would say something like ''Why not go to the ''Embassy of the Republic of Singapore,'' but that''s an hour away on foot. It''s not close enough for me to just nonchntly walk to. That''s why I went with the Danish Embassy. It took me on a different route than I would usually walk to our t, so I first made my way to Hachiman street to the south.

    After passing the Shuto expressway Shibuya station, I made my way farther. I know I live here near Shibuya, but I don''t know all the street names by heart, so I periodically stopped and checked the map again. Once I came across Hachiman street, I made my way south until it met up with the old Yamate street. From there, I returned to the Shibuya side and eventually reached the embassy. It was an old building made of brick. Judging from the number of windows I could count, it seemed to be three floors tall. The side facing the road was slightly curved, creating a space for cars to park.

    The sign at the front read ''Denmark Embassy'' in Japanese, withrge English text on the top, reading Royal Danish Embassy. Since I encountered unfamiliar words in that, I first looked them up. A direct trantion would be ''Denmark Kingdom Embassy'', huh? Oh, right, Denmark''s a kingdom, isn''t it? I could see the coat of arms on top of the logo. A red ellipse framed the portrait, and there was a crown and a shield inside¡­ A crown, even! It really set in then that Denmark was a kingdom.

    The world is a vast ce and there are countless things I don''t know of. I was just fine indulging in this feeling of experiencing something foreign when I realized that a lot of the people passing by were giving me dubious nces. I guess I must have stood out a bit since I was just staring at the building for a while. I stopped looking up at the building and turned around. I instead nced down at the opposite side of the street, spotting a cafe directly adjacent to a national bookstore chain. They even had benches there. I might as well take a break there, I figured. I looked for the pedestrian crossing to then make my way back to that cafe.

    I imagine it must have been because I was near the embassy, but I could clearly pick out a lot more foreigners passing by. And I saw a lot of couples consisting of a Japanese person and a foreigner in these groups. It''s a familiar scene I''d often see when walking down the entertainment district in Shibuya, but the frequency is a bit higher here. I wonder what it feels like to go out with someone who speaks a differentnguage and has different traditions than you. But then I realized that people from the Kanto and Kansai region are also quite simr in that regard. It''s probably a byproduct of ces where there''s lots of traffic.

    And in fact, all people are different. Asamura-kun and I might have a lot inmon, but we differ from each other in a lot of ways, too. How we eat our fried eggs, for example.

    "Excuse me."

    I heard a voice calling out to me, which was immediately followed by my realization that it was English. Turning around, I saw a blond man who should be around Stepdad''s age. He was even wearing faintly-brown sunsses. I returned his gaze, and he started asking me something in English. Since he spoke a bit too fast for me to follow, I was lost in thought for a moment. Thankfully, he repeated himself but at a slower pace, which allowed me to directly trante what he was asking me.

    ''I''m looking for the embassy. Could you help me?''

    Since the word Embassy popped up, I figured he was probably about the only one around here.

    ''Do you mean the Danish Embassy?''

    ''Yes! That''s right! Do you know it?''

    ''Let me show you the way,'' I said as I walked back the same way I came.

    I guided him to the embassy, and he thanked me several times. Honestly, I didn''t do anything that major. In fact, I was worried if he understood my English.

    ''I''m sorry if my pronunciation was a bit hard to understand,'' I said with an apologetic tone as we were about to separate again.

    ''Hm? It wasn''t an issue. At all.''

    ''Really?''

    ''You spoke very clearly, which made it easy to understand. And even if English is used globally, there are a lot of different ents and dialects. Once you get used to that, it''s easy to understand most of it.''

    Even the stiff pronunciation I felt I had could be regarded as just another type of ent, and he said there was nothing I should be apologizing for. Considering he even tried to cheer me up, he was really a polite person. On my way back home, I once again realized that some things can only be understood by interacting with others. And firsthand experience is the best teacher. This might be the reason we have field trips in the first ce. And this realization allowed me to look forward to the field trip a bit more.

    Once I made it back to our t, I saw that Asamura-kun was busy preparing for tomorrow. I had to follow his example and get everything checked. Then again, I had already packed most of my belongings, so I just had to do one final look over everything. And once that''s done, we should probably eat dinner. Since this was our first trip overseas, Mom said she''d make dinner today and breakfast tomorrow for us. After checking everything over, I called out to Asamura-kun through his room door. Immediately after, I got a response, saying he''d be right there. I finished preparing everything on the dining room table. I scooped up some rice from the cooker and put it inside a bowl, cing it in front of Asamura-kun. And then I decided to test him a bit.

    "Let''s eat!"

    Asamura-kun hesitated, his eyes blinking at me in confusion.

    "Um¡­ Let''s eat?"

    I''m d he understood me. Actually, I was probably feeling a bit excited at the fact that I had managed to properly talk with that blond-haired gentleman from before.

    "I''ve been working hard on my listening and hearing this past month, so I felt the urge to test myself," I said and suggested we try to talk in English for the rest of our dinner.

    Asamura-kun agreed, so we switched to English. However, that didn''t mean I was suddenly super confident in my English skills, and I wasn''t too confident in my pronunciation, either. That''s why I chose to keep the topic limited to our field trip. Where are you going? What are your ns? Are you looking forward to something in particr? After listening to all his answers, I realized I had pretty much just questioned him about his group''s ns for the trip. Surprisingly enough, some of the ces they nned to visit were on our list as well, so we might actually run into each other.

    And at the same time, a certain thought crossed my mind. I realized how fun it may have been if we got to enjoy this trip together¡­ and that it might be a bit boring. After all, I won''t get to eat dinner with Asamura-kun like this for the next few days. Not to mention that we won''t have any shifts at work together, either. We''ll walk to Narita together, which is where all the sses are going to meet up for departure, but once we get to the airport, we''ll have to say goodbye, since we''re in different sses and groups. I won''t even be able to see his face for the next four days.

    After a while, I switched the topic from the field trip to dinner today. Asamura-kun made me burst outughing because he tried to awkwardly trante a word he didn''t know the English equivalent of. And with that as a signal, we returned to speaking regr Japanese. I think I may haveughed a bit too much because Asamura-kun seemed really concerned with his "Japanese person''s pronunciation." In my mind, I gasped. It''s exactly what I''d been worried about when I spoke to that gentleman. He''s worried about the same thing as me.

    That''s why I told him exactly what that man said to me earlier. The English speakers in this world all have their own ents and dialects, so it''s fine if your pronunciation is a bit off from the "norm." Even Japan has dialects that are incredibly difficult to understand, so to repeat what that man said, it''s most important to speak slowly and clearly. In that regard, Asamura-kun should be fine. He should just do as he did with me during dinner, and he''ll be fine for the field trip. That''s how I tried to cheer him up, and I''ll be going in with the same mindset.

    We finished cleaning up the dishes when Stepdad came home.

    "Would you like me to warm up your dinner?" I asked him.

    "You''ve got your field trip starting early tomorrow, right? Just get ready and head to bed. Don''t worry about little old me," he said and smiled.

    "Okay¡­ Thanks a lot. We''ll do just that."

    "Yeah. Also, I''ve gotta wake you both up at 4 am tomorrow, right?"

    Both Asamura-kun and I nodded. Of course, we nned on being up by then, ourselves. And since Mom wasing home around that time, I don''t think there was any chance of us oversleeping. However, Stepdad asked about our schedule a while back and promised to wake us up in time, and said that he''d even drive us to the train station if it looked like we''d bete. And since he offered to take his bath in the morning, Asamura-kun and I went to take ours now, with him taking his first.

    I headed back to my room to do one final check. I got my passport, and I even packed the ''Trip Guidebook ¡ª Doujin Version''¡­although I''m still lost about what this doujin version is about. It''s probably another of her weird jokes. But that should be all. I''m pretty sure I haven''t forgotten anything.

    At around the same time, Asamura-kun finished his bath, so I took mine. Once that was done, I immediately headed to bed and closed my eyes. And yet, the only thing on my mind was the ridiculous exchange Asamura-kun and I had during dinner. I mean,e on. Tranting aji no hiraki as AJI-OPEN! How could I notugh at that? A snicker escaped my lips, passing through the quiet room and eventually disappearing into the night. These exchanges weren''t anything special. Just clumps of words. And yet, they made my chest feel so warm and puffy.

    And yet, I was once again reminded that we won''t be able to see each other for a while once tomorrow came. Recently, Asamura-kun and I haven''t exchanged that much skinship¡­ like hugging¡­ or kissing¡­ But we can only really be together at home, where we live with our parents. And in front of them, we have to act like we''re just close siblings. And when we made that promise, that was exactly how I felt.

    However, this field trip willst four days and three nights. Finding any chances to even engage in any physical contact will be pretty hard. And for this field trip, the groups are generally split up into three boys and three girls. Asamura-kun is going to walk around Singapore with other girls from his ss¡­ and I won''t be anywhere near him.

    I kicked the nket off of me and got up, putting on a thin jacket over my pajamas. I''m scared of catching a cold like this right after my bath. After that, I quietly opened the door to my room and looked outside. I headed to Asamura-kun''s room, knocked on his door, and took him back to my room again. I closed the door and then turned off the lights. We both voiced our desire¡­ that we wanted to kiss, and we agreed. The moment I called out to him myself, I started to feel guilty that I was just using him to satisfy myself, but when he stood in front of me, I couldn''t turn back anymore.

    He ced his hands on my shoulders, allowing me to feel his warmth passing through my body, enveloping me in a sense of relief. I also ced my hand on his shoulder. Since he''s a good bit taller than me, I had to stand on my tiptoes to reach his face. And through our lips pressing against each other''s, I could feel his burning heat. I subconsciously put more strength into my fingertips, and his face moved away from mine. The sensation of his lips on mine slowly began to fade, and as I was riddled with a sense of longing, I muttered a few words.

    "Good night."

    "Good night¡­ Ayase-san."

    After this brief exchange, Asamura-kun returned to his room. Inside my bed, I touched my lips and realized that this hazy and gloomy feeling inside my chest had yet to subsidepletely. What''s going on with me? Will I be able to be apart from him for the next four days and three nights?

 Chapter 89 - 5 - February 17th (Wednesday) â€“ Field Trip Day 1 â€“ Asamura Yuuta

    <h4>Chapter 89: Chapter 5 - February 17th (Wednesday) ¨C Field Trip Day 1 ¨C Asamura Yuuta</h4>

    I heard a sound that pulled me out of my dream and back to reality in my dark room. The rm I had set earlier was ringing. I hurriedly stopped it and turned on the lights inside my room. The legs I stretched out beyond my nket immediately felt cold. It was currently 4 am during the mid-winter season. It was still two more hours until the sun would start to rise. However, we had to meet up at Narita Airport at 7 am. In other words, we had to leave the house at 5, or we wouldn''t make it in time.

    That being said¡­ Man, it''s cold. Since I set the rm early enough to give myself a reasonable buffer, I can just take my time and¡ªMy thoughts were interrupted as someone hammered on my door. It was my old man asking "You awake in there?" which made me gasp. That was close. I almost fell asleep again.

    "I''m awake!" I responded.

    I jumped up from my bed and started changing. I barged inside the bathroom to wash my face, only to almost bump into Ayase-san. She had already finished her makeup and everything, as you''d expect of her. We exchanged quick greetings and passed each other. I finished washing my face and brushing my teeth in about five minutes. We seated ourselves at the dining table at around half past 4 am, perfectly on schedule. Akiko-san, who hade home not too long ago, was still wearing her work clothes as she prepared breakfast for us.

    "Shouldn''t you be getting some sleep, Mom?" Ayase-san asked, but Akiko-san just returned a smile.

    "It''s no problem. I can get enough sleep after I see you two off. I actually left work earlier than usual because I wanted to see you onest time before I don''t get to see you again the next three days," she said and pushed arge te our way.

    On top of it were ten rice balls, all wrapped with seaweed.

    "Here you go. I figured something simple to eat would be best, so I went with rice balls. They''re packed full of delicious goodness. I''ll get out the miso soup, too."

    "Thanks a lot."

    "Thanks, Mom."

    Ayase-san and I both thanked her in unison as we started eating. Meanwhile, my old man sat down across the table, swallowing a yawn.

    "Do you think you can make it in time?"

    Ayase-san and I nodded. We stuffed our cheeks with rice balls and drank the miso soup. Our goal was to take the Yamate line that passed through Shibuya station at roughly half past 5 am. Once we finished our breakfast, we checked our belongings onest time and then left the apartment.

    "Don''t rush too much!"

    "Be careful, okay?"

    My old man and Akiko-san saw us off with cheerful voices as we stepped inside the elevator. I took out my phone and checked the time. It was 5 am t. If nothing bad happens, we should make it in time. As the elevator slowly descended, both Ayase-san and I sighed in unison. We dragged our heavy suitcases to Shibuya station and then checked ourselves one more time as we sat inside the train.

    "Think we''ll make it?"

    "Should¡­ be fine," I responded to Ayase-san''s question.

    We have to change trains once in Nippori, but as long as nothing causes a dy, we''ll arrive at the 2nd building of the Narita Airport at 6:40. That should bring us to our gathering point in time.

    Since the sun hadn''t even begun to rise, the inside of the train waspletely empty. The seats were still cold as Ayase-san and I sat down next to each other. Normally, we''d pretend to be strangers during a situation like this, but with our first trip overseas about to happen, neither of us could afford this much leisure. At the same time, it was probably because we were fine if people found out that we were siblings¡­ as long as we''re careful to not reveal that our rtionship goes beyond that.

    ¡­Or so we made excuses as we moved together like this as we sat together until the train reached Narita Airport. We pulled our suitcases along as we hurried to the gathering point. From the long elevator ride, we walked down the sparkly-clean floor that lit up from the ceiling lights, onwards to the meeting room. From afar, we could see our school''s familiar uniforms, so we split our paths here. Sure, we didn''t mind if people found out, but we weren''t exactly trying to help them find out, either.

    Ayase-san''s back was starting to grow more distant with each step, as I stood still to create a slight distance between us. The students of Suisei High split up into their sses and formed lines, and I spotted arge boy in the line for my own ss¡ªIt''s Maru. He saw me approaching and raised his hand to wave at me.

    "Morning, Maru," I greeted him and stopped right after him in line.

    "Yo! Sure took your time, eh?"

    "I still think I''ve got plenty of leeway, though."

    When I answered his remark, he pointed at the outside of the meeting room.

    "What are you saying? Do you even know how many ne take-offs you missed so far?"

    It seemed like Maru''s heart was tickled by the romance of the airport.

    "The sun''s only slowly starting to rise. Just what were you looking at, anyway?"

    "Asamura¡­ You don''t understand the beauty and graciousness of an airport at night, do you? The two lines of guiding lights blink like Christmas lights, as the ne''s nose slowly pushes upward into the sky, with the wing and tail lights of the nes gradually growing smaller until they vanishpletely. And such beautiful scenery has been on repeat here."

    "What a poet. That''s what you were watching this whole time?"

    "I was keeping the line in check so I couldn''t watch."

    Then what was the whole point of thatment?

    "By the way, do you know the movie ''Airport ''75''?"

    "Haven''t heard of it. Is it set at an airport or something?"

    "It''s a movie where the pilot can''t control the steering of the ne any longer and they have to perform an emergencynding."

    "Could you not?"

    I''d rather not hear about any air disaster films right before boarding a ne. After this quick banter, the head teacher of the student year repeated the same usual safety warnings to us endlessly, and we finally started to board the ne. We moved through the small testing area that had been recently built to check for any illnesses and then spread out inside the airport. The bigger luggage was checked by personnel and ced on the correspondingne, which would now be loaded onto the ne. It''s farewell to all that until we safelynd again. I just hope it doesn''t end up as lost luggage¡ªbasically belongings or other objects that didn''t get loaded on the ne for various reasons.

    And thinking about that, I realized how nervous I had really been about this whole trip. Then again, this''ll be my first time going overseas, as well as my first time taking a ne somewhere. By the time we finished checking in, it was already 8 am. We had roughly one hour left until departure. After our carry-on luggage went through the x-ray check, we then had to go through the metal detector. Taking off our shoes for this was honestly pretty annoying. What about the people who like to wear those super difficult-to-tie big boots on their trip? And why am I worried about those people in the first ce?

    With all that cleared, all of Suisei High''s second years started walking toward the boarding gate. Then again, with this many people, we only moved along at a snail''s pace. But we were slowly making our way towards the ne. Ayase-san should be somewhere inside this crowd, but since our sses are different, I couldn''t see her.

    "Sure is huge, though."

    One of the boys walking next to me¡ªYoshida, who''ll also be a part of my group on this field tripmented, which made me turn to my side and look outside the window. Sunrise today was at around half past 6 am, which was a good 90 minutes ago, so we could clearly see what was going on outside. Spreading endlessly outside the window was the runway. Seeing the nes that you''d normally witness soaring through the sky moving like cars on the ground sure felt weird. Even the one closest to us looked exactly as I''d imagined, but it was muchrger than I had imagined. It''s just as Maru said. These things are huge. The employees walking alongside the nes simply looked like ants gathering around a cake. But when I said that aloud, Yoshida gave me a dubious look.

    "Cake? Are you hungry or something?"

    "It''s just what I thought of. That''s the kind of scale I pictured."

    "Asamura, you say the funniest stuff sometimes."

    "Really? I think it''s perfectly normal."

    After talking with Yoshida and the people from my group some more, I realized that usingparative speech and metaphorical expressions isn''t exactly what most people do. The few friends I have like Maru or Yomiuri-senpai are all a lot smarter than me, and our conversations always end up this way. And even Ayase-san, who might have struggled with Japanese a bit here and there, is the kind of person to hold psychological and ethical thoughts, so our way of speaking and what we talk about really resemble each other.

    To me, Yoshida, who struggles to keep up with metaphorical expressions, is the exception¡­ But that''s probably true for both of us. Either way, we might not talk to each other much normally, but I wanted to take this chance to get to know people I rarely speak with. And when I think of having to talk with the foreigners I''m about to meet, then this isn''t a big problem at all.

    "It seems like our luggage goes up there."

    Maru''sment made me look up, and I saw a luggage space above us. It wasn''t a line of pipes like you''d see in a train, but more like a locker with a separate door for it. And I could tell that taking it outter would be a pain. But I''m guessing that this is to keep the luggage tight and secure in case the ne shakes. But how much would it have to shake for that to happen?¡ªis a thought that crossed my mind, but I quickly shook my head. I wonder if they''ll let us open these lockers mid-flight? I kinda doubt it. I''d like to keep at least my phone and nausea medicine close to me¡­ Oh, right. I have my knapsack. It said in a guidebook that keeping both hands free as a tourist is a lot more convenient. While I was thinking this, Maru bumped his shoulder against mine.

    "Hey, give me your luggage, I''ll put it in there."

    "Sorry, give me a second."

    I handed him myrger bag after taking out all the things I''d need, cing them in my smaller carry-on. Now I shouldn''t have to go through any of my other luggage mid-flight. And with a nce around me, I could tell that other passengers were preparing themselves the same way. After we switched ces, Maru ced my suitcase inside the luggage locker. After that, I sat down on my seat and ced my bag on me.

    I sigh escaped my lips as I sunk deeper into my seat, ncing outside and listening to the sounds I could hear around me. The small grumbling sound I could pick up between my ssmates'' chattering must be the engine. It really feels like the ne''s been vibrating this whole time. And if it can make a lump of metal like this constantly shake, then the power it packs must be amazing¡ªA lump of metal, huh? Can it really fly?

    Yet again, I found my nerves on edge. Maybe I should just close my eyes and sleep right away. I checked the time shown inside the ne, which told me there were still 15 minutes left until takeoff. That much time plus my severeck of sleep means I might really be able to doze off. I took my phone out of my bag to check something and just then Maru spoke up.

    "That''s a waste, Asamura. You''re going to see this for the first time, so make sure you don''t regret missing out on itter."

    "But I might regret seeing it, too."

    "The fact that it''s your first time is more important. It''s the same with anime and novels, right?"

    I guess that''s true. Even if you read a novel with a shocking revtion or plot twist at the end, the impact is only really significant the first time you read it.

    "Once you get used to it, taking off in a ne just bes mundane. And the scenery outside will just look like either Narita or Haneda."

    "Really?"

    "I think so, at least."

    Hey now, that''s awfully vague. And his broad statement that everything will eventually look the same and thus lower your admiration for it is probably just a rephrased exnation of what it means to get used to something. That''s sort of boring, actually. Normally, it should be different every single time. Like a takeoff in the morning should have its perkspared tonding in the evening, and so on. Even just departing with clear weather like we had right now should be fundamentally different from taking off during bad weather.

    Simrly, even as the days change and time moves forward, the gaze I have when looking at things around me changes. As such, every scene I see should be a tiny bit different. And even so, at one point, you start feeling dull towards that change, and start saying that everything feels the same, so treasuring this ''first time'' is probably more important than I gave it credit for.

    Finally, an announcement came over the ne''s loudspeakers, stating that we were about to take off. Making excuses once again, I fought against the fear creeping up within me and looked outside the window. Since we were seated a bit behind the wing, I couldn''t see too far ahead of me, but ne windows are rtively small to begin with, so there wasn''t much to gaze at. At the start it was just like a car speeding up. I could just see much farther outside the window. The distance to the small forest and tiny buildings in the distance didn''t feel real.

    I heard that a ne speeds up to 300km/h when it''s about to take off, which means we''re reaching the same speed as the bullet train with such a giant object¡­ But it still felt pretty crazy. Man, I''m even being pushed inside the seat¡­ Oh? Are we speeding up even more? I looked outside the window again and saw that the ground was flying past even faster. This is¡­ a bit too fast, right? The ground looked like it had just melted into a grey paste.

    While I was pressed further into the seat, the scenery outside the window changed. The head of the ne had gone up into the air, the view outside turning into pretty much only just sky. With my back still pressed into my seat, I realized this pressure must be even crazier if I was on a rocket. I tasted the sensation of being a part of a science-fiction novel as the nepletely took off the ground.

    "The view down low''s amazing."

    "Down low?"

    Hearing Yoshida''sment, who was seated behind me, I looked out the window on the right side, which offered us a view of the ground. Overwhelmed, I let out a voice of admiration. All the buildings and roads had shrunk to the point where it was impossible to distinguish them apart. The forest reminded me of broli, and it turned more into a lump of green, the trees inside the streets like small dots of green on arge map. My feeling of solidity had vanishedpletely, too. I swallowed my breath as we slowly moved further away from solid ground. Even the smaller roads began to vanish as only the bullet train''s railroad stood out like a blood vessel.

    And right after, the entire view turned white, making me realize that we had just passed through a cloud. The sights in the far distance vanished inside this grey-ish world, and the wing next to the window periodically vanished and reappeared. This continued for a while, and we finally made it out of this white mush and into a world like we had just dove straight into the water. The entire view outside turned blue. The ne had be a lot more stablepared to before, but we were still going up. As the ne moved through the blue sky, a gaze downward revealed the Pacific Ocean adjacent to the coastline. This was normally something you''d only get to see on a map: The contour of the archipgo reaching from Ibaraki to Chiba, with Inubousaki as its summit.

    "It really is¡­ like on the maps."

    This really is something I''ve only seen for the first time. I''m d I got to see it for myself.

    "What are you bbering about now, Asamura?"

    "I mean, I was just impressed that it has the same shape as all the maps I''ve seen."

    "If a map didn''t reflect the urate geographical state, then what else would we believe in¡­?"

    "I''m saying that it only set in just now."

    "Great experience, eh?"

    "Yeah, that''s right. I would have missed out if I didn''t see this."

    Maru grinned like he had been proven right, but I nced outside the window once more. I''m thankful I got to experience this, but¡­ I really wish the ne wasn''t shaking quite as much during the liftoff.

    Soon enough, I fell asleep, only to be woken by Maru shaking me gently. When I opened my eyes, I realized that the ne hadnded and was already taxiing down the end of the runway.

    "You kept your seat belt on that entire time. Wasn''t that ufortable?" He asked with a bewildered sigh.

    "Well, I fall asleep a lot in my dad''s car. Though he gets angry at me sometimes because when the copilot falls asleep, it makes the driver just as sleepy."

    Now that I think about it, Akiko-san was talking with my old man the whole drive back during New Year''s. I guess that was her way of looking after him.

    "You slept for seven whole hours, though."

    "I slept that long?"

    "Like a rock."

    That means I must have pretty much slept the whole flight. And if memory serves me right, that''s how long the flight was supposed to be. I don''t remember eating anything, either. What a shame. Still, I took out my smartphone and checked the time¡ª3 pm. Hm? We departed at 9 am, so¡­ only six hours have passed? But then I remembered that it was because my phone matched the local time here in Singapore, and there''s a one-hour difference between Japan and here. In Japan, it should be 4 pm right about now, and evening. But since we traveled west, we still had plenty of sunlight left.

    I heard that the highest temperature recorded in February could be above 30¡ãC. Since we were still inside the thick airne, I didn''t feel much of the sunlight from outside, but I did feel a faint warmth. Probably because we came from Japan, where it''s mid-winter right about now. We were told we could remove our seatbelts again after the safending, so I did just that, got up, and looked around. Everyone was preparing to get off the ne. The ssmates sitting next to the aisle in the center of the ne were grabbing their belongings already.

    "Maru, Asamura, here you go."

    Maru and I epted our sports bags from the person sitting near the corridor.

    "Aye."

    "Thanks."

    And once we gathered all our belongings, we thanked the flight attendant standing next to the gate who saw us off and entered the airport ahead of us.

    Singapore Changi Airport¡ªWhat was the difference between this airport that greeted us at 3 pm local, and the Narita Airport that saw us off a few hours ago? To be honest, I couldn''t tell any difference, to the point that it made me wonder if we had really gone overseas. The only difference was the strong sunlight entering through the windows.

    "This really is Singapore, right?"

    "Are you still half-asleep, Asamura?"

    "But¡­"

    "Do you see any Japanese around you?"

    ¡­Ah. That is true. Back at Narita Airport, there were signs tranted into countlessnguages to really show off that it was an international airport, but unlike there, I couldn''t find any Japanese signs or kanji anywhere. In fact, the majority of signs I spotted were in English, followed by Chinese. Seeing these two as the majority was also probably why this was regarded as an international airport, but here in Singapore, the officialnguages are English, My, Chinese, and Tamil, so that''s probably all it is. Then again, other than the alphabet and kanji, I don''t know any other foreign writing systems, so I probably just don''t consciously notice them.

    "It really feels like we made it overseas," I voiced my genuine feelings, but Maru just gave me a dubious look along the lines of ''Only now?''.

    We took the same procedures as during our boarding process but just in reverse, as we lined up at the Changi Airport waiting area. After a moment, the head teacher guided us to the hotel where we would be staying (and thankfully all students got their correct luggage). We took a bus leaving from the airport, which took us along the coast for the next twenty minutes.

    The hotel where we were to stay was about two floors tall, split into buildings separated between boys and girls. And one room fit three people, which meant that Maru, Yoshida, and I would be staying together. That was the main reason we were told to form groups of six consisting of three boys and three girls. And while we traveled to the hotel in our bus, I was finally allowed to take in all the scenery around us. More than anything, each country has its own unique smell. For example, staying overseas for a long time only to return to Japan makes the scent of soy sauce and miso even stronger.

    However, if it''s your first time visiting a country, you''ll probably struggle to figure out where this distinct smell ising from. You''ll only realize that something is different from your home country. And since your sense of smell is the sense that adjusts the quickest, this discrepancy vanishes as quickly as it came. Finally, we reached the hotel room. We ced our belongings and moved everything we needed into our smaller personal bags.

    "Make sure to register for the free Wifi here," Maru said, as Yoshida panicked and asked how that worked. "Didn''t I write it down for you in the guidebook?" He grumbled, but Yoshida just yed it off with a clumsy smile.

    I had already finished setting that up when we arrived at the airport. In Singapore, the government offers a free wifi service, actually. It''s mostly used for public institutions, but traveling students like us should probably set it up right away.

    "Anyway, let''s head out, Yoshida, Asamura."

    Led by our esteemed group leader Maru, we went back down to the lobby, spotting the gathering of Suisei High''s 2nd-years, then joined our own ss, and finally split up into groups. The teachers then told us when dinnertime was and told us when we had to be back at thetest, all the typical stuff. Granted, I doubt these warnings reached most of the students who were already beyond themselves with excitement, but the guidebook had all the detailed information marked down anyway, so it shouldn''t cause any problems¡­ probably.

    Plus, the first day consisted of the whole student year visiting three tourist spots that the school offered as options, so we won''t be moving around independently, either. And to reach these ces, we had to take the shuttle buses here. Basically, we''d head somewhere, then we had some amount of free time to check out the area, and then we''d gather up to take the bus out again.

    We met up with the three girls from our group and then hopped on the bus. The first stop for today was the National Museum of Singapore1. It was a western-themed building consisting of two floors with arge round dome on top of the center building. That could be aarium or an observatory, but I''m not too sure. Or is it just shaped like that as an architectural choice?

    By the time we reached the front of the building, it was already 5 pm. In Japan, this was around when the sun would set. But in Singapore, that only happened at roughly 7:20 pm, so we had plenty of sunlight left.

    "The history gallery closes at 6, so we should start with that first," Maru suggested, so we followed suit and made our way to the history section.

    At the entrance, we ran into another group and stayed with them. The guide who just sent off a group of tourists then turned towards us with a smile. I figured they''d be showing us around while speaking English, but¡­

    "Good evening, everyone. You must be the students from Japan, correct? My name is Wan, and I will be showing you around now. It''s a pleasure to meet you."

    To my surprise, the young man greeted us in fluent Japanese as he began the tour.

    "His Japanese is a lot more fluent than what I could manage with my English¡­"

    I had to agree with Maru''sment, but that wasn''t the end of the surprises. After the guide finished showing us around, he then greeted another group of students with wless Chinese, beginning his exnation with what I thought for sure was a native ent. Upon witnessing this, even Maru was surprised. Just how manynguages does this legend speak? After thoroughly enjoying the gallery until closing time, we had 15 minutes until the next shuttle bus would arrive. We figured we might as well check out the museum''s inner garden, so we took a stroll there.

    Around the same time, the sky began turning orange from behind the eastern bloc. The sharp sunrays had gotten weakerpared to earlier this day, but the temperature of the air showed no signs of cooling down, and I could feel a bit of sweat building on my body by just walking. The humidity was also fairly high. Though it''s not as bad as Japan''s summer season, at least. The girls in our group were busy discussing which sunscreen to use. As we made it through the grassy path and returned to the museum''s front entrance, we spotted a crowd of people. Wondering what that was about, we approached them, and we heard someone singing from the center.

    "A street performance, eh?" Maru said, and the girls said they wanted to check it out. "Well, we don''t have too much time left, so it''s better than heading off elsewhere."

    Receiving permission from the group leader, we entered the ring of people. Inside the crowd was a woman with a guitar on herp, sitting on a stic chair. A cord was connected from the guitar to a nearby speaker. At her feet, she had a small box for money, filled with coins and bills.

    "What a soothing voice¡­"

    "And she''s so pretty!"

    I heard the girls whispering nearby, and I had to agree. She had long, blonde hair and almond-shaped, ck eyes. Her facial features were very good-looking, probably of south-Asian origin. Her body possessed a healthy and natural tan, which earned her admiration from men and women alike. And it seemed like she was singing in English¡­ In fact, I felt like I had heard this song before.

    "With recent SG acoustic guitars, it''s either about getting in the masses or going your own way. And with this familiarity, it''s why she''s getting viewers like this," Marumented.

    "Do you know the song?"

    "It''s pretty famous, y''know? Pretty sure you must have heard it before. It''s ''El C¨®ndor Pasa,'' made known worldwide by Simon & Garfunkel. It was originally a south-American song of the people, but you sometimes hear it yed at schools in Japan when sses end."

    I swear, Maru''s otaku knowledge reaches into the weirdest specific areas at times. Well, I could tell that it was folk music from South America, at least. As for the woman, she had a great vocal range, and even an amateur like me could tell how good she was. After that first song ended, she switched to one with a sharper rhythm.

    "You know this one, too?"

    "No clue. It''s probably music from around here, no?"

    Around here¡­ means Singapore, huh? But instead of sounding like a popr song that could make it overseas, it felt more like folk music again. The volume of her voice almost felt like it was pressing against me, as it filled me with vigor. The way she yed her guitar was also more radical than before.

    "I see how it is. Drawing people in by ying a familiar song only to then reveal the real deal," Maru spoke like he was analyzing a military move.

    A round of apuse came from everyone, as several people put some money in the box in front of the woman. Since you''d rather see people doing something simr online to receive donations, it felt a bit old-school to witness such a street performance. But I''m d this tradition hasn''t died out.

    "Melissa¡­ huh?" Maru narrowed his eyes as he muttered something to himself.

    That sounds like a foreign name.

    "The singer?"

    "Yeah. Though I''m not entirely sure."

    Tracing Maru''s gaze, he was looking at a sign standing next to the woman, which had a bit of information about her written on it. I''m shocked he could read something that small.

    "You mean that small text up there?

    "No, that''s too small. I''m guessing it''s some kind of permit to perform here. If you don''t disy that at ces like these, you get taken in by the police. But the one below it has her name, see?"

    "Yeah."

    So he was talking about the sign. I would have loved to listen some more, but since our bus would be arriving soon, we had to return to the parking lot. And by the time the entire sky had turned orange, we made it back to the hotel.

    Today''s dinner happened in the restaurant located in the lobby area on the 4th floor. Since you could get there from both hotels, this is where the boys and girls grouped up again. It was a buffet, which also had Japanese food, but I wanted to take this chance to try out some foreign dishes. What was especially good were the southern fruit dishes. They had a lot of fruits that hadn''t quite made their way to Japan yet. Though I guess mangos have be moremon over the past few years. I used the wifi inside the hotel to look up the ingredients while filling my te. t peaches, rambutan, mangosteen, and sugar-apples¡­ I wonder if they''ll ever find their way to Japan.

    "Everyone, please lend me an ear while you enjoy your dinner. I''d like to once again repeat the safety orders¡ª" The head teacher''s voice interrupted all private conversation.

    Unlike today, tomorrow we won''t be going to ces the school suggests. Instead, we''ll be dividing into smaller groups to check the ces we as a group had decided upon, which was why the teachers were especially pushy with their warnings. After we finished dinner, we were free to return to our rooms and take our baths, as well as head to bed after. Until it was lights-out time, Maru and Yoshida went adventuring inside the hotel. Those sporty folks really have endless endurance, I swear. I, for one, was tired, so I stayed in my room. I let the indoor AC cool my body as I gazed at the scenery outside the window.

    I''m guessing it''s because the day startedte, but the lights in the town were still on for the most part. Looking down at it like this, the scenery wasn''t all too different from Japan''s major cities, and yet I was currently in apletely foreign country. It honestly didn''t feel real. I think my old man mentioned something like this before. Something like he never would have expected me, his own son, to be heading overseas for his field trip. Back in their generation, the schools in the Kanto region generally went to Kyoto or Nara, I think. I was told that transportation andmunication were a lot more limited back then, but I guess to him, he never would have imagined that we''d travel this far for a simple field trip.

    "Then that means¡­"

    The generation after us¡ªour children¡ªwill travel even further. Even beyond just overseas¡­ In the distant sky, I could see the moon slowly beginning to rise. But even so, I don''t think we''ll be traveling there anytime soon. Though it is the closest ce in space from our perspective. Or maybe humanity will surpass all my expectations, and I''ll be sitting down with my children to tell them how "simple" things were back in our days¡­ Also, why am I just blindly assuming that I''ll be having kids? There are a lot of other things to take care of before I can even think of that. I shook my head to rid myself of these thoughts and thought back on the day.

    It was a stressful day, that''s for sure. Together with my very first ne flight, I encountered so many odd things that made me stop and think, and not just once. But even so, we just went from point A to point B and wandered between buildings and vehicles, so I can''t really say I''ve got to know Singapore already. If there was any differencepared to Japan that I felt, then it must be the nts and vegetation growing here. The shape and color of flowers, the growth of green around me, and the way the trees were formed all had slight differencespared to what I was used to in Japan.

    And this was the overall biggest difference I picked up throughout the day. Probably because it''s a lot farther south than where I was used to. Other than that, I think the scent of air is different. And the sounds of my environment when walking down the street, as well as the music ying in public. And the letters on the billboards all around me. The cars driving down the street, the modern buildings, and the interior design of the houses aren''t too big of a difference.

    What about smartphones? Tourists weren''t the only ones who came to the museum, and I bet a lot of people from Singapore came to visit there, too, but they all used their phones as cameras or dictionaries, which made me realize that some things never change no matter where you go. Nowadays, electronic devices like phones are a necessity no matter where you live.

    And during that train of thought, my gaze dropped down to my phone. The LINE icon entered my view. Ever since we split up this morning, Ayase-san and I haven''t seen each other. We may be staying at the same ce, but our sses are different, and so are our activities. Since I get to see her face daily, I''m now beginning to feel like something is missing.

    I tapped my finger on the LINE icon and booted up the app. I clicked on Ayase-san''s profile picture inside the row of chats, reading thest message we sent each other. I wonder what she''s doing right now? Since we had free wifi here, I yed with the idea of sending her a message. But I stopped myself, figuring that she might be having fun talking with Narasaka-san and the others in their room. Getting a message during that time might make the others suspicious¡­ or maybe I''m just thinking too much? It could just be from her parents or a friend, right? And on top of that, I remembered what we did just yesterday.

    ''We might not be able to see each other for the next four days, right? So, well¡­''

    We used the fact that our parents wouldn''t be able to see us as an excuse, riddled with guilt, but we still couldn''t hold back our desires. If so, then maybe Ayase-san might be feeling lonely because I didn''t send her a single message throughout the day¡­ And more than that, I just want to hear her voice. If I can''t even get that, then I''d at least like to talk a bit. When we were all walking around together this afternoon, I didn''t really have much time to think about all that, but now that I''m sitting here alone like this, this desire came dwelling up inside of me.

    But she''s with Narasaka-san. And considering how sharp she can be, she might just go full detective mode, saying stuff like ''Hey, who was that? Is it your older brother? It must be, right! Man, you sure are loved, you damn little sister!'' by simply hearing the notification from Ayase-san''s phone. And then she''d go into full teasing mode.

    "That''s¡­ entirely possible."

    I could easily see her say that. Then again, not sending her a message for that reason is a bit strange. I can''t be hung up on Narasaka-san if it means making Ayase-san feel lonely. So for that reason, I should really take the initiative here. Right as I went to start typing a message, the door swung open, with Maru and Yoshida barging into the room together with a loud ''We''re back!''.

    "I-I''m back¡­"

    Maru gave me a dubious look as he saw me acting flustered.

    "That''s our line, right?"

    "Sorry, I misspoke. Wee back."

    "Aye, that we are."

    "You should havee with us, Asamura. The convenience stores here are he interesting!" Yoshida said, swinging a stic bag around.

    It seems like they visited the convenience store on the hotel premises. A bit ridiculous that their final destination to adventure this new world would be a regr convenience store. They then went to the table in the room and spread out the contents of the bag, which turned out to be sweets.

    "¡­Don''t we have most of these back in Japan?"

    "They''re actually a bit different."

    From then on, Maru and Yoshida told me about all the exciting discoveries they had made in this foreign hotel, giving me no opportunity to return to typing my message. Eventually, it was time for lights out, and the first day of the field trip came to an end.

 Chapter 90 - 6 - February 17th (Wed) â€“ Field Trip Day 1 â€“ Ayase Saki

    <h4>Chapter 90: Chapter 6 - February 17th (Wed) ¨C Field Trip Day 1 ¨C Ayase Saki</h4>

    I was actually a bit worried if I''d get enough sleep the day before we departed. However, the moment I closed my eyes, my consciousness immediately drifted into the deep abyss. I felt bliss andfort inside my fluffy and warm bed, drifting right between experiencing a dream and sleeping. In retrospect, I don''t know if I even had a dream or not. But eventually, my eyes opened to the darkness of my room, not to mention before my rm even rang.

    Instead, I could hear the faint rumbling of the air conditioner. It seemed like the timer worked exactly as I had nned, and I didn''t feel cold even when poking my arms and legs out from beneath my nket. This should be good enough, so I pushed myself up from the bed. Immediately after, I remembered the events of the previous night and faintly touched my lips as a snicker left my mouth. I must have been grinning there.

    But this isn''t the time to be dwelling in memories. I have to get changed right away. When I finished my makeup, I happened to run into Asamura-kun just as he entered the bath. It seems like he finally woke up. His face still looked a bit drowsy, making me worried that we might actually be cutting it fairly close. We then ate the rice balls and miso soup Mom made. It was as delicious as ever, but I was worried the seaweed from the rice balls might have gotten stuck to my teeth. I decided to not open my mouth too much in front of Asamura-kun before I got to check in the mirror.

    With lots of time to spare, we left the house behind us. We took the Yamate line from Shibuya station, changing trains at Nippari station as we headed to Narita. Once there, we just had to wait until our stop, so we should make it on time. Sitting inside the train, I took a nce at Asamura-kun''s face next to mine. He was yawning constantly, so he must be really sleepy. I can tell he''s trying hard not to doze off. Our shoulders happened to bump into each other''s, and he quickly sat straight up again. Each time that happened, he apologized to me, but I wouldn''t have minded if he just leaned against me and slept a bit. This early in the day, the train we were in was mostly empty, and I didn''t spot any familiar uniforms either.

    Eventually, our train reached the second building of Narita Airport, just as nned. And with that, we rushed to the meeting area. Spotting a group of students with our uniforms, Asamura-kun stopped and said ''Okay, let''s split up here.''

    "Be careful during the trip, yeah?"

    "Same to you," I nodded.

    I left Asamura-kun behind me and headed for my ss. Shockingly enough, the faster I distanced myself from him, the slower my strider became. Because if I meet up with my ss, we''ll have to stay separated this whole trip. The¡­ entire time.

    "Hurry up, Saki! Over here!" Maaya was waving at me at such velocity I could almost hear her arm cutting through the air.

    A smile escaped my lips. We can already see each other, so I don''t get why she''s in such a rush. The third girl in our group is Satou Ryouko-san, and we have three somewhat noisy boys as well. Right before I joined their group, I turned around onest time to look for Asamura-kun, but I couldn''t find him any longer.

    A bit off-topic, but my good friend Narasaka Maaya''smunication skills are tremendously strong. She''s like the queen ofmunicating. I don''t think there are too many girls in the world who actually manage to attain 100 friends without much effort. Not to mention that it''s not limited to boys and girls. She can get along with just about anybody. And yet, surprisingly enough, she was currently busy shooing away the boys approaching us.

    "Hey, you guys! Don''t try to get into our girls'' group! Go have fun with your other rowdies!"

    She waved her hands to scare away the three boys that were part of our group, standing in front of me and Satou-san as if to protect us. And then, she turned towards all the other girls, warning them.

    "Be careful of those guys who are getting excited just because it''s a field trip!"

    The girlsughed amongst each other, and the boys could only give wry smiles in response. After that, she turned toward us.

    "Listen up, Satou-san. If those boys get too close, then you just have to tell me. I''ll give them a good scolding!"

    "Okay. Thanks¡­ Narasaka-san," Satou-san narrowed her eyebrows and gave a warm smile.

    "Same goes for you, Saki!"

    "I think I''ll be fine."

    I know how other people see me. Granted, I''ve been making good progress at fitting into the ss, but it still seems like they''re a bit scared of me. You can''t me them with how I look.

    "Don''t let your guard down."

    "Urgh, yes."

    She suddenly gave me a stern expression, which left me a bit baffled.

    "You''re going to be a wife someday, so take good care of your body. Unless I can be the lucky guy. I bet you''d look great in a hakama."

    "That''s not happening, okay?"

    Why does she have to always take her jokes one step further than the necessary level to make her feel satisfied? See, even Satou-san isughing at us. But at the very least, that joke seemed to have helped her rx a bit, because she stopped looking like a scared cat. I''m guessing this was Maaya''s intention in the first ce. Our group of six had two problem children who weren''t too skilled at dealing with boys (namely Satou-san and I), as well as two boys who''ll be held under control by the third boy in our group. She then warned those two troublemakers to give Satou-san and me a bit of relief. Really, I can''t beat Maaya.

    "Sorry about these two, Narasaka-san. Come on you guys, the boys'' line is over here, remember?"

    He grabbed the boys and took them back to the line. With him, they should be fine, too. At the same time, the teachers stepped in front of the rows and began guiding us. Some students were cheering in excitement from time to time, but most of us were following along in a docile manner. A lot of the people here had never even been overseas, meaning they were more worried than excited. And they listened to the vice-principal''s words cautiously. After all, it''d be bad if they weren''t allowed on the ne. The same went for me, too.

    I was actually fairly nervous during the time we waited to board the ne. But once boarded, it wouldn''t be any different than taking the local bus somewhere. The announcer inside exined the regtions in English, Chinese, and Japanese, which was a fresh feeling, but then I remembered that the bullet train did the same with just English and Japanese. And after that, it was the same as heading for Kyoto or Nara. Talking, eating snacks, andughing while sometimes getting scolded by the teacher. Well, I''m not really good when ites to pointless chatter.

    Satou-san seemed to be the same in that regard, which made me appreciate the existence of Maaya even more. If not for her, we''d have spent the next 7 hours in absolute silence. And I was grateful that I got to sit next to the window. If the conversation gets too much for me, I can just look outside the window. Seeing the scenery below us change into what you''d see on a satellite picture, it finally set in that we were heading overseas. And it was my first time, too. I could feel my heart beating a bit faster than usual.

    I set up my phone to match the timezone and started reading through the guidebook when Maaya suddenly started talking about wanting to watch a movie. I guess if one person starts watching a movie, the others can''t just continue talking. And Satou-san and I were quiet, anyway. But, I guess this was just Maaya trying to be considerate again. Telling us that we didn''t have to force ourselves to talk.

    In the end, we watched a popr mystery anime''s newest installment. A young boy in elementary school was wrapped up in a murder incident and even managed to resolve it himself. Granted, it seemed a bit ridiculous, but other than that, it was an enjoyable watch. And around noon, people started eating the food they packed. The flight attendant even walked down the corridor with a trolley, repeating the old and well-trained phrase that I always wanted to hear once.

    "Beef or chicken?"

    It was a simple English exchange that couldn''t even fully qualify as a conversation, but it helped me realize that we really were heading overseas. Needless to say, I answered chicken. It has lower calories, after all.

    Eventually, we reached Changi Airport in Singapore. After arriving at the hotel, we finished our check-in, and then our group headed to the museum. Granted, that was only the case for the start and end. We walked through the museum in groups of 3 without the boys. Satou-san must have a lot more trouble with boys than I do, because she was visibly relieved at that. And I personally just wanted to leisurely walk around myself, so I was more than happy with the arrangement. Though I feel bad for our homeroom teacher, who wanted us all to have fun in a bigger group, boys and girls alike. I told Maaya about that and she responded¡ª

    "Kindness begets kindness, Saki-chan," she said and stuck out her tongue.

    "¡­You just wanted to say that once, right?"

    No evil is to be found in our dear group leader. Though to be pedantic, that saying means you adjust your attitude towards someone else depending on their actions. In this case, it would mean that we could walk around as a big group, assuming the other party was willing to do that, but the boys with ulterior motives would have hell to pay instead. So it''s not exactly how she probably meant it, but that''s also very much like Maaya.

    Sadly, the guide for the museum spoke fluent Japanese. It feels like I wasted all this time learning English terms and names just for this tour. This isn''t how our entire trip is going to be, right? What if my answering ''chicken'' on the ne will be the highlight of my English conversation usage?

    We headed back to the hotel, finished eating dinner, and took baths. The room assignments were split up by groups, meaning I''d be sharing a room with Maaya and Satou Ryouko-san. We''ve been in the same ss for almost a year, but I never heard Satou-san speak this much.

    "I''m really sorry, I thought you were a bit of a scary person, Ayase-san."

    "Don''t worry about it! She might look that way, but she''s actually an adorable little sister who keeps bewitching all older brothers in the world! Amazing, right?"

    "Why are you saying this, Maaya?"

    "Ayase-san, you have an older brother?"

    My heart skipped a beat. Maaya, what are you doing?!

    "Ah, well¡­"

    "Nope! But she sure loves acting like a younger sister! It''s her younger sister attribute!"

    "¡­Okay?" Satou-san seemed confused.

    Sorry about Maaya, her exnations don''t make any sense, right? In fact, I don''t get it either. What''s that even supposed to mean?

    "All girls in the world can be split into two categories. If they are little sisters or if they''re not!"

    "Well, duh?"

    It''s either A or B. With that thought process, you can split every group or idea in two.

    "Well, having siblings can be pretty stressful. They''re so loud all of the time," Maaya said.

    Her argument makes sense. She''s got a few younger brothers.

    "But you won''t be lonely, right?"

    "Well¡­ that is true. But usually, it''s a battle to even take a bath in peace. That''s why today has been so peaceful!" Maaya said and Satou-san smiled in response.

    I listened to their conversation while getting up and making my way to the window to check out the view. Today has been fun, and I can confidently say I learned a lot of new things. But once things calm down like this, I keep thinking how fun it would have been to experience all of this with Asamura-kun. Ever since we said goodbye this morning, we haven''t seen each other once.

    Maybe¡­ I could go meet him. I could just contact him via LINE since we have free wifi here. I want to meet him. I want to see his voice. Or at least, hear his voice. And once that desire started to burn up inside of me, I had trouble containing it¡­ Why can''t he just text me first? I opened up our chat and red at my screen, about to move my own finger.

    "Sakiii! Stop standing around there ande join us! You should only enjoy such beautiful scenery with a charming young man at a bar with a ss of wine in hand!"

    "Maaya¡­ When did you turn into such a middle-aged man?"

    Maaya pressed her hands against her chest like she had been shot and fell backward onto her bed.

    "N-Narasaka-san, are you okay?"

    "I''m done for¡­ I was killed by Saki¡­ I have to use the pocky sticks here to write my final message¡­"

    "Huh? Huh?"

    "Stop troubling Satou-san," I shed a bitter smile and returned to the two of them.

    Maybe Asamura-kun is currently enjoying time with his friends, so I wouldn''t want to ruin his fun simply because I was feeling lonely¡­ yeah. And with that out of the way, the first day of the field trip came to an end.

 Chapter 91 - 7 - February 18th (Thu) â€“ Field Trip Day 2 â€“ Asamura Yuuta

    <h4>Chapter 91: Chapter 7 - February 18th (Thu) ¨C Field Trip Day 2 ¨C Asamura Yuuta</h4>

    When I woke up, I was first bewildered by the color of the ceiling above me. It wasn''t the same as the one I knew from back home, but rather faintly green which threw me off-guard, but I then remembered I was still on the field trip.

    "It''s breakfast time."

    I heard Maru''s voice so I turned around. Both he and Yoshida had already finished changing, which made me frightened for a moment. I checked my phone to make sure¡ª6 am. Huh? Our nned departure today was 9 am, and breakfast starts at 7. Why are they all packed and ready?

    "On days with morning practice, I''d be done eating breakfast around this time."

    "Exactly."

    ¡­You goddamn muscle brains.

    "Asamura, we''re going adventuring. You join us."

    "¡­I''ll pass. You two have fun without me."

    Maru and Yoshida set out for stage two of their adventure, and I took my time to change and finish my trip to the bath. I returned to the bedroom and took my phone off the charger, cing it into my pocket. In doing so, I spotted the shape of the outlet¡ªrealizing that it was a BF type with three holes. Weirdly enough, this was the final nail in the coffin that made me realize we were outside of Japan. That reminds me, this happenedst night, but some of the boys happened to forget their adapter, which created a bit of short-lived panic. We had a few people like that in our ss, too. That''s when Maru came to the rescue and lent out some of the extra ones he had brought with him.

    He was treated as a hero just for that. And I was yet again impressed by how well-prepared he was, even for the smallest of dilemmas. Or did he anticipate this and buy several in advance? There''s no way, right? The ce we ate breakfast was the same asst night''s dinner, so I easily found my way. Once again, we had another buffet to freely choose from.

    Though I decided to keep it light in the morning, so I built my meal around a good and reliable piece of toast. Especially since I mostly ate meatst night, I opted to go with a small sd for today. Maybe I''m thinking like this because I''m so used to the regr Ayase-san cuisine at home. I looked around with my tray in hand, and I spotted the tall-as-always Maru, with Yoshida next to him. Sitting across the table from us were the three girls from our group, so we said our good mornings. That''s the most important thing, after all.

    "Listen up, my friends."

    While we were eating, Maru suddenly raised one hand and asked for our attention. Huh?

    "What happened to you, Maru?" Yoshida gave him a dubious look.

    Understandably so, since I don''t think Maru had ever spoken in such a fashion before.

    "Just listen to me, you guys."

    "I mean¡­ we are?"

    The three girls were just as confused.

    "For the second day, we''ll be walking around various ces as a group."

    "Yep," Yoshida said and I nodded.

    "We know that, but what about it, Maru-kun?" The leader of the girls'' group asked Maru.

    "Basically, it''s possible that we might run into a different group that made simr ns to us. That''s why I want to ask you all this."

    "Well, there aren''t many ces we could choose from, after all."

    "Exactly. It wouldn''t be a surprise if we ran into someone else. And I said to Ryou-chan that we might end up meeting. I hope we do!"

    The girl mentioned that a friend of hers in a different ss happened to almost have the exact same ns as we do. Our schedule for today was to visit the zoo this afternoon, followed by the night safariter tonight, which was located right next to the zoo. They''re both supposedly pretty popr spots.

    "Indeed, they are popr. That''s why it wouldn''t be weird for us to run into another group, right?"

    Everybody else nodded. Right, he''s got a point there. But why would he bring up that with such a dramatic tone?

    "You get that, Asamura?" Maru grinned at me.

    "Yeah¡­?"

    "Good, good."

    Either way, after our group gathered at 9 am like nned, we took the shuttle bus and headed to the zoo located in the Mandai district. It was located north of the hotel, and it should take us around 20 minutes. In the meantime, we had a guide on the ride to tell us a bit about the area. More specifically, about the history of Singapore, its development, as well as social problems like water supply and whatnot¡ªall of that in perfect Japanese. Just like on the first day, I wasn''t sure if this was a good or bad thing, since we technically came here to learn English. Well, I don''t think I''d understand too much if the whole tour was just in English.

    At first, he fed us some general information about Singapore. The total surface of Singapore was a bit bigger than the 23 districts of Tokyo. The hotel where we stayed was located to the south, and the Mandai area was to the north. They were about 20km apart, which wasparable to the distance between Shinagawa station and Akabane station. I don''t know if he''s just familiar with Japan itself or if he looked it up because he knew about us beforehand, but I was thankful for it.

    And then eventually, we spotted our destination in the distance: The Singapore Zoo in Mandai. We got off at the parking lot and went directly to the entrance. Everything was growing green, making me feel like I had just waltzed inside a jungle. I could even hear birds chirping inside, too. And all this time, Maru seemed to be panicking about something. Muttering like it was about time and whatever.

    "I don''t think we''re on such a tight schedule here, though¡­?" I muttered, wondering what he was talking about since the only thing that had set closing times was the shop.

    "Oh! If it isn''t Asamura-kun from the ss next to ours! What a total coincidence!"

    I heard a familiar voice, which caused my mouth to open wide like a fish waiting to be fed. Is that¡­ Narasaka-san''s group? I was thinking that the group near the entrance looked familiar, but I didn''t think we''d run into them here. Ayase-san even turned around and gazed at me in disbelief.

    Singapore Zoo. That''s what is said on the sign, written with alphabet letters¡­ or rather, that was what the letters ced on the front entrance said, but I didn''t have time to think about that right now. Looking at Ayase-san, and how she stared at me, I''m assuming that she didn''t expect us to run into each other here. And that''s when I remembered that I never even asked about her group''s ns over the course of this field trip. I guess I didn''t see any reason to ask in the first ce, since I didn''t think we''d be able to spend time together. However, Maru¡ªand probably Narasaka-san, too¡ªknew about it.

    "This feels like a set-up," I whispered to Maru.

    "I didn''t force anything here, so don''t you worry," he responded by saying something that only made me worry more.

    Maru then walked towards Narasaka-san''s group with another step, speaking up.

    "My, oh, my. If it isn''t the famous Narasaka-san!"

    "Oh! It''s Maru Tomokazu-kun! What a coincidence!"

    "That it is!"

    They suck at acting, god help me. But even so, Maru turned around towards us, as Narasaka-san turned to face her own group.

    "It seems that we happened to run into another group by sheer coincidence. I assume this must be fate, so we shouldn''t fight it and instead, walk around the zoo together. How does that sound?"

    "I don''t mind. And that''ll make it more lively, too!" Yoshida happily agreed.

    The girls from our group nodded along, too.

    "I''m okay with that. And I''m pretty sure there''s gonna be other groups walking around anyway." She raised her hand above her face to block off the strong sunlight shining down on us as she looked around.

    Just as she said, I could see several other students from Suisei High.

    "I don''t mind. Let''s all walk around as a big group!"

    "Ryou-chan! I''m d we could meet up!" said one girl as shended a high-five with one girl from Narasaka-san''s group.

    The docile-looking girl called Ryou-chan smiled, too, saying ''I''m really happy.'' That means her friend''s group turned out to be Ayase-san''s group. Who could have imagined? Well, if a few groups from the same school choose the same location to visit, then it''s not too odd for something like this to happen. I guess I can just write this off as a coincidence¡­ No, it''s too convenient.

    "Maru, are you friends with Narasaka-san?"

    "She''s friends with everyone, remember?"

    That¡­ is a valid argument, but that''s not what I meant. It just feels like we''ve been yed. We lined up to buy tickets, and I continued to question Maru about this so-called coincidence, but he just exined himself along the lines of "We checked the ces the other group wanted to visit, so we figured we might as well meet up here." Thinking back on it, he was oddly pushy when it came to the zoo. I didn''t think too much about it since it was a pretty popr spot to visit. And since Ayase-san wouldn''t be with us, I figured I might as well go with a more rxed ce to visit like the tourists we were.

    "I''ll go buy the tickets," Maru said and moved up to the ticket window.

    He offered the money he received from us and bought tickets for six people. On the opposite side, Narasaka-san did the same for her group. They were acting like genuine group leaders, huh? Compared to myself and how much I''d struggle just getting all that together, I had to respect them once more. After that, we all received our tickets and entered the zoo. And with ourrge group of twelve people, we didn''t have much time for idle talk, so we walked through the front gate.

    The zoo located here in the Mandai district was quiterge. ording to the pamphlet we received, it covered a solid 28 hectares¡ªwhich is a bit hard to grasp, but it''s basically six times the size of the Tokyo Dome. The only zoo I remember visiting was the one in Ueno. And that''s three times the size of the Tokyo Dome. In other words, this one here is double the size of the zoo I was used to¡­ Man, what a behemoth. And inside all this space, there was arge area that was as naturally subtropic as possible, filled with animals living as they would in the wild, which we watched from afar.

    They also set up fences and canals to keep the animals contained but they were mostly located in hidden areas so that they could be perceived as naturally as possible. It eliminated the feeling of being caged in for the animals, and they seemed to be living pretty leisurely lives here. Unrted to that, despite our rtivelyrge group size, we immediately got along pretty well. Probably thanks to Communication Queen Narasaka-san and Caretaker Overlord Maru. As for the meaning of caretaker¡­ he was basically just looking out for others. And these two were doing the heavy lifting.

    "Everyone! I''ll make a group!"

    Under Narasaka-san''s order, we all got together and joined the LINE group she made.

    "All right, then check this out first," Maru continued, as he sent a picture of the zoo map to the group.

    While looking at it, we checked where we were currently located.

    "This map is in Japanese, too?" Yoshida pointed out, positively surprised.

    Other than English, it also had text in Chinese and Japanese. I''m guessing they must get a lot of tourists from Japan here since they went through all this effort. And on that note, we could also use the wifi here. The range of the free wifi and digital progression here in Singapore was not half-baked, that''s for sure. Maru continued to exin today''s course of action and shared our schedule.

    "I don''t think it''s enough for you to get lost, but this ce here is pretty big. If you get separated from the others, make sure to let us know via LINE immediately."

    "Okaaay."

    Everybody responded in unison.

    "Then let''s check out the white tigers first!" Narasaka-san dered as she took the front spot.

    The rest of us followed after her. Most of us had already forgotten about being in different sses as we engaged in conversations left and right. Since everyone seemed to be having fun, I guess this would be a job well done for Narasaka-san and Maru. Everyone''s having fun, huh? Considering my own personality, this whole idea of forming a group to have some fun together feels so alien to me. I don''t think I''d evere up with that idea myself. I know how much of a self-centered person I am. But after we all went to the pool togetherst summer break, I realized how important it can be to interact with others.

    Of course, I wouldn''t be struggling this much if I could immediately put that realization into action. But this also led me to appreciate Maru and Narasaka-san more. They brought up whatever topic card they had on hand, allowing both our groups to immediately mix well. In fact, it was the exact opposite of what Ayase-san and I loved to do, namely act independently, which allowed us to just be swept along without sinking too much. However, there is one pitfall I can''t fill in.

    Whenever I ended up talking to Ayase-san, and whenever she happened to talk to me, one of us would then be blunt for a bit and cut off the conversation. I think it''s really weird that we could talk for hours on end when we met on the daily, but as soon as we were thrown into this irregr situation, we immediately ended up making things awkward. But at the same time, we also felt that we might just not stop talking at all if we got the ball rolling once. And if that happened, we''d basically single-handedly ruin Maru and Narasaka-san''s effort to ensure that everybody could talk with everybody in ourrge group of twelve people.

    And yet¡­ I want to talk to her. I want to hear her voice. These feelings were so strong that I might not be able to stop if it finally happened, and then it wouldn''t take long for the others to find out just what kind of rtionship we were in. For example, if we were talking about this or that and someone joined in by saying ''You two are pretty close, huh?'', then I''d already be at a loss for words, making it pretty obvious. That''s why I''m trying not to talk to Ayase-san too much, and she seemed to be doing the exact same thing. As a result, we''ve been doing just fine talking to our other ssmates, but only when it came to a conversation between the two of us, things got awkward and cut off immediately.

    "You two sure have gotten close!"

    Ashida''s voice caused my heart to skip a beat.

    "Maru¡­ When have you and Narasaka-san even spoken before this?"

    Oh, it wasn''t about us.

    "I mean, we''re group leaders."

    "Yup! And as group leaders, we should get along with the other leaders, too!"

    "¡­Is that how that works?"

    "Yeah."

    "Yup!"

    "Well, if you guys say so," Yoshida was convinced fairly quickly.

    To me, it was confusing more than anything. I don''t know what led to them being on such friendly terms, but if it was all because they were group leaders, then Maru should have been in contact with the other groups, too. Now that I think about it, both Maru and Narasaka-san know that Ayase-san and I are stepsiblings. That''s the connection they have. They know our secret. Though I highly doubt Maru knows about my romantic rtionship with Ayase-san, and the same should be the case for Narasaka-san¡­ Should, yeah. But even so, what if they were discussing us amongst themselves at one point? And then they set up this whole situation on purpose?

    While pondering that, I looked at Maru and Narasaka-san again. Maru was looking down at his phone, checking the exact way we were going and sharing info in our LINE group. At the same time, Narasaka-san used all her conversation skills to bring all twelve group members together under a single topic¡ªMaybe I''m reading too much into this?

    Even if they were worried about us getting along as siblings, they don''t seem the type of people to go out of their way to such an extent to make sure everything was proceeding smoothly. I don''t think they''d force two people together to ensure they were doing all right. If they were, Maru probably wouldn''t be able to carry the team with him, and Narasaka-san wouldn''t be the Communication Queen that she is. In fact, it looks more like Narasaka-san views everyone equally, and Ayase-san and I are just members of the group. Even now, she threw a new topic at both of us.

    "What animals do you two like?"

    "Sloths."

    "Tigers, I guess."

    "That''s unexpected. You seem like a devoted person to me, Asamura-kun. I figure you''d readily help make food if the need arose. Don''t you agree, Saki?"

    "¡­I think he''s like a sloth," Ayase-san mumbled.

    "Oh?! Really now?! Asamura-kun, how''s it feel to bepared to a sloth?"

    "I don''t really know what you want me to say to that."

    "I''m not calling youzy or anything," Ayase-san said to me.

    "I know that."

    "Okay, good."

    We said to each other, only to gasp and go silent again. With that, another conversation died off. Meanwhile, Maru and Narasaka-san sighed at the same time.

    "I¡­ really like crocodiles! Graaah!"

    "I don''t think crocodiles growl like that."

    "Well, I understand why you like tigers, Ayase."

    "Right? She''s so cool!"

    "Y-You think so?"

    She seemed to not expect thatpliment, and her reaction was rather flustered. Narasaka-san''sment made everyoneugh, too. And it''s thanks to these follow-ups that Ayase-san and I won''t ruin the mood the group has. We walked around a lot inside the zoo until evening arrived when we moved to the night safari next to it.

    The night safari opened at 7:15. Since this was also the time that the sun would set during this season, the sky outside had begun to turn orange. The far sky to the east had even turned dark. This night safari existed so that visitors could observe the animals in their natural habitat at night. And because it starts prettyte, it closes at midnight. Needless to say, we students won''t be staying that long.

    "We''ll be eating dinner here, but lights out is at 10, so we don''t have too much time," Maru said.

    And with that, we headed to the ''Creatures of the Night'' show, which was a popr live show at the night safari. The idea was basically to introduce the animals that the visitors will be able to see during the safari. We could even hear the growls and sounds of animals from all sides. I couldn''t tell if they were wild beasts or just birds. But the sounds surrounding me made me realize that even the wilderness at night could be fairly noisy. The show ended after around thirty minutes, and since we''d all gotten hungry, we decided to eat something at the restaurant.

    It was designed like a regr buffet store, as we could enjoy a bit of rxing music from the stage in the back. In the corner of my view, I saw a woman ying the guitar and singing. However, I wasn''t too bothered by that since I was busy grabbing food. I took my tray to our table where everybody else was already busy eating.

    "What a beautiful voice," Maru muttered.

    "Hm?"

    "Must be local music."

    I followed Maru''s gaze, looking at the woman ying on stage. And then I realized it. Her appearance and voice felt familiar to me.

    "Isn''t that thedy from yesterday?"

    Only our group reacted to Maru''s words, as Narasaka and her group were asking what was going on. I believe they were at the museum yesterday, too, but they must have missed her.

    "She was singing yesterday in front of the museum," I said, but right as I did, the woman finished her act, and another person took her ce.

    She then moved towards the counter and spoke to the bartender. Immediately after, she received a cocktail ss filled with an amber-colored fluid. She then sat down on the chair and looked around¡­ only for her to get up and walk towards us. Huh? It took me a second to realize that she was standing in front of us already, speaking perfect English. Narasaka-san listened and then nodded.

    "What did she say?" Maru asked Narasaka-san.

    "No clue."

    "Hey¡­"

    "Um¡­ Lady, you want something?" She said with broken, Japanese-sounding English, as she pped her arms up and about.

    Or rather, it was pretty much just Japanese.

    "Narasaka, you might want to try English pronunciation, but that''s not enough if you only rely on bodynguage. Weren''t you good at English?" Maru asked, but Narasaka-san just awkwardlyughed.

    "On paper, yeah. And didn''t you have a higher grade than me?"

    "Because I hate losing. But we both can''t speak it in the end."

    "Learning it and applying it are two different things, after all."

    "How frustrating¡­ She came out of her way to talk to us, so we should at least¡ª"

    "Hold on, Maru. She''s pointing at us while saying something," Yoshidamented.

    She pointed at us and kept talking in English. Since we weren''t able to respond, she must have realized that we came from overseas. If so¡­

    "Maybe she''s saying stuff like ''Who are you?'' or ''Where are you from?'' and so on?" I said, when I heard someone speaking English from our side.

    In response, the woman''s face shot toward the source of that voice. She continued speaking English at a rapid speed. I was already struggling to keep up, but if she speeds up faster than that¡­ I grew worried, but there was someone in our group speaking English at break-neck speed, too. The moment I realized who this familiar voice belonged to, Narasaka-san was already cheering while saying ''You''re amazing, Saki!'' ¡­Wait, that was Ayase-san after all? I turned around and saw Ayase-san speaking with the woman in very decent English.

    ¡­She didn''t speak this fast when we practiced before, right? Maybe she was just holding back for my sake? I don''t think she improved her English that much in a single day, at least. All members of both groups stared at her talking with the woman.

    "Ayase-san, you can speak English?" One of the boys from their group asked.

    "I used rtively simple vocabry. Asamura-kun''s assumption was fairly spot-on, too. She''s asking where we came from."

    "Weee aaare earthliings." Narasaka-san held one hand on her throat and tapped it while speaking, creating a legendary otaku joke in real time.

    ¡­Which was funny and all, but I''m pretty sure she''s from earth, too.

    "Narasaka, don''t go causing problems that will have intergctic consequences down the line."

    I highly doubt this will escte that far, either way. And everybody here is from earth, no?

    "Maru-kun! I was just trying to ease everybody into the conversation using a bit of humor!"

    "There''s a time and ce for everything, and here we''ve got neither condition cleared. More importantly, what did you tell her, Ayase?" Maru asked, to which Ayase-san gave Narasaka-san a dull smile.

    "That we''re from Japan and currently on a field trip. Don''t worry."

    "Boooring!"

    "Maaya, I swear¡­ What if she gets the wrong idea? And on that note, her name is Melissa Woo-san."

    Hearing Ayase-san''sment, Maru grinned to himself, saying "I guess I was right!" He was probably referring to the name he read yesterday.

    "Merry-san?"

    "No, Maaya. Melissa. Melissa Woo-san. She was curious how we young visitors felt about her singing and wanted to hear our impressions."

    Someone from our group sighed in admiration. The woman called Melissa, who seemed to be a bit older than twenty, continued to smile as she sat down at an open seat at our table.

    "She''s really curious about our impressions now."

    "Could you trante it for us, Ayase?" Maru asked and Ayase-san nodded.

    "I don''t mind. I''ll do as best as I can."

    "Hm. Well, life works in mysterious ways, and this is a chance to experience a bit of intercultural exchange. How about it, everyone? Do you have anything to say to Melissa-san?"

    "It was bootiful and wandaful!" Yoshida said.

    Hearing that, Melissa-san grinned. I guess she managed to understand that.

    "It worked!"

    "Can you really call that a sess?" Maru made a wry smile as he looked at me.

    "What about you, Asamura?"

    "Um¡­ Well. I heard her sing yesterday. I think that was folk music. I thought that her singing voice was a treat to listen to. Does that work, Ayase-san?"

    "Let me try."

    I tried to keep it short and simple to allow for easy trantion, but was that good enough? But my worries seemed unnecessary, as Ayase-san swiftly tranted my statement into English. Melissa listened to Ayase-san to the very end and then showed a radiating smile. She then looked at me and fired off a barrage of quick-fire English. I''m guessing she was happy, at least. After that, the other group members voiced their impressions, which were tranted into English by Ayase-san. Granted, she couldn''t pull off anyplicated expressions or phrases, but she tried her best while ncing up at the ceiling once or twice while forming the English text in her head. Even so, Melissa happily listened to every word Ayase-san said.

    "Done!" Narasaka-san suddenly shouted.

    Wondering what had happened, I looked over at her. She was holding her phone out towards Melissa-san, tapping on the screen. When she did so, a robotic female voice spoke English. It was a pretty long English text inparison to what we said, but Melissa just happily smiled.

    "Was that a machine trantion, Narasaka?"

    "Yup! I just wrote everything I thought in there and it read the English trantion."

    "I didn''t even think about trying that."

    What a convenient day and age we live in.

    "I guess we should have just asked Maaya from the start," Ayase-san said.

    "That''s not true at all, Saki! This bad boy might seem convenient, but all nuance is lost in the process. Communication doesn''t only rely on words, but also intonation and expression, right?"

    Bad boy¡­ Is she referring to her phone? Or more urately, the app she used? But that does make sense. Whenever Ayase-san told Melissa about our impressions, she not only conveyed the words, but her expressions also changed ordingly. When she said how impressive Melissa''s voice was, she spoke with an exaggerated tone, and when she mentioned my folk musicment, she had a somewhat distant gaze. If there''s no "avatar" to convey emotions alongside those words, then machine trantion like this is heavily limited.

    "You think so?"

    "Exactly! And she seems thankful, too."

    Melissa stood up and walked up to Ayase-san''s seat, putting her hands on her shoulders as she whispered something to her. She did seem happy as she pped Ayase-san on the shoulder. It seemed to hurt a bit, and Ayase-san shed a wry smile. And then, Melissa raised her head as a tall man called her name. Her face lit up further as she clung to him. Immediately after, all of us gasped in shock, as the girls cheered and we boys were at a loss for words. Melissa and the man, presumably her lover, shared a passionate kiss without a warning.

    "In a public space like this¡­!"

    "Calm down, Yoshida. It''s a kiss. It''s a greeting," Maru tried to rx him.

    "But¡­"

    "You boys! Stop staring!" Narasaka-san immediately reprimanded the other boys.

    "I''m shocked you can stay this calm, Asamura-kun."

    "I''m surprised myself, really."

    Yeah, that really happened out of nowhere. I was wondering how they could do that in front of others without feeling embarrassed. But at the same time, I realized that this scene felt oddly familiar. Familiar because there is a certain newlywed couple openly flirting around in front of their adolescent daughter and son. No doubt, they''re a couplepletely head over heels for each other. Granted, they weren''t hugging or kissing in public like the couple in front of me. Remembering our parents, this kind of scene right now wasn''t anything unbearable, either.

    Granted, that didn''t just magically erase the embarrassment. However, Melissa''s kiss felt even more¡­ natural. Like it was part of the daily life of the animals we watched all day. Once Melissa and her boyfriend separated, she turned towards us one more time and said something. ording to Ayase-san, she asked where we were staying. We mentioned the name of the nearest bus stop, to which she mentioned that the ce she stayed was fairly close. And as a result, we even took the same bus home. As for the man she kissed, he didn''te with us. They apparently lived in different directions. And until we reached the bus stop in question, we were on the same ride.

    During that entire time, Ayase-san and Melissa were discussing something in English. Reaching the hotel we split up with Narasaka-san''s group and the other girls in the lobby, but all the way back to our room, Yoshida would keep going on and on about how crazy that kiss was. I''m honestly worried that all his experiences and impressions today were just overwritten by that final scene. Then again, some of the girls were blushing even all the way back to the hotel.

    Personally, rather than feeling flustered from witnessing the scene, I actually realized something self-exnatory. This is what it means to be lovers. And with that thought in mind, I was reminded that our visit to Sentosa Ind tomorrow was mostly free time. And I think that Ayase-san''s group was also going there. And I remembered having fun spending a bit of fun with her group today. Right as I snuggled into my bed, my phone vibrated. When I saw the message that popped up on my screen, I felt my heart jump. It was from Ayase-san.

    ''I''d like to walk around Sentosa Ind tomorrow with just the two of us. Do you think that''s possible?''

    That question caused me to gasp. Immediately after that came another message, saying that it should be fine since we don''t have to walk around as a group and that it''s mostly free time anyway. So they had simr ns to our group? I remembered what Maru said during thest homeroom a few days ago.

    ''On the third day, as long as we don''t stray from Sentosa Ind, we''ll probably be given a lot of freedom. We can buy souvenirs and just enjoy the scenery.''

    And the other group members appreciated the rxed schedule, too. I just assumed I''d be walking around with Maru. How could I have known that Ayase-san''s group was simr in that way? Maybe Maru and Narasaka-san set this up so that people could spend time with others from different groups. No, I''m reading too much into it again. I read through Ayase-san''s question and pondered it.

    I do want to see her, but if I wanted to slip out from the group, I should at least let Maru know. I don''t think I need to give him the exact reason, but there''s a good chance he''ll ask me to buy souvenirs and whatnot. Then again, he knows that Ayase-san and I are siblings, so if I said I wanted to walk around with her for a bit, he probably won''t mind. When I looked over to my side, both he and Yoshida were sound asleep. I then proceeded to type up a response.

    ''Got it. I''ll tell the people in my group, so I''ll let you know if we can meet up and everything else tomorrow.''

    Immediately after I sent that message, I got a read notification and a simple ''OK'' came back. I decided to tell Maru once he was awake. And then I''ll tell Ayase-san where we can meet up before we get to Sentosa Ind. For some reason, I felt relieved, and sleepiness assaulted me. Even so, I felt like I had forgotten something and couldn''t quite drift off into sleep. After a bit of thinking, I realized the difference between my message and Ayase-san''s.

    She told me her genuine feelings. That she wanted to walk around with me. And yet all I cared about was the schedule and everything around it. I didn''t tell her how I actually felt. I red at the time reflected on my phone¡­ 10:30 pm. Maybe she was asleep already. And I might wake her up with my response. But even so¡­

    ''I also want to walk around with you, Ayase-san.''

    I took a deep breath to prepare myself and pressed the ''Send'' button. I quickly got a read mark to my message, as well as an emote of a sneaky cat grinning at me. Honestly, I felt like this was the first time she had ever used an emote. But at the same time, I was relieved and finally sumbed to my sleepiness.

    That night, I had a dream. I was looking at the same kiss scene I had witnessed a few hours prior. But the faces of the two people kissing had turned into mine and Ayase-san''s instead.

 Chapter 92 - 8 - February 18th (Thu) â€“ Field Trip Day 2 â€“ Ayase Saki

    <h4>Chapter 92: Chapter 8 - February 18th (Thu) ¨C Field Trip Day 2 ¨C Ayase Saki</h4>

    Today was the second day of the field trip, and chaos ensued right after I woke up. My eyes opened to Maaya sitting on the bed next to me brushing her hair, and she suddenly said "Let''s walk around with Asamura-kun and the others today," leaving mepletely baffled. What''s she on about? I thought to myself.

    "What are you on about?" I asked without much hesitation.

    "Exactly what I said. Are you okay with that, Ryou-chan?" Maaya asked towards the bed on the opposite side of hers.

    "Hmmm?" Satou Ryouko-san blinked at Maaya with a drowsy gaze. "Who¡­ is Asamura-kun?"

    "The boy in another ss'' group. There''s Maru-kun, Asamura-kun, and¡­ Remember what I said? That group''s also the one with your friend in it, right?"

    "Ah¡­ Yeah. Okay, sounds good." She still seemed half asleep when agreeing here. Is this really okay?

    Also, it sounds like they discussed this beforehand.

    "Maaya, I didn''t hear about any of this!"

    "Because I didn''t tell you!"

    "Why not?!"

    "A surprise is no surprise if you don''t keep it a surprise, right?"

    Why do we need surprises on an already stressful field trip? And I thought we were supposed to stick together as a group today.

    "We have to stay in our groups again today, right?"

    "Yup," Maaya nodded and shed a truly innocent smile¡ªin other words, one that you definitely could not trust. "And today, our group is heading to the zoo and night safari."

    "I know that."

    "It just so happens that Maru-kun''s group is also going to the zoo and night safari today! What a wonderful coincidence!"

    "Hey."

    "And thus¡­ We students from Suisei High might as well move together in arge group to foster the rtionships between students and give yet another crucial meaning to this field trip¡­ is what happened."

    "That didn''t just happen, did it?"

    "Hm? Did I say something weird? Ryou-chan, what do you think?"

    "Nope, not at all. Being able to spend time with people I''m friends with makes me happy, too."

    Oh, right. A friend of hers is in Asamura-kun''s ss. But¡­ really? Asamura-kun''s group and ours are going to walk around together today. But what about my feelings? What about my loneliness of not being able to see him for this entire trip? ¡­And is this really okay?

    "Can you really just decide that?"

    "I mean, you were there when our group decided on our schedule, right?"

    "Ah."

    I focused my brain to try and remember. Our group consisted of Maaya as the leader, paired with me and Satou Ryouko-san, as well as two rowdy boys and one more boy who''d keep them in control. When we turned in our group''s schedule, our homeroom teacher was happy to have Maaya with us, so I''m guessing they just put all the problem children together. I''m well aware that I''m not very good when ites to adjusting to others. That''s why I''m genuinely thankful to Maaya. And at the same time, I remember her working out information and details about every possible ce we could visit, asking all the group members where they wanted to go. All we did was simply pick where we wanted to go. In that sense, we should really be thankful to Maaya. But even so¡­

    "I''m d he''s got enough charisma to push for the popr spots. Though I did say we should meet up if our spots ovepped."

    "To whom?"

    "It''s amazing to think all the ces we wanted to visit matched up so beautifully!"

    Ah, she didn''t want to tell me. I wonder who it is? Asamura-kun? No, he would have told me something.

    "By the way, we''re also heading to Sentosa Ind together tomorrow."

    "Tomorrow as well?"

    "Yup. Isn''t that right, Ryou-chan?"

    "Yeah. Makes me happy."

    "As for the boys¡­ Well, they don''t know each other too well, but Maru-kun should be able to handle them."

    "¡­Maru-kun is Asamura-kun''s friend, right? I didn''t know you were friends with him."

    "We''re both group leaders, after all."

    Is that really as convincing of a reason as she made it out to be?

    "Anyway, I''d like to get to know the boys in their group. And I need to warn our boys to not bother the girls in their group too much."

    ¡­I see. So she had it all nned out from the start. After she finished her hair, she leaned towards me and whispered.

    "Now you''ll always be together with your brother, right?" She put one hand on her mouth and snickered like a witch.

    "Maaya! Geez, I can''t believe you!" I burst out in anger, and Satou-san twitched in shock.

    I swear, look what you caused, Maaya.

    "S-Sorry about that."

    "It''s okay¡­"

    "And with that out of the way, let''s have some fun at the zoo today! It''s time to eat breakfast first though, but after that, it''s ''let''s go Singapore!''" She finished it off with yet another clunky English pronunciation at the end as she jumped off the bed. "All those cutesy animals are waiting for us!" She said while raising her fist into the air.

    I just shook my head and shrugged. When she''s like this, nobody can stop her. Still¡­ Asamura-kun and I are going to get to walk around the zoo together today. ¡­Huh.

    When we arrived at the zoo entrance, Asamura-kun''s group had just made it there, too. Even though I hadn''t seen his face for barely a day, I felt a wave of relief when I saw him from a distance. Since both of our groups will be sticking together today, it''ll be 12 people at once checking out the zoo and the night safari next to it. Now that I think about it, it''s been sincest summer and the day at the pool that we''ve been in as a group as big as this. Asamura-kun''s friends Maru-kun and Maaya took the leading role today as they looked after the two groups. And not only that, Maaya would even throw conversation starters our way from time to time.

    "Hey, Asamura-kun, Saki, what animals do you two like?"

    We were walking around inside the zoo when Maaya asked us that question. Asamura-kun went first and responded with "Sloths." Um¡­ sloths?

    "That''s unexpected. You seem like a devoted person to me, Asamura-kun. I figure you''d readily help make food if the need arose. Don''t you agree, Saki?"

    "¡­I think he''s like a sloth."

    Wait, no. She asked us what animals we like, not which animals represent us as a person. Won''t he think I''m insulting him? But it''s true that I can rx when I''m with him. It''s like time passes much slower. In that way, it does suit him, but it''s not like¡­

    "I''m not calling youzy or anything."

    "I know that."

    "Okay, good."

    Phew, that made me panic. I don''t know why, but talking with Asamura-kun in front of everyone makes me so restless. Even though I can rx perfectly fine when we''re at home. And I don''t think I was alone in that feeling. It seemed like Asamura-kun was also holding himself back when we were talking. Because of that, we felt so distant, even though we were right next to each other. And once the sun began to set, we headed over to the night safari.

    After watching the various animals and their life at night, we moved to a restaurant and eat dinner there. The menu was set up like a buffet, so after we grabbed all the food we wanted, we headed to a table. After all that walking, I was feeling especially hungry.

    "What a beautiful voice," Maru-kun said.

    He must be talking about the woman ying the guitar up on that stage. Once her performance was over, she grabbed all her belongings, headed to the nearby bar, and started talking to the bartender. She ordered something and received a cocktail ss, only to suddenlye our direction. Our eyes met and she smiled at me. She looked like she was either Japanese or from South Asia. If I had to guess, she was around twenty, maybe a bit older. Her tied-up blonde hair reached down to the shoulders, which were open and uncovered by her red dress. Since the dress had deep cuts on both sides, you could sneak nces at her legs. Even as a girl, I found myself staring for a moment. She then looked at all our faces once and started speaking English.

    "My name is Melissa Woo. Where did you boys and girlse from? Japan?"

    It wasn''t anything too difficult, but because she was speaking so fast, everyone else in the group started staring at her in confusion.

    "You were watching me, right? How was I? I don''t want to interrupt your trip, but I''d love to hear your impressions of my performance." She said and smiled.

    However, nobody from our group said anything. I guess it must be how fast she was speaking. She waited for a moment, but then seemed disappointed. Maybe she thought that we had just ignored her. I don''t think she''s aware of the fact that our English might not be very good. Even I barely managed to catch what she said. While everybody else hesitated, Asamura-kun spoke up.

    "Maybe she''s saying stuff like ''Who are you?'' or ''Where are you from?'' and so on?"

    Yeah, exactly.

    "Um, Melissa-san? We''re students who came from Japan for a field trip." I responded, and Melissa turned toward me.

    "A field trip! Then you must be in middle school? Six boys and six girls, I can tell you''re good friends! And judging from your age, you probably haven''t heard that type of music before, no? What did you think? Maybe something more popr would have been better? Like anime music?"

    M-Middle school¡­? Do we look that young to her?

    "We''re in high school. Our second year, actually. And we came from Tokyo, Japan."

    I just replied with that for now.

    "You''re amazing, Saki!"

    "Ayase-san, you can speak English?"

    I mean, all of you would have been able to understand it if she just spoke a bit more slowly. And Asamura-kun seems to have grasped the meaning, too. I just waved my hands left and right as I yed down their praise.

    "I used rtively simple vocabry. Asamura-kun''s assumption was fairly spot-on, too. She''s asking where we came from."

    That''s all I told them, but Maaya made some weird joke that made Maru-kun angry at her. I swear¡­ Look, Melissa-san''s looking at us in utter confusion. And Asamura-kun seems worried that she may have gotten the wrong idea.

    "I said that we''re from Japan and currently on a field trip. Don''t worry."

    "Boooring!"

    "Maaya, I swear¡­ What if she gets the wrong idea? And on that note, her name is Melissa Woo-san."

    And then she asked us about our impressions of her performance, so I tranted it for her. It seems like I''m ying the role of interpreter now.

    "What about you, Asamura?"

    My heart skipped a beat. I didn''t think I''d have to even trante what Asamura-kun said. And actually, I feel like he should be proficient enough to say it in English himself as long as he keeps it simple enough¡­ But more importantly, I need to listen properly. I took what he said and reformed it in my head into English words. I think because I''ve been listening and thinking English a lot these days, my thoughts immediately changed to English without much of a hindrance. This made me realize that keeping a bnce between twonguages in my head at the same time was a lot harder than just tranting something.

    "Melissa-san, he mentioned that he listened to your performance yesterday, too. He was asking if that was folk music. And he said that he enjoyed listening to your voice."

    Asamura-kun tried to keep his impressions short and concise, which made it easier for me.

    "Let''s see¡­ Was he at the museum yesterday?"

    "I think so."

    "Ah, I see. That means this must have been his second time hearing me y. And yes, the song I yed is fairly popr around here. And I''m happy that he appreciates my voice that much."

    I repeated what Melissa told me in Japanese. And even before I could do that, some people in our group had begun nodding to themselves. I''m guessing they were slowly catching on to what she was saying. The other people at least understood that Melissa was thankful, and then they started saying so many things that Maru-kun couldn''t keep them under control. I once again tried my best to convey it in English as urately and correctly as possible. Though sometimes it took me a while to find the right English expression or idiom.

    Once everyone was done, Maaya suddenly raised her head, held her phone towards Melissa, and tapped on the screen. When she did so, an electronic female voice started speaking in English. It was a fairly long text, too. She probably typed it all into a trantor and yed it out loud. Melissa was surprised at first, but she listened earnestly.

    As for the content, it was pretty much what you''d expect from Maaya. How she perceived the performance, what she thought of Melissa''s voice, and all that. Listening to that, Melissa started grinning about midway through. Granted, I don''t know how well it conveyed everything from the original text since I couldn''t read it, but there wasn''t anything weird about what I heard, which made me realize that we really lived in a convenient day and age. Then again, it would take quite a while to type in everything just like that.

    "I guess we should have just asked Maaya from the start."

    I had a moment of weakness and grumbled to myself, but Maaya immediately denied that. She argued that it may be quick and easy, but it lost all nuance and human emotion in the process. That makes sense.

    "Exactly! And she seems thankful, too," Maaya said, as Melissa stood up from her chair to walk behind me, embracing my shoulders.

    "What''s your name? Is it Saki?"

    "Ah, yes. I''m Saki."

    Oh, she picked up my name through all that?

    "Mmm! What a cute name. Thanks to you, I got to hear what all you cuties thought about my performance, so I''m really thankful!"

    She pped me on the shoulder with a bright smile, which honestly hurt a bit. But when I saw her smile happily, I realized that this was just typical physical contact for her.

    "Hey, Saki. I haven''t heard your impressions yet."

    Ah, right.

    "I thought it was wonderful."

    "I see, I see! Thank you. What''s your impression of Singapore? A great ce, right? Are you having fun?"

    "Yes, I didn''t think it''d be such a beautiful city. Though it''s a bit too hot for my taste."

    "Haha! That''s right, it''s still mid-winter over in Japan, right? Say, Saki, you seem to be going along with everyone here¡­ but do you have a special someone in this group? A lover, maybe?"

    "Huh?!"

    L-Lover?!

    "You must have one, right? You''re so pretty. There''s no way people would leave you alone. So tell me, who and who are the lucky person?"

    Huh? What? Who and who? Did I just mishear things right now?

    "That reaction¡­ There''s someone, right?"

    I happened to nce over at Asamura-kun, only to quickly avert my eyes. Why is she just bluntly asking such embarrassing things? Or am I just misunderstanding her? Granted, her English was a bit on the harder side of things. Maybe it''s because this is a genuine conversation, or maybe it''s her ent. I don''t know what the secret ingredient is, but I never really struggled to understand her up to this point. But she''s speaking a lot more frankly right now, so maybe I''m just mistranting what she''s telling me¡­

    "I-I don''t have somebody like that!"

    "Really?" She narrowed her eyes with a smirk.

    It''s almost like she saw right through me and is just telling me to confess. And I realized that with just her words alone, that wouldn''t havee across¡­ Maaya was right! But that''s not the problem right now. I broke out in a bit of a panic as Melissa let go of my shoulders. A man approached us, calling Melissa''s name. She then jumped into his arms and they exchanged a passionate kiss right in front of us. Honestly, I thought my heart was gonna leap out of my chest. My instinct told me to turn my back towards it, which caused me to see everyone''s faces. They all were just as shocked as me, but they kept on looking.

    "You boys! Stop staring!" Maaya leaned forward.

    I slowly turned around again to look¡­ But they were still at it. Melissa and the man were tightly embracing each other, as if trying to suck up each other''s warmth. Eventually, they moved their heads away from each other and Melissa turned to me again.

    "Where are you people staying?"

    I was spacing out and didn''t listen properly. Only after a brief moment of silence did I realize she asked me where we were staying during our field trip. I discussed this with Maaya and told Melissa about the nearest bus stop we had to take. That shouldn''t be a problem, at least. Upon hearing that, Melissa mentioned that her home was in the same direction, asking if we should head home together. And since we had to get going soon, we decided to agree. While we sat on the bus ride, Melissa and I talked almost the entire time.

    I didn''t think I''d have to rely on my practice in such an odd circumstance, but I''m happy that my efforts paid off, at least. Granted, Melissa used some ng and other terms I didn''t know, so I couldn''t pick up every little thing she said, but what she tried to convey definitely came across. As for our topics, it was honestly a bit of everything. What''s popr right now in Japan, our favorite songs, and since Melissa was a huge fan of anime and manga, we talked about some series here and there, but as I wasn''t so much of an avid reader, so I couldn''t contribute much.

    Maybe I should have asked Maaya for help. But she was busy talking with everyone else, as she usually did. Melissa''s boyfriend (?) didn''te with us. They separated at the restaurant. Apparently, they live in different areas. We then got off the bus near the hotel and Melissa went her way, saying she hoped we''d meet again if the chance arose.

    The rest of us entered the hotel, and I talked a bit with the girls from Maru-kun''s group in the lobby. Since I remembered their names and faces after just meeting today, I guess I''ve made some progress myself. But at the same time, I realize that this usually happens when Maaya is around.

    As we headed deeper inside and back to our rooms, my phone started being flooded with new messages. It was from the group chatroom, with people saying ''Today was fun'' or ''Good night everyone.'' It wasn''t anything out of the ordinary, but looking at it made me feel fluffy inside. That''s probably why I responded with ''It was fun,'' myself. Then things moved to the girls'' only group, where I sent a sticker of a smiling cat. It''s the one that Maaya loves to send. In response came a flood of stickers. They each were themed around smiles, but everybody used different characters or motifs. I think this really shows the differences between people. Maaya, for example, sent some kind of weird sticker of a robotughing. What even is that?

    After arriving at our room, we changed into something morefortable. I wanted to make sure that my uniform didn''t end up with any wrinkles, only to realize that my skirt had been tattered a tad bit. Luckily, there weren''t any holes that needed fixing. Nothing more than a frayed spot. It must have happened when we were walking through the zoo or the night safari. There were a lot of bushes or branches that it could have gotten stuck on. It wasn''t significant enough that it stood out but I couldn''t just leave it alone, either. But to get it fixedpletely, I''d have to take it to a tailor back home in Japan.

    I looked through my suitcase, only to realize my blunder. I didn''t bring a sewing kit with me. What do I do¡­ I should ask if I can borrow it from someone else. I feel like Maaya or Satou-san should have one.

    "Um¡­"

    I raised my head and tried to speak up, but I realized that Satou-san was busy with a phone call. It must be that girl ''Mio-chan'' from Asamura-kun''s group. They were probably discussing what happened today. Normally, she was always very docile and introverted, but when talking with her friend, she seemed so happy and energetic. I didn''t want to bother her for my own reasons. As for Maaya¡­ she was doing something on her phone. Yeah, I''d rather not get in their way.

    I checked the time on my phone. I could still head outside if I needed to. And by ''outside,'' I was referring to the convenience store here on the hotel grounds. They might have a sewing kit there. I put my wallet into my purse and told Maaya I''d be heading to the convenience store real quick. On the way, I exined the circumstances to the vice-principal and headed to the first floor of the hotel.

    Although it was located on the hotel premises, this convenience store was big enough to have two entrances. One for the front outside the premises, and one for the hotel visitors. I immediately went to look for the sewing kit when a familiar voice called out my name. When I turned around, I spotted a woman smiling at me with a stic bottle in hand¡ªIt''s Melissa. She had a basket hanging from her arm, filled with drinks and potato chips.

    "Oh, wow! This is the hotel where you''re staying? What a coincidence. Do you have some time to talk?"

    "Um¡­"

    I hesitated for a moment but saw it as a chance to practice my English further, and I had no reason to decline in the first ce. So I agreed for a bit longer. Melissa finished paying for her goods, handing them to the man standing next to her. Looking at him, I was confused, as he wasn''t the man we met at the restaurant. The man she kissed had an Asian look with straight ck hair, but this one here has red hair, is a bit smaller, and gives off friendly vibes. I don''t think he''s family, either, they look too different. The man epted the stic bag, kissed Melissa on the cheek, and left the convenience store.

    "Are you sure?"

    "About what?"

    "Making your friend wait, I mean."

    "It''s okay. We''ll spend the rest of the evening together, anyway. Also, he''s not my friend, he''s my boyfriend."

    ¡­Come again? Maybe I misheard her? Did she just call him her boyfriend? I was confused, but still somehow managed to buy the sewing kit, as well as a can of coffee while I was at it. After that, I moved to the rest area in the lobby with Melissa. I think it should be fine if we talk here for another ten minutes or so. We weren''t alone either, so no problems there. But right as I sat down, my phone vibrated. Taking it out, I saw that I had gotten a message from Maaya.

    "Did I interrupt you?"

    Melissa asked me with a worried expression, but I reassured her I was fine. She just had invited me to y cards with them, so joining inter shouldn''t be a huge issue. Though I did respond with a quick message. In the meantime, Melissa opened a can of beverage she had at her feet. Bubbles came gushing out, and she put her lips to it, drinking a good sip. It must be beer, or something else with carbohydrates. It does smell of alcohol, at least.

    "Want a sip, Saki?"

    "No thanks. I''m still a minor."

    "Oh? I thought Japanese people were regarded as adults at 18?"

    I''m surprised she knows about that. But that''s also not quite right.

    "Not when ites to drinking or smoking. Also, I''m still 17 anyway."

    "Oh, really? I''m sorry. I guess I can''t even invite you out for a drink then."

    "And I''ve got a curfew, too. Though I''m happy for the invitation."

    "A curfew! Wow, I had no idea¡­ Then that means you only get to see your lover during the day."

    For some reason, she showed sympathy and regret. And then she said that we won''t get any time to indulge in sexual activities during the day¡­ Wait, what?

    "Hm? Did you not understand me? Maybe my pronunciation was off."

    No, that wasn''t the problem. I just thought¡­ I heard some unorthodox vocabry mixed within her statement. Melissa narrowed her eyes, assuming I didn''t understand her.

    "Hm, I think you''d be just fine, Saki."

    "¡­For that?"

    I asked in English, but¡­

    "Like, intercourse. Jumping into the box. Deepening your bonds. That kind of thing?"

    Out of the blue, she started speaking in Japanese.

    "Wh-What are you saying?! Keep it down!"

    Melissa saw my reaction and covered her mouth with both her hands.

    "But you''re a lot louder than me."

    I gasped and looked around me. Luckily, only a few people were around, and none of them were paying us any attention. Phew¡­ that made me panic for a second.

    "Melissa-san, you''re speaking Japanese¡­?"

    "Ah, yeah. I do understand a bit. I''m half-Japanese, after all."

    "¡­What?"

    When she told me that, I once again looked closely at her. I always felt like she had Asian looks, but with blonde hair and tan skin, it was really hard to be sure.

    "Specifically, my mother is from Taiwan and my father from Kyushu. They got to know each other when she was studying overseas."

    "I had no idea."

    We then switched to Japanese, and she told me about her life. She said that her mother, born in Taiwan, came to Japan to study, where she met her father. After she graduated, they went to get married, and Melissa was born in Japan. That''s why she had a Japanese birth certificate. She spent a few years in Japan, so she can at least speak thenguage.

    "My real name is Woo Meishen. That''s what he called me just now, remember? Melissa is just my English name."

    She must be talking about the man who was with her in the convenience store. Though I didn''t remember what he called her.

    "Then should I call you Meishen instead?"

    "I''ll leave it up to you. Though I would prefer Melissa," she said as a faint shadow appeared on her face.

    ¡­Maybe there''s something going on behind the scenes? I can''t help feeling curious. And I''m guessing Melissa saw this, as she asked me another question.

    "How many lovers would you like to have, Saki?"

    Did she just ask¡­ How many?

    "Isn''t it normal to just have one?" I answered, and Melissa sighed.

    "So that''s gonna be your answer¡­"

    I mean, I was the one who was surprised.

    "Could you borate?"

    "I want more than two, at least."

    "Excuse me?"

    "Is that really so shocking to hear?"

    "To me it is, yes."

    "But¡­ there''s not just one singr reason why you would fall in love with people, right?"

    Her words made me think. Reason to fall in love with someone¡­ Because they''re kind. Because they''re cool. Because they''re handsome¡­ Those sorts of things, right?

    "Exactly. Because your hobbies align. Because your personalities match."

    "Ah, because you''re a good match with that person¡ª"

    "Because your bodies are a perfect fit."

    ¡­Guess not.

    "And there''s no guarantee that one person fulfills all those various requests you may have."

    "That¡­ is true, but¡­"

    I''d love to meet a person like that.

    "And going with that, it''s not normal to only love one person, right?"

    "Erm¡­"

    I think that''s a bit of a leap.

    "For example, my taste in alcohol is simr to that man you just saw."

    "So¡­ he''s your drinking buddy?"

    "Our bodies are a great fit, too. In bed, of course. He does everything I love having done to me."

    You really don''t need to go into so much detail¡­ I could feel my cheeks growing hot.

    "So that person at the restaurant¡­"

    "He''s also in the music scene. And our taste in music matches. I want more people to listen to his music. But no matter how much love he may whisper to me, he''s not interested in my body."

    That¡­ happens, I guess?

    "If there''s only one reason to like, then you can just pick who feels better. But with many various reasons to love someone, you can''t just keep yourself limited to just one person."

    "I get where you''reing from, but¡­"

    "You also think it''s weird, right?"

    "Well¡­"

    Denying something just because I can''t grasp the logic would speak against my ethics. I don''t want to force my views and principles onto other people. Especially when ites to skinship and how other people love.

    "¡­I won''t deny how you feel, but I''m curious. Going with that logic, it means that the other person can choose as many other lovers as they want, right?"

    "That''s true," Melissa responded bluntly.

    She looked at me like I asked something weird.

    "Um, so¡­ Are all those men you''re dating actually¡­"

    "I know. It wouldn''t be fair otherwise. Though, both parties have to agree to this, of course," she said with a smile, which left me speechless.

    It was a set of values I hadn''t encountered before, which made this even more baffling. Compared to Melissa''s argument, Professor Kudou''s endless barrage of logic and reason was much easier to grasp.

    "Saki, I''m happy you didn''t call it weird."

    I gasped. Melissa dropped her gaze.

    "When I was living in Japan, nobody understood what I was talking about. Nobody would even listen to me. That''s why I came here. But when people heard that I came from Japan, a lot of people expected chastity and virtue from me. Despite my hair and skin color."

    "That''s why you chose an English name?"

    Melissa nodded. She dyed her hair, put on makeup, and chose an English name, which allowed her to finally find people who agreed with her logic. A ce where she couldmunicate as she wanted. ording to her, she learned English, Chinese, and Japanese. However, she usually keeps everything in English. Upon hearing that, it felt like I understood her at least a bit. The reason I dye my hair and pay close attention to my clothes is that my own body is slightly different from who I wanted to be. Everyone said that it fit with who I was. If I was as strong as Yomiuri Shiori-san, I may have been able to do what she does. Being true to herself while also retaining her typically Japanese beauty. But I knew I wasn''t as strong as her. And so that I don''t get dragged in a direction I don''t prefer, I chose to build up my armament.

    "When I saw you, Saki, I had a hunch."

    "Huh¡­?"

    "That we resemble each other."

    I remembered earlier when she smiled at me in the restaurant.

    "That''s why I decided to talk to you. I think I was half correct, and half off the mark. You tend to hold back when ites to a lot of things, right?"

    "Does it¡­ look that way?"

    "At least to me, it does."

    It''s easy to deny that. But what good would that do?

    "Saki, you''re extremely bothered when ites to the gazes of others and the pressure from society, right?"

    "That¡­ is true."

    During this entire trip, I hadn''t mustered up the courage to talk to Asamura-kun even once. No matter what I say, that fact can''t be denied.

    "It''s so constraining, right?"

    When she said that, I felt the urge to fire back.

    "But limiting yourself to the choice of not speaking Japanese isn''t?"

    "I''m saying that you need to find a ce where you can be as selfish and free as you want, or you''ll break apart."

    Despite my outburst, Melissa continued to speak with kind words, making me realize how she just hit the nail where it hurt. And that made me feel embarrassed.

    "You must find amunity that lets you live freely without trying to block off and restrain every single thing you do."

    It wasn''t about living carelessly and as I wanted, but more about finding a safe space where I was allowed to do that¡­ is probably what she''s saying. And that was all she told me. She left and returned to where her boyfriend was waiting. They nned to have some drinks and snacks and watch anime all night. I also gulped down the rest of the canned coffee I bought. A faint sweetness danced on top of my tongue and remained there. If I''d known that would happen, I would have chosen ck coffee.

    When I got back to the room, Maaya was still getting absolutely beat up by Satou-san in the card game they were ying.

    "That''s why I wanted you to join us, Saki!"

    So she wanted me to join simply so that she wouldn''t end up with only losses under her belt?

    "I mean, you''re bad at this game, too! You''re always about to win, only to forget you gotta call it."

    I mean¡­ that''s not wrong. But that just happens from time to time.

    "Um, should we y one more game, then? I promise I''ll hold back."

    "Winning such an easy game won''t make me happy at all!"

    "Ah¡­ I''m sorry¡­" Satou-san made a saddened expression, which made Maaya panic.

    What a rare sight.

    "N-No, you don''t have to apologize, Ryou-chan. You''re not at fault! It''s all because of this boringdy over here!"

    "Who''s a boringdy?"

    "You?"

    "Don''t phrase it as a question."

    "If you had been here, I would have won a few rounds without Ryou-chan having to hold back!"

    That might be true logic-wise, at least¡­

    "You can''t know that for sure."

    "Oh, now you said it. Let''s have one final match!"

    "If we don''t take a bath soon, it''ll be lights out before we get to, you know?"

    "Just one more round! Please!"

    I swear¡­ Maaya began distributing the cards before I could even say yes or no. But in the end, we yed one more round, and Satou-san won. In the final round, I managed to barely win against Maaya, who ended up inst ce again.

    "Oh¡­Hm? This is weird¡­" I smirked.

    "You two, it''s bath time," Maaya said, trying to escape reality.

    "I already took a bath," Satou-san said.

    How admirable.

    "Then let''s go take a bath together, Saki."

    "Why together¡­?"

    "We won''t make it in time otherwise, right?"

    I nced at the time, and just as she said, we couldn''t afford to take turns.

    "C''mon, c''mon."

    "Yeah, yeah."

    Luckily, the bath here in this room was rtively spacious, allowing us both to use it at the same time. It felt like it was designed for Japanese traditions, which I was grateful for. Once I finished my shower, I continued washing my body. Meanwhile, Maaya hopped in the bath.

    "Took you some time to get back, huh? What happened?"

    "Ah, about that¡­"

    I told her what happened while I washed myself off. That I met Melissa in the convenience store, and that we had been talking in the lobby until now.

    "Oh, I see. So she''s got two hot buds, eh? Well, I get where she''sing from. If there are various reasons toe to like someone, and if these reasons don''t co-exist in two people at the same time, then you would have to rely on having several lovers."

    "That''s pretty much it, but why''d you phrase it that way?"

    "I mean, it''s fair if permission is involved. The real problem is the matching." Maaya said as she stood up from the bathtub.

    Her towel fell off into the water, allowing me to see her navel and the area around that. I swear, use your towel properly¡­ After I finished my shower, I switched ces with her and stepped into the bathtub. Allowing yourself to sink as deep as possible into the water really is what makes this feel like a Japanese bath. It''s like all the exhaustion of the day was being washed away. As my head started feeling fuzzy from the heat, I asked one more question.

    "What do you mean by matching?"

    "I mean, one side might like it, but the other doesn''t. And that goes both ways. If both sides agree and there''s no actual harm, then just let them do as they please, really."

    "Harm¡­"

    What a violent choice of words.

    "Think about it in extreme ways. What about a world where there''s only one man left but many women, or vice versa? The idea of having only one partner would lead to the ruin of humanity."

    That¡­ is an extreme example, yeah. But I get where she''sing from.

    "In other words, if you try to abide by the morals and ideas of having only one partner as it''smon in Japan, then there may be a problem."

    Morals change as does the world. As expected, you could say. And if Professor Kudou was here, she''d move on with exactly that rebuttal.

    "Exactly. Of course, the opposite can be the case, too. However, the sign of a grown world and society would be that, as long as your morals aren''t injuring or hurting anybody else, you should try to keep them."

    "Right¡­"

    "A character in a science-fiction anime I watched before said that, actually."

    "Does all your wisdome from anime, Maaya?"

    "I''ve got sound effects, too."

    "How trivial."

    "It''s not. Want me to tell you?"

    "I''ll pass."

    I''d never get a wink of sleep if she started on that.

    "Anyway, if the people involved are happy, what''s it matter? As long as they ept it. But, Saki, in your case¡ª"

    I was indulging in the hot and pleasant bath so much that my brain wasgging behind.

    "¡ªYou wouldn''t want Asamura-kun to be stolen from you, right?"

    "Of course I wouldn''t," I blurted out without hesitation but realized it toote.

    I looked over at Maaya in shock, who grinned at me. It''s not like it matters much, but the way the shampoo on her head formed bubbles made her smile look even more devious.

    "Now you''ve said it."

    "Agh¡­ Um¡­"

    "Hee hee hee! You don''t need to hide it anymore, for real!"

    "B-But¡­ We''re supposed to be siblings¡­ It''s weird, right?"

    I was worried about what she''d think about it.

    "I mean, you''re basically strangers who became non-blood-rted step-siblings. Of course, that doesn''t mean that all step-siblings in the world will necessarily end up the same as you two."

    "Y-Yeah¡­"

    "But in the beginning, you didn''t look at him the way you do right now, did you? You nned to remain in a in and dry position as his younger sister, I bet."

    Absolutely. How does she understand me so well?

    "You''re just like an open book."

    "R-Really?"

    "To me at least."

    I had no idea.

    "I had a feeling like you two might have ended up in a rtionship like that."

    "Ugh¡­ Was it that obvious?"

    Honestly, I was so worried about what she''d think if she found out, but now that the cat''s out of the bag, I just feel exhausted more than anything.

    "So?"

    "So¡­ what?"

    "If you don''t want him running around cheating, you should probably keep him tied down. Are you doing it?"

    "D-Do what?"

    "Like, going on dates."

    "Ah, that''s what you meant."

    Wait, what did I think she was asking me? Gosh¡­

    "That''s fine, too. But I''ll have you tell me all about thatter during some pillow talk."

    "Nothing of that sort has happened, okay?"

    "Yeah, yeah. Anyway, you''re on a trip, remember? You''ve gotta use that to your advantage."

    "But it''s not just us two. We''re on a school field trip."

    "Then how about you two youngbloods go on a date tomorrow? Luckily, Asamura-kun''s group is also touring Sentosa Ind. And we can move freely tomorrow."

    "Is that¡­"

    ¡­really something we can do?

    "If you leave him to himself, he might walk around with the girls from his group."

    Hmph.

    "Andtely, he''s been a lot more conscious about his outfits. People have been more interested in talking to him, too."

    Mhmph¡­

    "Really?"

    "Well, that''s what I say."

    "Just you¡­"

    Stop scaring me like that.

    "Anyway, it''s my job to ensure that my group gets to have fun and returns to Japan with a bunch of great memories. And you''re part of my group, Saki. So tell me¡­ What do you want to do?"

    Maaya rinsed the shampoo off her hair and then looked at me. She was grinning, too. No fair. If she asks me like that¡­

    "I want to walk around with Asamura-kun¡­Just the two of us."

    Maaya let out a snort.

    "Good girl. Well said."

    "Ugh, this is so embarrassing."

    But when I look at Maaya, and how she allows me to easily talk about what''s on my mind¡­ Then maybe she is one of thosemunities that''ll ept me fully¡­ just like Melissa told me about. Though I''d be happy if I could be someone like that for Maaya, too.

    "Then you have to tell Asamura-kun that, okay?"

    "Will do."

    I almost died from the embarrassment, so I dove deeper into the bathtub so that only my eyes and upper head were visible. ''Thanks, Maaya¡­'' My mumbling turned into bubbles and dispersed as they reached the surface of the water.

    We finished our bath, and after I was finished drying my hair, I immediately slipped into my bed. Before the drowsiness got the better of me, I quickly thought about my ns for tomorrow. We''ll be spending the whole day at Sentosa Ind, and although we were supposed to stay in our groups, Maaya said it was fine to explore independently. And I think the same was true for Asamura-kun''s group.

    Since this sounded like another lucky coincidence, I bet Maaya set this up with Maru-kun. And since Satou-san is friends with a girl from their group, she won''t mind. In fact, she might want to walk around with her. I wonder what Maaya will do. I grabbed my phone which was currently charging. I''ll just send Asamura-kun a message. I think all this heat and passion from today is making me go crazy. And because Maaya pushed me like this. She even found out, too. I have to tell him about that, too.

    ''I''d like to walk around alone with you on Sentosa Ind tomorrow. Do you think that''s possible?''

    I even added the excuse that we didn''t have to walk around as a big group as long as we didn''t leave the ind. There are going to be so many 2nd-year students from Suisei High on the ind. However, as long as we stay away from crowded ces and pay attention, we shouldn''t run into anybody that knows us. That should allow us to meet up.

    I got a read notification attached to my message but the time spent waiting for his response felt like an eternity. I grew worried that maybe I was putting too much pressure on him. When the message notification came in, I felt my chest tightening.

    ''Got it. I''ll tell the people in my group, so I''ll let you know if we can meet up and everything else tomorrow.''

    A sigh escaped my lips. It wasn''t an OK or a no, but it could be worse. Honestly, there''s no guarantee we can always be alone. At least he didn''t decline so¡­ the rest depends on tomorrow. I was so relieved that I started feeling sleepy immediately. But as my consciousness started drifting away, another message came in. I rubbed my eyes and checked my phone.

    ''I also want to walk around with you, Ayase-san.''

    ¡­Huh? Oh, that makes me really happy. How should I respond? After a lot of worrying, I just went with a sticker. I didn''t want to be too happy in case somethinges up and it makes it harder for him to decline. All I could do was pray that we could walk around the ind together as I closed my eyelids.

 Chapter 93 - 9 - February 19th (Fri) â€“ Field Trip Day 3 â€“ Ayase Saki

    <h4>Chapter 93: Chapter 9 - February 19th (Fri) ¨C Field Trip Day 3 ¨C Ayase Saki</h4>

    In order to read a letter written on paper, you need light. However, a message on the phone can be read in darkness without any issue. Even a message from Asamura-kun could stay hidden from anybody else as long as I cover my head with my nket. It doesn''t attract another person''s curiosity. As for how I look at other people from the outside¡ªI wasn''t thinking about that at all.

    The very first thing I did after waking up was grab my smartphone and pull my nket over my face, checking my LINE app¡­ However, there was no reply. Well, it''s still 6 am. Breakfast is at 7, so he might still be asleep. Maybe he''s telling his group that he wants to walk around alone today. The answer mighte any second. There''s no need to rush.

    "Puwah!"

    I pushed the nket off my head and sighed. Next to my bed, Maaya was busybing her hair, as our eyes met.

    "Oh, Saki. Were you doing some nket diving championship?"

    I don''t think a championship like that exists.

    "It''s pretty hot, huh?"

    "¡­I wonder why," Maaya gave me a cold stare.

    I was aware that I must have looked like an idiot. That''s why I shrugged it offpletely. I put on my clothes, ate breakfast at the cafeteria, and checked my phone again, but there was still no response. I started growing worried, thinking that maybe I shouldn''t have asked him. Maybe I should send him another message? But I don''t want him to think that I''m being clingy. And while I hesitated, we prepared to head off. Then again, we''re going to the same ce, so while we''re together as a group, we should be able to see each other once or twice, right? There''s no need to panic¡­ or so I made excuse after excuse as we departed.

    Sentosa Ind is a small ind located to the south of Singapore itself. It was well-known as a leisure resort that had a lot of popr tourist spots, such as Universal Studios Singapore, Mega Adventure Park, and Pwan Beach. We can''t enter them, but there are casinos, too. It was connected to the main ind of Singapore by arge bridge, which could be traversed by car, bus, taxi, foot, monorail, cable car, and so on. However, you had to pay an entrance fee for entering. Our group chose the bus. There were four lines on the bridge just for one side, as we were focused entirely on the wide blue ocean to the left and right of us. Just looking at the bridge connecting the inds, it wasn''t much different from the Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line¡ªActually, that''s not true. There are four carnes for just one side here, and the color of the ocean felt more¡­ southern? Everyone was excited as they stared out of the window, but as for me, I was staring at my phone. I sent Asamura-kun a message.

    ''Let me know when you can make some time.''

    Of course, after we made it to the ind. Right now, all of us students should be traveling to the ind. Maybe¡­ I looked up and gazed out of the window. There were several cars lined up next to ours, but I didn''t see another bus. Maybe he already made it onto the ind, or maybe he''s only just now making his way there. I sighed yet another time as my phone vibrated, bringing me back to reality. I hurriedly stared down at my phone.

    ''Sorry for thete reply! I''ll make sure to slip out this afternoon, so we can meet then!''

    It was a rtively brief response, but it made me feel relieved. Thank goodness. He''s trying to make it so that we can be together, at least. But he still hasn''t told his group? Well, Maaya already knows about my rtionship with Asamura-kun, so I''ve got her full support as the group leader. However, the same can''t be said for Asamura-kun. Even if he told them that he wanted to walk around the ind alone, they might just get angry at him for being a lone wolf. Since he said he wanted to make it out this afternoon, I should just trust him.

    He probably wants to stay with his group at least for the morning. I don''t want to get in the way of his friendships, and if we get to see each other this afternoon, then I have to be happy with that. I can''t be greedy. And I realized that this exchange sounded oddly familiar to me. It felt like a heavy stonended deep inside my stomach. I was reminded of the regr exchanges between my father and Mom. She works at a certain bar in Shibuya as a bartender,ing homete every day.

    This was all job-rted, so it couldn''t really be helped, and my father should have known that. Yet when he was robbed of hispany and lost his trust in other people, he only viewed others with doubt and distrust. Each and every single day, he wouldin. "Late again?" he''d ask Mom. His angry voice made me curl up in fear, and I felt genuine terror as a child. Wondering how he could say these things and be mad at Mom. Back then, he was the unreasonable one. The root of all evil. I wanted him to stop ming Mom for everything. And Mom just took it all in silence. She probably realized that talking back at him wouldn''t get us anywhere. Because it wasn''t based on logic. It was all centered around his feelings.

    I looked at my phone again. Asamura-kun hadn''t responded. But he had his own friendships and rtionships, and we were still on a school field trip, so he didn''t have unlimited free time. I''m just being selfish for expecting an immediate response. I understand I shouldn''t feel this way. It''s not fair to be annoyed that he couldn''t make time for me yet. I don''t want to be like my father who just blurted out whatever nasty thought crossed his mind. I ran my fingers along my phone screen, typing a new message.

    ''You don''t have to force yourself to make time. Just let me know when it''s best for you.''

    After sending that message, I raised my head.

    "Hey, Maaya."

    "What''s up, my darling? Need to go to the toilet?"

    "W-Will you shut up?"

    We''re surrounded by people. What potty mouth is saying these rude things, huh?

    "Fwaf fwurfs!"

    "I hope it hurts! No more joking around, okay?"

    Ofay ofay, fwof fwuwing!"

    I stopped pulling on her cheeks and cleared my throat to get back on track.

    "I was just wondering if your tummy hurt because you had such a stern expression. Ah, are you congested?"

    "¡­I will pull your cheeks again."

    "I''m sorry!"

    "Enough with the jokes. I was just wondering what our n of action is once we get to the ind."

    "Ah, right. As long as we meet up at the right ce at the right time, they''ll let us do pretty much whatever we want. But that leaves us with too many options to choose from, so I looked up a few rmended spots and added them to the notes on LINE."

    "Oooh!" The other members of our group let out a groan of admiration.

    Satou-san even joined in. "That''s a huge help! Wow," she muttered. And she''s right. Since we were given this much freedom, she could have very well just cked off. And yet she considered every possibility. This is the sort of thing that makes her such a reliable person.

    "The Universal Studios is right after we get off the bridge. And a bit further west, there''s the Mega Adventure Park."

    "Hm. Which do you think would be better?" I asked, and Maaya crossed her arms and started thinking.

    "No matter which we go with, there''s way too much to see in just the one day we have. Unless you guys have a specific attraction you''d like to check out."

    "I see."

    "And we''ll be taking the same bus hometer, so we''ll be on a rtively tight schedule. If anything happens, be sure to stay in contact. Everywhere around here has free wifi, at least as far as I know."

    All of us group members said ''Okaaay!'' in unison, like little children after having listened to a safety instruction. It was clear we all had great trust in our group leader. Then again, I was the same.

    "But in theory, we should start with the one furthest away. Walking around with souvenirs after buying them too early would be a drag."

    Everyone nodded. Soon after, we got off the bus, and after careful consideration, the boys decided to head to the Mega Adventure Park, whereas we three girls would meet up with Satou-san''s friend Mio-chan midway, and then we''d all head to Universal Studios Singapore together. I guess the boys couldn''t win against the charm of ''Adventure'' as the name said.

    "Not to mention that it isn''t just any regr adventure! It''s mega!" or so they said, but I didn''t know what was so great about that or why they''d even make such a big deal out of it. Maaya said that boys like terms such as ''mega'' or ''giga.'' And considering she had multiple younger brothers, that argument sounded even more convincing. We girls started walking to the ticket gate for the Universal Studios building. It was rtively easy to see, as the front was decorated with arge blue globe that had ''Universal'' written in alphabetical letters on it. But when we got closer to it, Maaya gently whispered into my ear.

    "Are you sure abouting with us? I don''t think you''ll be able to leave quickly after entering."

    She probably was asking me about my rendezvous with Asamura-kun. However, I haven''t gotten a response since we got off the bus, either. Just standing around doing nothing would only make me restless.

    "It''s fine. Let''s just have fun."

    That''s what I needed the most right now. I can just think about the rest once Asamura-kun actually messages me. He should be walking around somewhere himself. It''s fine. He said he''ll let me know. We bought the tickets and then entered through the front entrance.

    The sun had reached its zenith. The sunlight felt even stronger than yesterday, and the temperature had risen ordingly. It made me forget that we were still only halfway through February. We were told that it could rain practically any day because Singapore was currently going through its rainy season, but there was no cloud in sight. I just hoped that my sunscreen worked as we walked around inside the theme park. Until now, we had just been having fun. I think I could rx a bit more since it was just us girls. What surprised me the most was the fact that Satou-san of all people had the most fun on the rollercoaster. She wanted to ride it several times, so I took shelter under a roof and sent off the girls who wanted to enjoy the rides some more. My semicircr canals aren''t going to survive at this rate. I get dizzy even when ying 3D games on a big screen. And¡­ I''m really scared, too.

    I weed back the girls and we decided to eat something at the park''s restaurant. I figured we''d then check out some more attractions in the afternoon, but Maaya said she wanted to do some more sightseeing. With that decided, we headed to Pwan Beach. At around 3 pm, after the sun had begun moving west, the sunlight grew a bit weaker. I pretended to check the time on my phone but instead looked at my messages. I think I''ve been doing that a lot more frequently as soon as noon passed. And yet no message came in.

    Granted, we could rely on the free wifi sponsored by the government, but I didn''t know when it''d just randomly cut off, so I booted up LINE and sent Asamura-kun another message.

    ''We''re heading to Pwan Beach right now.''

    Time-wise, the best we can do is probably shop for souvenirster. And if we wanted to make some memories together, the beach is the best ce, too. I was scared that maybe we''d pass by each other without noticing. It wasn''t that huge of an issue, but it''s one I wanted to avoid. I waited a minute, but he didn''t even read my message. I grew a bit concerned, wondering if something may have happened.

    ''I''ll be waiting there, and I''ll let you know if we move.''

    I really hope my messages reach him¡­

    "All right, let''s move!"

    When Maaya said that, I stood up. And then we started moving toward ourst spot of the day.

    Sentosa Ind was shaped like an inverted triangle, with the southern area sticking out, although that could be hard to see on the map. And the Pwan Beach in question was located in the southwestern area (stretching from top left to bottom right). On a map, it looks like a shore in the shape of a 3. And from Universal Studios, the beach was a distance of 2km away, which was roughly a 30-minute walk. We saw that it was a distance we could travel by foot, so we immediately started our journey. We might as well enjoy the scenery on the way.

    "If we get lost, we can just have Saki ask someone for directions."

    "Me?!"

    "You''re the most proficient English speaker out of all of us, after all," Maaya said and Satou-san nodded.

    I-I''m not that good¡­ or so I wanted to say, but thinking back on it, I was the only one who actually talked with Melissa yesterday. We made our way towards the beach walking behind the Universal Studios we had juste out from. The exit we used was like a shopping mall with lots of restaurants. Though since we had already eaten lunch, we didn''t have any intentions of checking that out, but we could still hear cheersing from the attractions.

    We left the area and walked down the path that was probably the main road. We could once again see the clear blue sky above us. The sunlight was definitely less intense than before, but it was still plenty strong, which made my eyes hurt when I looked up, and sweat started building up on my skin. The temperature''s gone up, too.

    "With weather like this, I''d love to have an umbre," Maaya said and Satou-san nodded once more.

    Yeah, this weather definitely brought the risk of heatstroke. Especially since we were just walking alongside the road like this. To our left and right were forests, and it felt like we were walking through a jungle, with no stores or other resting areas in sight.

    "I heard there''s a giant hotel across the forest here," Maaya said.

    She must be talking about the five-star hotel that we could see on the map itself. Though the trees are blocking the view right now. And amongst the rows of trees were palm trees growing as if they had always been there since the start, just mixing in.

    "Ah, the sea¡­"

    When I heard Satou-san''s voice, I quickly turned my head to look straight ahead. In the distance, I could see a different color of blue, and waves crashing against a beach periodically.

    "Wow!" Maaya gasped.

    "It''s the sea! Should we start running towards it and then jump at the same time?"

    "Please don''t. You''ll just hurt yourself."

    The scary part about Maaya is that she''ll actually do things like that if you don''t tell her off quickly enough.

    "It''d feel very youth-like, though."

    "And what would all the residents and tourists think if they saw a young girl screaming something in a foreignnguage as she ran down the street?"

    "How peaceful it is, probably?"

    "I won''t deny that, but still¡­"

    "Narasaka-san, you shouldn''t¡ª"

    "C''mon now, Ryou-chan, you can call me Maaya already."

    "¡­Maaya-san. That''s something you do when setting foot on the sandy beach, right?"

    "Oh, right! Ryou-chan, you''re a genius!"

    Maaya created a peace sign with her fingers and held it out toward Satou-san. Satou-san''s friend mentioned that she''d never seen her open up this quickly and that she was almost a bit jealous.

    "Let''s start a cheerleading dance on the sandy beach with our shoulders together!" Maaya suddenly came up with another of her weird ideas.

    "Not gonna happen."

    "If you stretch your leg up and snap a pic, I bet your brother will be quite happy, too."

    "No way!"

    ¡­Ah, I didn''t mean to scream like that.

    "So you do have an older brother, Ayase-san? Or is this¡­ more talk about having the little-sister attribute?" Satou-san said.

    "Well, um¡­ I do have one."

    "How nice. I''m an only child, so I''ve always wanted siblings."

    "And she reaaally likes her brother."

    "I''m a bit jealous."

    "This has nothing to do with anything!" I protested and tried to end the conversation, but Maaya grinned at me.

    "¡­He hasn''t contacted you yet, eh?"

    "Ugh¡­" I faintly nodded.

    She really sees through everything. The more we walked, the bigger the sea began to look. The scent began drifting over toward us, too, and it tickled my nose. Whenever you''re in a southern country, you always get this rocky scent. Then again, that makes sense. It''s connected to the sea, after all. Finally, the beach spread out to our left and right.

    "Wow! It''s pure white!" Satou-san said with admiration.

    Beyond the beach were the blue sea and the blue sky. And diagonally to the right, we spotted a small ind.

    "That''s Pwan Ind. You can even see the famous suspension bridge."

    There was a small and narrow bridge connecting our side to the ind. It looked to be¡­ around 50 meters long. It also was barely hanging above the water''s surface.

    "Is it famous?"

    "Well, there''s always pictures of it, no matter if you check the guidebook, pamphlet, or the Pwan Beach website."

    "That bridge¡­ doesn''t look too reliable."

    "It''s no problem, Ryou-chan. It''s barely one meter deep there, and there are ropes on both sides to make sure you don''t fall, either."

    Just as Maaya said, there were rope-likes on both sides that looked like a guide rail.

    "I¡­ see?"

    I guess she''s got a point.

    "Anyway, let''s go! Since Pwan Ind is so small, we should be able to take a quick tour and then walk back!"

    "O-Okay."

    But are we really going to walk across that bridge? After we walked the path along the sandy beach, we reached a billboard with rules and listened to the guide there. The tall gate in front of us then opened, as we walked along the green pathway, reaching the beginning of the bridge. This sudden reveal made my heart skip a beat. Was it built like this on purpose?

    "Running down here could be dangerous, so let''s take our time, okay?"

    Should you really be saying that, Maaya? You''re the person who keeps running ahead. But she''s not wrong. Each time a person made a step on the bridge, it gently shook left and right. To me, this entire ordeal was a lot more terrifying than any rollercoaster I had ridden today. When passing someone who came back from the ind one had to either lean to the left or right to avoid them, which made the bridge shake even more. And you''d even bump into them from time to time. I could feel my heart racing painfully fast, and even though I knew I couldn''t fall, I really didn''t like this sort of thrill. Eventually, we finally reached the shore, and having solid ground beneath my feet caused me to sigh in relief. As we walked along that shore, we could already see the sea on the opposite side.

    "This sure is a small ind!"

    Maaya was right. It was honestly pretty underwhelming. Just walking around the whole ind shouldn''t take too long, at least. We went on our way, grabbing some sand from the sandy beach, and we spent some time gazing at the waves with the breeze blowing against us. The heat had receded a bit, but I was exhausted so I sat down on a random chair that happened to be sitting around.

    "We''re already going home tomorrow, huh¡­?" Maaya said.

    "It almost feels surreal. But we''re definitely traveling outside of Japan," Satou-san said as she took a picture of arge boat traveling down the open sea.

    She seemed a bit disappointed that the light from the sun wasn''t quite enough to reflect everything properly.

    "We didn''t even get to see very many ces either, right? I''d love toe again!"

    "Would we really be able to?"

    "If the traveling costs weren''t that big of a problem, we coulde every week. But it''s a great ce. It''s beautiful and safe, but it really hurts when you suck at English."

    "Which you don''t, right? You just can''t hold a proper conversation," I retorted to Maaya.

    "I''ll just have to employ the services of a guide."

    "You''re not referring to me, are you?"

    "Say, Saki, do you want to have your honeymoon here in Singapore?"

    "You''d better not be using someone else''s honeymoon as a reason toe with them for a trip."

    What even are these ideas she''s brewing? After a quick break, we decided to head back to the main ind. After reaching the beach, I turned around one more time. The sun had begun sinking beneath the horizon, but the sky was still blue. In Japan, it''d be slowly turning dusk right about now.

    "Still bright out, huh?"

    "Even after 7 pm, the sun''s still high up."

    "I heard that sunset in Singapore happens at around 7:20pm," Satou-san told us.

    "Hm? Ryou-chan, did you look that up online?"

    "Yes."

    "Oh, you''re right! We''ve got wifi here¡­ Ah!" Maaya suddenly looked like she remembered something and turned toward me. "You wanna stay here?"

    "Huh?"

    What''s she talking about?

    "There''s one bus stop from here to the meeting point, so can we go on ahead? We''ll wait at the souvenir shop."

    Maaya''s words made me remember the messages I had sent to Asamura-kun.

    ''We''re heading to Pwan Beach right now.''

    ''I''ll be waiting there, and I''ll let you know if we move.''

    I said I''d let him know if we move again. But on Pwan Ind, we were out of reach of the free wifi. If I don''t let him know now, I''d have to wait here the entire time.

    "I think this is probably thest ce we''ll get to see with such great scenery."

    "Ah, are you nning on meeting someone?" Satou-san''s words caused my heart to skip a beat.

    "How did you¡­""

    "Well, you''ve been restless this whole time."

    Maaya burst outughing when she heard that.

    "I guess it''s time to drop your ''Dry girl'' act, Saki!"

    Dry¡­ What kind of nickname is that? I never saw myself as a dry or distant person. I just tried to live my life the way I wanted without being shaken left and right.

    "There''s still some sunlight left. You''ll be able to spot them easily if you stay here. But be sure to be back in time for the meet-up."

    "And I''d like to buy some souvenirs, too," said Satou-san.

    "We can do that, no biggie! Anyway¡­ we''ll catch youter, Saki."

    "Have fun."

    "¡­Huh? Are you sure?"

    Before I could even say a thing, the two walked away, with Maaya giving me a thumbs-up and moving her mouth saying: "Good luck." I swear, she couldn''t be any more forceful¡­ Watching the two walk towards the main road, I sighed and took out my phone. She was right, I still had a wifi connection. But I didn''t get any calls or messages. I looked around me and then went back to the suspension bridge again. Upon reaching the center, I stopped.

    The sun was moving down the sky and towards the horizon. It began to look smaller and smaller. And as I stood in the center of the bridge, surrounded by nothing but water, it felt like I had entered a world of my own. I could hear the sounds of the birds flying way above my head, the waves crashing against each other, and the wind hissing through the bridge''s. From time to time, I could hear a whistle from a boat in the distance.

    Time-wise, it seemed like most tourists had made their way home for the day, and no one else came to walk across the bridge, allowing me to focus solely on the sounds around me. When I looked over at the beach, I saw that there were still groups of people loitering about. And then I heard voices approaching. A man and woman came from Pwan Ind, so I hurriedly made some space for them. It must be a newlywed couple. They were holding hands as they smiled at each other, passing me by with a quick "Excuse me." When they passed me, I caught a quick nce at them again, as they looked at the setting sun in admiration.

    With the sea on both sides, seeing the sunset at the horizon definitely was a rare sight. I''m sure that''ll be a great memory for them. And after they walked a few steps, they looked to the west like I had before. The man moved over to tightly embrace the woman''s shoulders, as they looked at each other, and¡ªI realized I was staring too much and frantically averted my gaze.

    It''s not very polite to stare like that. Eventually, the two of them separated and walked further down the bridge, causing me to sigh in relief. They didn''t even seem to care that I was there. It made me realize that I hade a long way from Japan. Is this because we''re overseas? Or because the two of them were so absorbed with each other? Maybe my sense of values is just old-fashioned?

    "How nice."

    I realized what I''d just said and quickly covered my mouth in shock. And I looked around frantically to see if anybody heard me. A bnce between desires and reason¡ªno matter the time and period, it almost always ended up as two parallel lines.

    Shirakawa no kiyoki ni gyo mo sumike

    Moto no nigori no Tanuma koishiki1

    I remembered a bit of superficial knowledge I had picked up during Japanese history ss. When I think of people like that doing as they please in front of others, I''m also reminded that humans are animals too and that it''s their instinct. Compared to that, I''m still hesitant when ites to Asamura-kun. I''m afraid that I''m too forward with my desires¡­ No, that''s not it. I''m scared of simply revealing what my own desires really are. Even though we said how important it was to adjust to each other.

    And for that to be possible, I need to openly reveal my hand from the very start. It''s okay if other people start to dislike me. I have to reveal my own desires. Whates after¡­ I''ll worry about thatter. I''m getting ahead of myself. I clenched my phone and walked down the bridge. Upon reaching the beach, I made sure I still had a wifi connection.

    ''I''m waiting on the suspension bridge at Pwan Beach. Pleasee.''

    I made our meeting spot as obvious as possible. But instead of simply saying ''I''ll wait here,'' I decided to be more assertive and asked him toe. Right afterward, I got a read notification on my message.

    ''Sorry for making you wait. I''m on my way right now.''

    ¡­What? I quickly raised my head, but I couldn''t see him in the distance. Right now¡­ When will that be? Worried, I rushed back to the suspension bridge. I could see my shadow from the sun as it slowly disappeared behind the horizon. It felt like the darkness of night was slowly creeping up on me. Agitation and narrow-mindedness were part of it.

    Then, the suspension bridge shook slightly. Footsteps were approaching. I looked away from the setting sun and turned around. I spotted a boy running towards me, gasping for air, and my chest tightened. I could tell who it was just by his silhouette alone. Breathing heavily, drenched in sweat, Asamura-kun ran towards me and spoke up.

    "Sorry¡­ It took me so long¡­"

    Seeing him filled me with relief, and all the anxiety and worries filling me were blown away. What happened that caused him to take this long? Why did he end up getting here thiste? There were countless questions filling my head even though I knew Asamura-kun must have had a valid reason for it to be this way. Logic dictated this thought. However, I realized that just holding back all the time will leave things not conveyed. I can''t just erase the agitation and narrow-mindedness that just filled me. And all these feelings¡­ my father just med Mom for. He shed with her, threw tantrums at her, and put her down. And that''s how everything ended.

    "I waited a long time," I said, and Asamura-kun''s expression grew stiff in regret.

    I could see my mother''s facial expression from all those years ago in his. That''s why I continued.

    "You came for me, so¡­" I told him and remembered that there was something even more important that I needed to say.

    I walked up to him and embraced him with both my arms.

    "I''m happy that we get to see each other."

    And just as the setting sun''s color melted into the sky above us, our silhouettes turned into one.

 Chapter 94 - 10 - February 19th (Fri) â€“ Field Trip Day 3 â€“ Asamura Yuuta

    <h4>Chapter 94: Chapter 10 - February 19th (Fri) ¨C Field Trip Day 3 ¨C Asamura Yuuta</h4>

    I knew Maru and Yoshida were quick to get up after what had happened yesterday. And the fact that they''d immediately embark on their adventure, too. Though that only involved going to the convenience store here on the hotel grounds. I knew I''d be left alone in the room, which was why I set an rm¡ªAnd yet it didn''t ring. When my eyes opened, I nced at the clock on the table¡­ and realized it was 7 am. But when I realized that it was time for breakfast, I panicked.

    Already 7 am?! My head still felt a bit drowsy as I frantically looked for my phone. And because the curtains were closed, probably something the other two did to not wake me up, the room was dark, and even as I ran my hand along the table where I thought I ced my phone, I couldn''t find it. Weird. I turned on the lights in the room and eventually found my phone on the ground together with my charger.

    Maybe I happened to push it off in my sleep, or maybe an earthquake moved it while I was¡­ No, there shouldn''t be many earthquakes in Singapore. That means it must have been an ident. I tried to turn on the screen, but it remained ck. I''m guessing I didn''t charge it and I now had a solid 0% battery. I started panicking even more. That means that, even if I get a message or something like that, I won''t see it. And if Ayase-san responded, then I had no idea either¡ªOkay, calm down. I connected my phone to the charger and waited for it to boot. A familiar logo appeared on the screen, and my heart skipped a beat when I saw that I had a message.

    "¡­Just Maru, huh."

    He let me know that it was time for breakfast, but that was the only message I got. Just to make sure, I checked if LINE had updated since yesterday and then left the room. Since my phone was out of juice, I had to leave it on the charger for now.

    "Yo, Asamura. Late bird today, aren''t we?"

    "My phone ran outta battery," I responded as I began working my way through the buffet.

    While eating my breakfast, I started thinking. I don''t think it''ll finish charging during this small timeframe. That being said, I can''t wait in my room until it''s fully charged. Granted, we were given pretty much free rein within our groups, but if I just stay in my room the entire time, people will think I''m sick.

    "Maru, do you think we''ve got time to stop at the convenience store after this?"

    "We''re not too stressed on time today, so should be fine. What''s wrong? Is your stomach acting up?"

    Even if it was, I really wish he wouldn''t just blurt that out.

    "I''ve got some bitter pills if you need any."

    "No, I''m fine. I need a portable charger. I was wondering if they sold one there."

    "Time won''t be an issue. There''s plenty of ways to and from Sentosa Ind, so as long as we''re notte to the meeting point, it''ll be fine."

    "Got it."

    "I have some batteries on reserve. Wanna use them?" Maru offered, but I declined.

    He''ll probably need them in an emergency.

    "By the way, where are the girls?"

    Yesterday, the six of us definitely ate breakfast together. Maru motioned with his chin and told me to look to my side. When I did, I spotted arge gathering of girls sitting at three tables joined together, holding some sort of meeting. They were from various sses, too. Not just ours alone.

    "They''re gonna walk around together?"

    "Seems like it."

    "That''s nice."

    It''s always great to have ns.

    "Well, Shinjou''s as popr as always, too."

    "Shinjou?"

    Maru''sment made me look at the group once more, and then I spotted several boys mixed in, too. In the midst of them was Shinjou from the ss next to ours. When he raised his head, his gaze met mine, and he waved at me. I did the polite thing and waved back.

    "Hold on¡­ You two know each other?" Yoshida stared at me in shock.

    "Well, somewhat."

    "Seriously, I wonder how he can just fit into a group of girls so easily. I''m jealous."

    "Really?"

    Isn''t it because they''re on good terms? Well, being part of such arge group would just be more exhausting for me.

    "Don''t give me that. Why the heck are you so rxed? You''re acting like you have a girlfriend or something!"

    "Huh? I can''t?"

    "It''s not that you can''t. That''d leave me with fewer rivals. But Asamura¡­ Why are you keeping such a calm viewpoint? Or¡­ do you actually have a girlfriend, you bastard?!"

    I panicked and shook my head several times. What''s he being so angsty about? We''re still having breakfast right now.

    "I swear¡­ All I wanted was to hang out and have fun with a girl myself¡­ But my youth is ashen-grey. I wanna run around in the world of dreams and chase after a mouse while holding hands."

    Don''t chase that poor mouse around. She did nothing wrong.

    "Hey, Maru. Can''t you draw upon your vast knowledge to tell me a good curse or two? Something that''ll make him go bald in twenty years, or that he''ll get fat. Anything goes."

    Those are very specific curses.

    "I don''t know about any curses¡­ But maybe something like Eko Eko Azarak1, Elohim Essaim2, or "I shall exact and aplish my resentment!"3 maybe? Anyway, I think you should quit it while you can."

    "Why?"

    "Think about it. You never know what could happen. What if we run into another group like yesterday? Are you just gonna curse them?"

    "That¡­ is true!"

    Yoshida''s expression lit up instantly like he felt much more at peace. I guess that worked.

    "Asamura, he''s just grumbling normie nonsense. Ignore him."

    "Really?"

    He sure seemed to resent them, though.

    "Remember: Those who freely speak their mind and desires are what you call normies. Those who live in the darkness like us don''t have the courage to speak our minds."

    Right. Somehow that makes sense, but also not really.

    "¡­The same goes for you then, Maru?"

    "Noment."

    After we finished eating our breakfast, Maru and Yoshida returned to the room and I headed to the convenience store and bought a portable charger. It works just fine and takes batteries, too. And since I bought a few of those, it should keep me steady for the rest of the day. I went back to my room and checked my phone, which had just made it past 20% charge. As I thought, I don''t see this finishing by the time we leave. And I hadn''t gotten any messages from Ayase-san, either. I imagine she''s busy this morning, too.

    Our bus was heading for Sentosa Ind right now. On the way there, I got another message from Ayase-san.

    ''Let me know when you can make some time.''

    She probably wants me to contact her when I find a chance to slip out of the group. If I had to guess, they''re probably also crossing the bridge to head to Sentosa Ind right about now. She might even be in one of the buses ahead of or behind us. Public transport like this has the free wifi, after all. She should get a response right away, right? And will she be in a state where she can look at it?

    "Asamura," Maru, who was seated next to me on the bus, suddenly called out to me, which startled me enough to make me almost drop my phone.

    "What?"

    "I did say we were free to move around today, but what are your ns?"

    "Huh? Didn''t we already decide?"

    "Oh, right. Hm, hmmm," Maru mumbled as he looked down at his phone, swiping on his screen.

    "Did you already buy your souvenirs?"

    "Huh? I was thinking of doing that tomorrow."

    Our schedule for tomorrow was pretty loose, since we just had to go home. However, we were given some extra time at the airport so we could buy souvenirs. I was thinking of buying something for my parents, but since I don''t really see any of my rtives too much, I won''t have to buy too many. Though I''ll have to buy something for my work colleagues. Such as my senior who carefully (?) looks after me.

    "Not that," Maru lowered his voice as he continued. "I mean for your sister."

    ¡­Huh? To be perfectly honest, that thought hadn''t even crossed my mind. At first, he only knew about me having a new little sister, who I thought was a lot younger. But by now he should know that this sister in question is Ayase-san.

    "Why would you buy souvenirs from the ce you both end up visiting¡­?"

    Souvenirs are to grant the other person a fragment of an experience for something they haven''t experienced. I don''t see the reason for buying any souvenirs for Ayase-san, who''s on the exact same trip to Singapore as me.

    "I guess I didn''t make myself clear enough. I''m asking if you''re gonna buy anything for her. I''m sure it''ll turn be a great memory."

    "Ah."

    That''s what he meant. I get where he''sing from. Back in middle school, you''d buy each other wooden swords or pennants or something. Thinking back on it now, I probably bought those in the heat of the moment. However, each time I look at the pennant in my room, it reminds me of my ssmates back then. And it makes me smile about how stupid we were. Memories of this trip, huh? I think that''s something we should both buy together. Or I could give it to her as a present. It sounded fun, at least.

    "Do you have any rmendations?" I asked Maru.

    "Good question. Yoshida and I are gonna head to the USS now and there''s a lot of stores inside and outside of that."

    USS referred to ''Universal Studios Singapore.'' It probably tops the list of things to see on Sentosa Ind. There are going to be a lot of students who''ll head there immediately. In fact, the girls in our group said they would be, too. Maybe Ayase-san will be there, too. If so, slipping out and meeting her should prove easy.

    Based on our current rate of travel, we should get to the ind around noon. I don''t know where she''ll be eating lunch, but it''s probably a good idea for me to finish mine before we meet. And getting a present for her would probably be best if it''s a surprise, so I won''t tell her anything until then. With all of that decided, I sent Ayase-san a message.

    ''Sorry for thete reply! I''ll make sure to slip out this afternoon, so we can meet then!''

    She immediately read my message and responded.

    ''You don''t have to force yourself to make time. Just let me know when it''s best for you.''

    After reading that, I turned towards Maru and said I''d join them on their trip to USS.

    At the entrance, I split up from Maru and Yoshida. I went to the shopping mall to grab a bite and then walked around the inside to look for a present. I wonder what Ayase-san would be happy to get. A plush toy? Some jewelry? Maybe some stylish perfume? No, that''s not it. The keyword for this time should be ''Memory.'' Namely, something that will remind her of the time we came to Singapore together (technically) when we were 17. If I bought her anything too directly rted to USS, she might just mistake it for some kind of Osaka merch. Meaning that it should also be something unique to this country¡­

    I looked around and spotted a keychain of the Merlion4. It really feels like the perfect souvenir to bring from Singapore, but¡­ it also feels no different from the pennant I got in middle school. In the end, I decided to buy two of them anyway. Better have something in case I walk around ande back empty-handed. I finished the payment and decided to make my way out to do some genuine present-hunting when my phone vibrated. When I took it out, I saw that I had a message from Maru. Not to mention a phone call. I figured it must be something urgent.

    "Yes, this is¡ª"

    Before I could even finish my sentence, Maru spoke up.

    ''Can youe back to the entrance?''

    "¡ªI can."

    I immediately stormed out of the store and rushed back through the mall.

    ''Then please do. Someone copsed from anemia.''

    "Who?"

    ''I don''t know their name. Hm?''

    Someone must be speaking to Maru.

    ''¡ªMakihara. A girl from a neighboring ss'' group. I saw a group of people and asked what happened when¡ª''

    "Got it. I don''t need the details right now. Is she okay?"

    ''Yeah. It''s nothing majo¡ª''

    Maru''s words were cut off. I looked at the phone and saw that the call had dropped. Either because Maru walked somewhere or because I ran out of range. I got the gist and that was enough. I looked up at the translucent ceiling above us. Supposedly, Singapore should be in the rainy season. However, the sky couldn''t be any bluer. And the temperature was dangerously high. It was even making my throat hurt a bit. Definitely a case of heatstroke. I looked at my phone, but no follow-up message came from Maru. After around ten minutes, I reached the ce we initially split up. I could see Maru''srge body across the gate, with the girls having worried expressions and Yoshida carrying someone on his back. That must be the girl that copsed. I went for a final jog for thest few meters, as Maru spotted me and spoke up.

    "Sorry about this, Asamura."

    "No worries. So, what''s happening?"

    "We got her to rest in a cooled room for a while. An employee came to check up on her, but she''s back with us, and she''s feeling a lot better. They just called the homeroom teacher."

    The girls nodded to that.

    "The same thing happened elsewhere, so Tsuji-sensei went there first¡­"

    ording to what I was told, Makihara-san has never been too good with hot weather. She seemed to have recovered a lot, but they decided to bring her back to the hotel.

    "I''m sorry¡­" The girl apologized with a weak voice.

    I figured out why Maru called me over here and nodded.

    "So you want me to make sure she gets back to the hotel safely?"

    One of the girls spoke up. "¡­No, we should be the ones doing that. Yuka''s part of our group, and we can''t bother you with this."

    So the problem is about who''s going with them, huh? Going back to the hotel now means that you probably won''t make it outside again. That being said, the teachers are busy elsewhere, and we can''t just make her go home by herself in her weakened state.

    "I knew you had other ns so I wanted to avoid asking you for help, but¡­"

    "I get it. You''re the group leader."

    Today, our group is at USS. Maru should stay back in case anything else happens. And it''d be a waste to force someone to leave after they paid for the tickets. Luckily, I''d only checked out the shopping mall next to the studio, so I didn''t have to pay the entrance fee. And there''s also the concern of paying for a hefty taxi fare. I understand why he called me for this.

    "Yeah¡­ Can I ask you for help here? I''ll repay youter."

    "Don''t worry about it."

    "I''ll carry her the rest of the way back. Asamura, you grab her belongings."

    "Huh? Ah, Yoshida!"

    Before I could even say anything, Yoshida walked through the ticket gate without hesitation. The one who was flustered the most was the girl he was carrying.

    "Um! I can walk, so¡­"

    "No worries, no worries. I''m well-trained for this stuff. And I left already, too. Sorry to leave you behind, Maru."

    "I don''t mind¡­ Oh, well. Asamura, here''s Yoshida''s belongings. And what stuff belongs to her?"

    One of the girls handed me the backpack which presumably belonged to her. Inside were a few bottles of water and regr household medicine. The group leader for the girls said she''d tag along, too.

    "I can carry her if it gets too tough, you know?"

    "I can handle this no problem. You should focus on getting us back home."

    "Ahhh."

    Right, English. Yoshida wasn''t too good at speaking English. Compared to him, I should at least be able tomunicate well enough. And the girls'' group leader didn''t seem too confident in her English skills, either. For starters, we searched for the taxi area, which wasn''t too far from the front ticket gate. As you''d expect from a popr tourist spot. I remembered that the taxi doors here in Singapore don''t open automatically, so I opened the door in the back first and then sat inside with the other three. As the cold air from the AC blew against my skin, I found myself sighing in relief. I heard a faint apologetic voice, followed by Yoshida trying to cheer the girl up.

    I spoke to the taxi driver and gave him directions to our hotel, and we quickly set out down the same road we initially came from. Throughout the entire taxi ride, the girl who had copsed apologized again and again, but Yoshida just said that we have to help each other in times of need. After a while, we reached the hotel. Thanks to Maru contacting the hotel beforehand, a teacher was already waiting for us and epted the girl. Understandably so, as the floor the girls stayed on was off-limits for us boys. When we separated, the girl called Makihara Yuka-san, whose face was still a bit pale, and the group leader of the girls apologized once more and thanked us. The teacher and the group leader then took the girl to her room.

    "It should''ve been fine for me to carry her to the room, at least."

    "I can smell the disappointment and ulterior motive from over here."

    "Well, I''m not gonna lie."

    "How obvious."

    "Anyway, I''m just d we got her back safely," Yoshida smiled and I nodded. "What are you gonna do now, Asamura?"

    Yoshida said that he was tired, so he wanted to take a nap. After all, he had been carrying the girl the whole time except for our taxi ride. He did a great job. But as for me¡­ I realized I''d forgotten something and took out my smartphone. I had two new messages. They were both from Ayase-san.

    ''We''re heading to Pwan Beach right now.''

    ''I''ll be waiting there, and I''ll let you know if we move.''

    Oh, crap. How many minutes has it been since then?

    "I''ve gotta go."

    "Huh?"

    "I''m going back to the ind. I''ll contact youter, so let Maru know!"

    "¡­What? Hey, Asamura?!"

    I heard Yoshida call after me, but I just sprinted out of the hotel.

    I opened my map app and checked to find the shortest route to Pwan Beach. Walking the whole way would take me two hours and ten minutes¡ªThat''s out of the question. Using the underground railroad and monorail¡­ Would also be an hour.

    "Getting a taxi would be fastest, no?"

    I looked it up, and it said it would take me around thirty minutes. So when I left the hotel, I hailed the next taxi I saw, asking them to bring me to Pwan Beach on Sentosa Ind. I don''t know where exactly she was waiting, but this was probably my best shot. Thankfully, I hadn''t bought a present for Ayase-san yet, so I had enough money leftover for¡ªAh. I''d only bought the keychain! I grit my teeth in regret and gave up on the present.

    What''s more important right now is that Ayase-san was waiting for me. While ring down at my phone, I periodically nced out of the window. No wifi, after all¡­ Ever since Ayase-san sent me the message that she''s at Pwan Beach, I haven''t gotten any update. Maybe she''s still there, or maybe she''s moved already? I don''t know, but I had to hurry.

    Time felt like it was passing much quicker than usual, but the car felt so slow. Was the bridge to Sentosa Ind this long before? Finally, we got on the ind, and I could see the USS to my right as the taxi kept driving. Then, the driver suddenly asked me something. I tried to trante his words directly, just as Ayase-san would. I didn''t think that our practice would pay off here. If I had to guess, he wanted to ask where to drop me off at the beach¡­probably.

    ''Drive until you can see the beach.''

    ''We already can.''

    Huh? I looked where the driver pointed. To the left and right, I could see the blue sky a bit ahead of us, and the color of where it hit the ground slowly started to grow thicker. It''s the sea.

    ''Then right down this road. Until you can see it.''

    The driver nodded. Slowly but steadily, the sea in sight grew bigger. We reached the terminal and I was let off the taxi. After paying the fee, I stood on the pedestrian walkway. Not knowing where to go, I checked my phone and saw that I had wifi. Which was good, but no more messages hade in since.

    For starters, I opted to exin to Maru where I was heading. He probably didn''t know that I came back to the ind. And since he didn''t know I was off to meet Ayase-san, he might start worrying about me. While I fought my desire to just start running around randomly, I finished telling him and then checked Ayase-san''s messages. If she had moved already, then I had to catch up to her once more. But at that moment, a new message popped up.

    ''I''m waiting on the suspension bridge at Pwan Beach. Pleasee.''

    I panicked and responded.

    ''Sorry to make you wait. I''m on my way right now.''

    And then I started running. A single Japanese high school boy was frantically running along the street towards the sea, wanting to meet a fellow ssmate; If people saw this, I wonder what thoughts would fill their minds? I just felt bad that this might negatively impact the good name of Suisei High. The phone in my pocket vibrated and I took it out while I kept running. It was from Maru. Yoshida probably let him know. He just wrote me a single line.

    ''All people in rtionships do this, so don''t worry. In fact, sorry for asking you for help.''

    He mentioned a rtionship, which caused me to gasp for a moment, but I didn''t have time to ask Maru for an exnation. I just stuffed the phone back into my pocket and kept running. I remembered Ayase-san''s message. She directly asked me toe. I''ve never seen her be this direct about a request before. When I thought of how she must have felt when sending this message, I couldn''t stop running.

    All couples do this¡ªI don''t know if that''s true. But at the very least, I can''t make Ayase-san feel this lonely and sad just to try to look cool. I kept running towards Pwan Beach, and the closer I got, the more people I could see. Each time I passed the locals, other tourists, or even couples, they turned around to look at me. I could feel their gazes as I passed them by. But all of that didn''t matter. Maybe some of the people I passed could have been my ssmates¡­ But so what? Let them have their doubts. I don''t care if our rtionship gets found out. What matters the most¡ªis that I made a promise to Saki.

    Since the temperature had cooled down a bit, I managed to run all the way there. When I reached the beach, the sun had already started setting beneath the western horizon. So where is the suspension bridge? I looked left and right and spotted a narrow line that connected the main ind to a smaller one in the distance, barely hanging above the water. As I made my way closer, I could tell that it was less of a line and actually a suspension bridge, and I saw a familiar girl''s silhouette standing in the dead center of it.

    The vicinity of the bridge was covered by trees, which covered up the bridge for a brief moment. Some tourists had gathered in front of these, but none of them tried to cross the bridge. Only the employee standing next to a billboard marking the starting point of the bridge remained. They greeted me and asked me to be careful¡­ I think. I gave them my thanks and continued further. Finally, I stood at the start of the bridge.

    The girl who stood in the center, watching the setting sun, now turned towards me. Her short but bright-colored hair shone brightly against the green of the small ind behind her. She was looking at me, and our gazes met. I wanted to run to her side, but when I stepped on the bridge, I could feel the shock and vibration. I didn''t want to scare her off, but I also couldn''t take it slow, either. With each rhythmic step, I could feel the faint vibration beneath my soles as the bridge shook. Saki''s facial expression changed from surprise to joy in a moment, only for her to look away. And then I reached her.

    "Sorry¡­ It took me so long¡­" I said between breaths.

    She raised her head and looked at me.

    "I waited a long time," she said as she looked at me with her eyes shing.

    She''s angry. I get it. The eyes speak more than the mouth does, as they say. No trantion software in the world could have conveyed her emotions more urately than what I could perceive right now. Narasaka-san was right, after all. Even back then, her expressions spoke for themselves. Much more than any words could. However, her angered gaze immediately disappeared as she averted her gaze once again.

    "It''s not fair of me to just force all my feelings on you, huh?"

    "No, I''m happy you''re being honest with me," I said and approached her.

    I could see her small shoulders quivering slightly, allowing me to directly feel how lonely she must have been.

    "Sorry," I whispered as I ced my hands on her shoulders, and she shook her head.

    "You came for me, so¡­" She said as she also walked a step toward me¡ªwrapping her arms around my back. "I''m happy that we get to see each other."

    She buried her face in my chest, making it impossible for me to know what expression she was making. I also embraced her and pulled her closer. She raised her head, looking up at me from only a small distance apart. We nodded, and then stopped thinking. Other than her earring glowing a faint red from the setting sun, I don''t remember a thing. I simply focused on our lips ovepping as we shared a long kiss.

 Chapter 95 - 11 - February 20th (Sat) â€“ Field Trip Day 4 (Final Day) â€“ Asamura Yuuta

    <h4>Chapter 95: Chapter 11 - February 20th (Sat) ¨C Field Trip Day 4 (Final Day) ¨C Asamura Yuuta</h4>

    Rain was pouring endlessly at Changi Airport today, like it was some kind of payback for the clear weather we had over the past few days. The sky was now filled with grey clouds, and silver droplets of water fell to the ground. That being said, this won''t have any influence on our flight, so we simply underwent the same procedures when we first departed in Japan and started making our way from the waiting area. After passing through the gate, we then boarded the ne.

    I''m sure it''s a coincidence that I had the same seat as on the way here, but when I gazed out of the window, the view was entirely different. Or rather, I couldn''t even see the sky. The raindrops just hammered against the window, and everything beyond the window looked blurry. I was counting the drops I could see and leaning against the seat when a voice spoke up from next to me.

    "You seem pretty chill today, eh?"

    "I feel like I could pass on smoothly even if we fell to our deaths."

    "Stop lying."

    "Too obvious, huh?"

    "I would rather bet on the fact that the devil himself would tell you to go home."

    "So you''ve already decided that I''ll end up in hell?"

    "If Yoshida knew about this, he''d definitely say that," Maru said and nced to his side.

    Just as when we arrived on our first day of the field trip, we sat in rows of four, starting with me next to the window, followed by Maru and Yoshida. Thetter was currently busy talking to his female neighbor¡ª

    "So you say, but he seems pretty fulfilled if you ask me?" I whispered back to Maru.

    The reason for that was pretty simple.

    "They even exchanged LINE IDs," Maru said.

    He did work hard, so I think the reward is more than deserved.

    "But then why are youshing out at me like this?"

    "Now listen here. Should I tell you the line of the owner of the inn from the world''s most famous game?"

    "And what would that be?"

    "Thou hadst a good night''s sleep I1¡ª"

    "I didn''te back thatte, okay?!"

    I think I must have said that a bit louder than I thought because even Yoshida and the people around us turned to look at me. What a regrettable picture he painted for me. I wish he didn''t poison my mind like that. All we did after that was watch the sunset together in silence and then head back to the hotel together. And with the way he phrased that, he must have realized what kind of rtionship Ayase-san and I have. He even used the word ''rtionship'' in his message to me earlier. And he wasn''t done yet. He narrowed his eyes as I cleared my throat.

    "So, what happened?"

    ¡­I figured things would go down this path. Then again, with so many people around us, it''s not anything I could dere loudly and with confidence. That''s why I kept it as vague as possible.

    "Well¡­ everything worked out."

    "I know that."

    Maru''sment caused me to nod in resignation, but it started me thinking about how he even knew that. I never once had mentioned that I went to see Ayase-san. How does he know? It can''t be from Ayase-san herself.

    "Can I ask how you found out?"

    "I sadly cannot tell you any personal information about my client."

    "What kind of detective bureau are you working at?"

    "Anyway, I''m just happy everything worked out. Are you finally willing to admit that much?"

    "Well¡­"

    On the way home, Ayase-san and I discussed a few things. She apologized for making the blunder of letting Narasaka-san find out about our rtionship, but I just mentioned that Maru was probably not in the dark anymore, so we were both equally clumsy. And then we decided that we''d stop trying to force things to stay hidden. Our rtionship may not be something we can unt in public, but it''s not something we should have to sacrifice our desires for to hide.

    Our rtionship as siblings and lovers might be met with a gaze of contempt by the other couples in this world. Even so, we''ve both walked this path to the point that we don''t want to turn around anymore. The warmth we felt while embracing each other on that bridge is something we both came to cherish.

    "I''ve gotta step in where it''s necessary, right?"

    "You''re not some kind of prophet¡­ I didn''t think things would end up this way."

    "Really? Well¡­ everything you''ve warmed up will probably cool down a bit when entrance exams roll around the corner."

    He made it sound like that''s why he gave me a push. It feels like I was just a pawn in a y directed by Suisei High''s top catcher in the baseball club. Though I hadn''t been aware of that in the slightest.

    "I''m sure you''re aware, but try not to overdo it. You''ll be examinees starting next April."

    And now he''s telling me not to overdo it¡­ Just what does he think Ayase-san and I are up to?

    "You''re not my mother."

    "My good friend, you might seem rational now, but that''s because your past experiences have caused you to pump the brakes when necessary. Don''t speed up too much now."

    "Yeah, yeah."

    "Hey, what were you guys talking about?" Yoshida turned towards us.

    "That I helped Asamura with his entrance exam studies."

    "Ack, you''re worried about that already?!"

    "Yoshida¡­ You''re aware that all of us will be examinees in a bit more than a month, yeah?" Maru said, and Yoshida groaned.

    "I don''t wanna think about that!"

    "Time doesn''t stop for anybody."

    And now he went for a job change from prophet to sage. The machine we were in rattled briefly, elerating down the runway. The lines of water became more and more horizontal. By the time I felt myself getting pressed against the seat, we had already leaned backward, and we stormed upwards through a ck cloud. The ne shook a lot more than it did on our trip here, and the signs for the seatbelts didn''t turn off.

    "I really wanted to remember the final moments before we left this ce behind us¡­" Maru said with a regrettable tone, and Yoshida answered without a worry in the world.

    "You can juste again, right?"

    Upon hearing that, I agreed. We can alwayse again. Ayase-san and I¡­ together. And once the ne made it through the ck cloud, we were greeted with an endless blue sky. The sign for the seat belts was turned off, too. Right below us, you could still barely see the shoreline of Singapore. And during the entire flight back, I didn''t even sleep a minute. I was finally able to enjoy the famous ne food I had heard so much about.

    By the time we reached Japan, the sun had already begun to set. After the whole school year split up at the airport, Ayase-san and I waited for our train and boarded it. Compared to when we headed off a few days ago, it was a lot more crowded, but since this was the first stop, we easily found a ce to sit. With a strong shaking sensation, the train began moving. As you''d expect, we were both exhausted. We were mostly just yawning, and no proper conversation came up.

    After a brief silence, I realized that a bit of weight was on my shoulder. When I looked to my side, I saw Ayase-san breathing gently as she slept. I''ve seen her doze off a few times from a distance, but I think this might be the first time I''ve gotten to see her sleeping face from up close. The scent of her hair drifted up to my nose. And her eyshes are so long¡­ All these little things caught my attention.

    Along with her faint breathing, her chest slowly moved up and down. I could almost feel her pulse being transmitted toward me, which made my own heart rate spike. When I became aware of this, I grew worried that Ayase-san might be able to feel it, too. Oh yeah, when we visited my family, we slept in the same room, but even then, I didn''t get to see her sleeping face. Right now, it looks so defenseless. And realizing how much closer we''d gotten made me feel warm and happy inside.

    ¡ªBut that''s because your past experiences have caused you to pump the brakes when necessary.

    Maru''s words came back to mind. Brakes, huh? Did I open up my heart to her just as much as she did to me? Maybe I should try to bring us to an equal level? After all, relying on others in times like these is very important. Each rattle of the train fused together to create a pleasant rhythm as my body was gently shaken left and right. Though I bet it''d be a lot more pleasant if it remained calm altogether.

 Chapter 96 - 12 - February 20th (Sat) â€“ Field Day Day 4 (Final Day) â€“ Ayase Saki

    <h4>Chapter 96: Chapter 12 - February 20th (Sat) ¨C Field Day Day 4 (Final Day) ¨C Ayase Saki</h4>

    All that was left on the agenda was to head back. I finished buying myst souvenirs at the airport, and while waiting to get all the checks done, I opened up my YouTube app. When I typed in ''Melissa Woo,'' I immediately found a channel, and I could see her in the thumbnail. She has 837 subscribers¡ªor 838 now thanks to me. But I had no idea if that was a lot or not, honestly. I usually don''t go out of my way to subscribe to channels. All I know is that there are 800+ people in the world listening to her songs.

    That''s more than the 3rd-year students we have at Suisei High. Compared to that, I get nervous just singing in front of a few people at karaoke. And she didn''t have any problems even singing on that huge stage at that restaurant. I decided to watch one of her videos. Looking at the upload dates, she usually puts out a new song every three months. I listened to a few, but each one was sung with such passion. Contrary to her personality and demeanor, she seemed extremely diligent when it came to music. The newest song of hers was uploaded just two days ago, probably right after she had parted ways with me. Even though she''d said she was leaving to watch somete-night anime.

    Through meeting her, I learned how important it was to find a ce that gave me absolute peace and relief. Where I could open up about everything. And for that, I added ament on the video, saying "I could listen to this forever. Thank you for giving me courage," in English. Keeping it vague about the things I left behind and the things I took with me. I wonder if she''ll realize it''s me. My username is ''saki,'' but it''s fine if she doesn''t.

    "Sakiii! We''re gonna move!"

    Maaya''s voice made me raise my head. She was seated in a row of other ssmates, jumping up and down as she waved her hand at me. I showed a wry smile, but, oddly enough, didn''t feel too embarrassed¡ªOkay, maybe a bit. She didn''t have to go that far. I was still gonna be careful of my surroundings.

    At Narita Airport, everybody went their separate ways home. I contacted Asamura-kun and decided on a ce to meet up. We got on the train and sat down next to each other. We then told each other about our trip. What was fun, what was stressful¡­ and how beautiful the setting sun was that we watched together at the suspension bridge. As that sun set, it illuminated the horizon to create a beautiful white shine, coloring the blue sea a deep violet. And as the color of the sea changed, we gazed at it, warm in each other''s arms.

    But since we were both tired from our trip, we began talking less, and I couldn''t tell what he even said anymore at some point. With the air conditioner creating a cozy temperature inside the train, I began spacing out and became drowsier and drowsier. My left shoulder leaned against his right shoulder, allowing me to feel his warmth. And all this felt soforting that I couldn''t fight my sleepiness¡ªuntil I was gently shaken and woken up.

    "We''re here."

    "Ah, sorry."

    I panicked a bit and grabbed my suitcase, only to almost fall over. If Asamura-kun hadn''t supported me, I may havended face-first in front of the door. My face was beet red as I pulled my suitcase after me. What a blunder. And I even slept while leaning against his shoulder the entire time.

    By the time we stepped out of the ticket gate at Shibuya station, the sky had turned dark. On this ordinary Saturday, the train station and vicinity were filled with people everywhere. A lot of people must be heading out to have fun right now. And while we tried our best to avoid them, Asamura-kun and I walked our familiar path home.

    During that time, I remembered once again that I slept next to him without a care in the world, and I felt the blood rush to my head. I felt awfully sweaty all of a sudden. When we had to switch trains and he woke me up, he must have seen my sleeping face. And I think I even had some drool stuck to the side of my mouth then. I don''t think he''d stare at me, but I also didn''t think I would be this careless¡­ I can''t even look at him anymore. Then again, we were heading back to the same home, so that much is probably impossible.

    "We''re home, huh?"

    "Sure are. I''m tired, but it was fun."

    "You''re right."

    We looked at each other and smiled. We really came home¡­ to the ce we spend our days. Together, we stepped through the entrance. Stepdad should be off work today, and Mom''s work hasn''t started yet, so they''ll both wee us home. They''ll greet us and wee us back as we return. Over the past few days we were gone, Asamura-kun and I have gotten a lot closer. We were close enough to stand next to each other, but even that small gap has vanished. Because we''ve decided that we''ll be as we want to be.

    "We''re home, Mom, Dad."

    We spoke up at the same time, and the Merlion keychains dangling down from our suitcases shook in unison as we did so.

 Chapter 97: Message From Translator

    <h4>Chapter 97: Message From Trantor</h4>

    Gimai Seikatsu Volume 8

    ©¤©¤©¤

    Author: Mikawa Ghost

    Cover, Illustrations: Hiten

    Fan trantion by Fungus Trantions. Not for resale.

    Trantor: Fungus

    uracy checking: Yuko and Crizy

    Proofreaders: 14ftdude, Reki, KP and hmmmmm

    EPUB: hmmmmm

    If you have downloaded this fan trantion please support the author by purchasing the original Japanese light novel, or if and when an officially licensed version of this volume bes avable.

 Chapter 98: Prologue â€“ Asamura Yuuta

    <h4>Chapter 98: Prologue ¨C Asamura Yuuta</h4>

    The cherry blossom avenue was nowpletely covered in leaves.

    As I walked along the narrow street that served as my school route and up the gently winding slope, I could see Suisei High peeking up from beyond the hill.

    I nced at my watch¡ªstill plenty of time to make it to the gymnasium before the opening ceremony kicked off. Late or not, I picked up my pace and hurried to the school entrance.

    My ss would change today, so the first thing I needed to do was check which one I''dnded in. A little ahead of the shoe lockers, students crowded around arge piece of paper stuck to the wall, which listed the names of students in ss order.

    As someone who had hardly any close friends at school, or rather, especially at school, it was a little nerve-wracking. Up until our second year, Maru had been in the same ss as me, so it was rtively easy to feelfortable in ss.

    I wouldn''t say I''m particrly bothered about feeling lonely, but as a student, there are lots of times where group work is required, and knowing that there''s someone there that has your back makes life a whole lot easier at times like that. So, to say that I shoulde out of my shell a bit and be more friendly with my ssmates day-to-day would be a reasonable argument. But then again, sometimes I feel like investing too much energy into rtionships isn''t worth it.

    Well, I do think having a few friends to fall back on during exam season is rather convenient. On the flip side, though, I''m probably just overthinking it all way too much, and Maru would say something sarcastic like, "Your tolerance for loneliness is too damn high."

    As the crowd thinned out a little, I slipped into the flock of students and carefully scanned the ss roster for my name, starting from the beginning. Since our names were listed in alphabetical order, having "Asamura" as myst name was pretty convenient at times like these. Just by following the list from the top, I was bound to find my name quickly.

    Let''s see¡­ not in ss 1. Not in ss 2. Not in ss 3, either. I slid my gaze further to the right, and¡ª

    Hm?

    A golden light danced at the edge of my vision. I instinctively turned to face it and saw a girl with slightly longer bright-colored hair standing to my right. She was frowning slightly, staring intently at the ss roster.

    Ayase Saki.

    A third-year student at Suisei High¡ªand my Stepsister.

    My old man and her mother got marriedst June, and we became step-siblings.

    I found myself staring at her for a while. Ayase-san''s hair, which used to be cut short, had grown to almost the same length as it was when we first met. She had the same hairstyle and the same appearance... but the impression I get from her now is a far cry from what it was back then. By "different", I don''t mean her looks¨Cnot her shy hair color, nor her natural-looking makeup subtle enough not to break any school rules. No, it was her facial expression. Ayase-san hated having her picture taken because she thought her eyes looked intimidating, but it wasn''t because of how her face naturally looked. It was probably because she was always tensed up around others, and that tension showed mostly in her face.

    My impression of her had changed enough to understand the reason behind this change.

    When we first met, she gave off the vibe of a wild animal, always on guard and ready to bite at anything that tried to hurt her¡ªthough she''d probably get angry if I said as much to her face. But now, I get why Ayase-san referred to her makeup and clothes as "armaments." I think her wariness stemmed from her distrust in her biological father, who divorced her mother. I, too, had bitter feelings towards one of my biological parents, my mother, who had divorced my old man; so, I could kinda understand where she wasing from. Or maybe it was because we''d been living under the same roof for so long and I''d graduallye to understand her better.

    "Asamura-kun."

    Suddenly, she turned towards me and spoke.

    "Oh, Ayase-san."

    "Hm? Sorry, did I surprise you?"

    "Nah, not really."

    She wasn''t entirely wrong¡ªI was a little surprised as we don''t usually have overly friendly conversations when we''re at school. Also, I felt a little awkward with myself because I''d been staring at her for quite a while.

    "We''re in the same ss this year. Let''s get along."

    "Huh? ...Huh?"

    I turned back to the ss roster. I had checked up to ss 3. So, that means¡­ ss 4. Figures. ¡ºAsamura Yuuta¡» was printed at the top, right next to¡ºAyase Saki.¡»

    "Oh. You''re right."

    "Seriously? Wait, don''t tell me you didn''t want to be in the same ss as me", Ayase-san grumbled, sounding a little peeved.

    I rushed to exin, "No, no, it''s not like that. I just assumed they didn''t usually put family members in the same ss."

    I didn''t know if there was actually a rule like that, but the school knew that Ayase-san and I were family now. I just assumed that they would separate us into different sses.

    "That isn''t actually a rule, is it?"

    Now that she mentioned it, I wasn''t so sure anymore.

    Sifting through my memories, I remembered that there were twins and cousins in my junior high who had been put together in the same ss. It seemed like a challenge just to bnce the students'' based on their academic abilities and personalities in each ss, let alone having to consider their rtionships and friendships on top of that as well.

    "Now that you mention it, I don''t think it is."

    "Anyways, looks like I''m not in the same ss as Maaya anymore."

    "Oh, really?"

    "Same goes for you, right?"

    "Huh?"

    I turned to look at the ss roster again. Hmm, let''s see... Ah, Maru isn''t there. I scanned it again and spotted Maru''s name listed under ss 3.

    "Maaya''s in ss 3."

    "So that means Maru''s with her, I guess."

    With those two together, it was bound to be a formidable ss. I don''t know in what way, but still.

    "Since our sses are next to each other, we''ll probably have PE together. But in the third year, there''ll be more sses separated by career paths, so it probably doesn''t matter as much that we''re not all in the same ss."

    Since the sses we chose varied based on whether we wanted to take science or humanities, or whether we were aiming for a national or private university or not, we''d be separated into different ssrooms more often than before.

    "Maaya wants to study science."

    "Huh?"

    Isn''t that a bit surprising? Come to think of it, I''m pretty sure Maru was aiming for a science-rted field too. Those two might be more alike than I thought.

    "She said her dream is to be a mad scientist[1]."

    [1: Reference from anime Steins Gate]

    "Isn''t that from some anime...?"

    "Is it? Maybe it was just one of her jokes."

    "Maybe."

    We both tilted our heads, not really getting it.

    "Well, anyway. Let''s have a good year together, Asamura-kun."

    "Likewise, Ayase-san."

    At any rate, we''ll be spending a year together in the same ssroom at the same school from now on. Simply put, I was pretty chuffed.

    As we walked side by side to the opening ceremony, we talked about stuff like that.

    There was no one around us anymore. Everyone had already hurried to the gymnasium. That''s why we could walk slowly and talk like this.

    "So, what should we do?" Ayase-san asked.

    "You mean at school?"

    We hadn''t made it public that we were step-siblings as of yet. We didn''t want to attract unnecessary attention or be the topic of weird conversations.

    I chose my words carefully, "To be honest, I reckon it''s fine to keep things the way they''ve been. For instance, we should be able to walk around and chat about things such as how we ended up in the same ss, like we''re doing now."

    I suppose it''s normal for students to do things like that.

    Ayase-san chuckled.

    "So pretty much just act like regr ssmates, right?"

    "Right. It wouldn''t be normal to go out of our way to avoid talking."

    "I understand," Ayase-san said, nodding.

    But still¡ª

    Considering Ayase-san''s personality, she probably won''t be able to talk as easily with me at school as she does at home. And since Maru isn''t going to be in the same ss as me anymore, it''s practically a given that there''ll be more times where I won''t talk to anyone at school.

 Chapter 99: April 19th (Monday) â€“ Asamura Yuuta

    <h4>Chapter 99: April 19th (Monday) ¨C Asamura Yuuta</h4>

    Cherry blossom petals no longer lined the gutters, and the city has been decorated with vibrant shades of green. This was a sight I saw every year¡ªpink petals discarded by the trees that gave them life, and the scenery changing aste spring took hold. It was always the same.

    But for us high school students, not everything stayed the same. Moving up a grade was a significant change for us. The sets of stairs we climbed to reach our ssroom increased by one. Looking out the window from our new vantage point, we could see the rows of trees lined up outside, and our view of the school grounds extended further than before. These small differences were enough to make us feel one more step closer to adulthood than the year before.

    The same went for the view inside the ssroom, too. Among the rows of neatly shuffled students, one-sixth of the familiar faces from the year before were gone, reced by fresh ones. Naturally, that meant the atmosphere in the ssroom changed as well, and it took a bit of getting used to.

    I reached into my bag to take out my textbook and began getting ready for the first ss. While I was at it, I also grabbed my notebook and a mechanical pencil to jot down my notes.

    Now that we were in the same ss, Ayase-san''s seat was two rows in front and one to the right of mine. I could barely make out her bright-colored hair among the nearby group of girls. I''ve kept my promise to Ayase-san and haven''t spoken to her much at school. Well, it''s not like I get that many chances to naturally talk with girls, anyway.

    The girls were chatting away energetically in a circle, even though they only had ten minutes after homeroom ended before ss started. I have no idea how they have so much to talk about.

    Ayase-san seemed to be mingling with the group pretty well, participating in their conversations normally while not looking like an outsider. She seemed to have taken the changes brought about by the ss reshuffle in her stride.

    It was theplete opposite for me. Come to think of it, when I was with Maru for PE yesterday, he said, "Yo, Asamura, I''m worried about you. You eating lunch alone?" I told him that I really didn''t mind that much and that he shouldn''t worry about it¡ª

    But then it hit me. It was already the 19th today. April was almost over. If I don''t get closer to my new ssmates soon, I won''t have that many chances left before Golden Week, which is only in 10 days.

    "Golden Week ising up pretty soon, huh? It kinda sucks that we''ve just gotten to know each other, but we won''t be able to see each other for a while," I overheard a girl from the group say.

    It was exactly what I''d just been thinking, so I couldn''t help eavesdropping. The girl who said it looked disappointed, standing there with her shoulders slumped. The other girls around her were patting her on the back and stroking her head.

    "Aww, you''re so cute, Ryou-chan! I''ll be lonely too!"

    There was a chorus of agreement, and one of them followed up with a suggestion to go to karaoke together.

    "Hey, Ayase-san, do you have any ns for Golden Week?"

    My heart skipped a beat as I heard the name that came out of Ryou-chan''s mouth.

    Buried in the gaggle of girls, Ayase-san said, "I''m probably just going to study for the mock exams."

    "You''re pretty serious, huh?"

    "You think so?"

    "Uh-huh. Sorry if this sounds rude, but I get the feeling you''re a really serious person when I talk to you. I mean, we''re all taking entrance exams, but still, there''s only one Golden Week this year, y''know?"

    "There''s only one Golden Week no matter what year it is."

    "B-but, Ayase-san, spending all your time studying sounds boring. Don''t you wanna do other things?"

    "Other things¡­? Like what?"

    "Like doing stuff with your boyfriend, for example¡­ ahem ahem," Ryou-chan cut herself short with a cough. I find it odd that she was embarrassed by her own suggestion; I can''t really get a good read on her.

    ¨COops, I''m definitely eavesdropping, aren''t I?

    "Hey, boys! No eavesdropping!" One of the girls, our ss representative, shouted.

    All the boys turned their faces away in unison. Also being one of them, I felt the shock deep down in my heart. But one cocky boy wouldn''t stand for it, shouting, "Hey, I''m not eavesdropping! I can just hear you, is all!"

    Is he still in elementary school?

    "Are you still in elementary school?!"

    Laughter spread across the ssroom, as ss Rep pretty much said what we were all thinking¨Ceven the boys pretending not to listen were getting in on it. Looking around, everyone had half-amused, half-serious smiles on their faces. Heh, looks like I joined a good ss, feeling the warmth spread through my chest.

    "Anyway, what do you mean by ''doing stuff''? What are we actually meant to do?"

    "Oh? Ayase-san, you have a boyfriend?"

    "...That''s not what I meant. Um, I mean, just doing things with boys in general."

    "So it means you are interested."

    ss Rep grinned, as if she''d hit a bullseye.

    "Nah, not in particr¡­"

    "Well, you could go on dates?"

    "Dates¡­?"

    "Y''know, like eating together, watching movies, hanging out at home, or making dinner with him¡ªstuff like that."

    "I see. Um, is that all?"

    "Well, yeah¡­ but are you saying you wanna do more than that, Ayase-san?"

    ¨CMurmurs immediately rose from the other students.

    Ayase-san''s lips moved as she tried to say "No, that''s not it." ¨C but just before she could, the first-period bell rang and the ssroom door swung open with a sharp snap. Our Modern Japanese Literature teacher strolled in. The noise and chatter in the room gradually died down.

    As I looked at Ayase-san''s back, I ruminated on the conversation. Eating, watching movies, and cooking together at home, was it? We''ve already done all that. Ayase-san''s response was something like, "Is that all?" But that didn''t mean she actually wanted to do more, right? Anyway, this wasn''t something I should be thinking about so early during the first period.

    I stole a nce at Ayase-san''s face. Our eyes met. She looked a little uneasy, and she looked away quickly to face the ckboard.

    Lately, Ayase-san and I have been making eye contact more often in ss. I don''t know if it was just by chance, or if it was because I unconsciously followed her with my eyes. Maybe it was because I''d been watching her so much that she caught me staring when she looked over, and we ended up locking eyes¡­

    "...mura-kun."

    And because I daydreamed about stuff like that I sometimes lost concentration.

    "Asamura-kun¡­ Asa-mu-ra-kun!"

    "Y-yes!"

    I didn''t even notice the teacher calling my name. That was a dead giveaway for how little I was paying attention.

    "Continue reading from where we left off."

    Textbook in hand, I hastily stood up and began reading to the ss as instructed.

    "...That''s enough for now," the teacher said, and I breathed a sigh of relief as I sat back down.

    While the verse was short, literature from the Meiji period was still difficult for us modern-day students to read. I traced the verse I''d just read to the ss with my eyes.

    ¡ºTruly, I who now return to the East, am not the same as the one who set forth upon his journey to the West in the past.¡»[1]

    [1: A famous phrase in Japanese culture and is often used to express the transformative power of travel and the passage of time. Its author is unknown.]

    Not the same as your past self, huh?

    "Next up is Ayase-san."

    "Yes."

    A well-spoken voice caught my ear, and I looked up. Ayase-san, standing at her desk to my right, began reading from the textbook. Her soothing voice calmly reciting the old-fashioned text slowly drifted through the ssroom and into my ears. She''s really good at reading Japanese literature, isn''t she?

    It''s been almost a year since our parents remarried and we started living together, yet I still discovered new and surprising sides of my Stepsister. Each and every time I find myself impressed by her.

    "That''s enough. Well done."

    "Thank you very much."

    Our Modern Japanese Literature teacher was the type to praise even the smallest things, like knowing a difficult idiom.

    ss Rep, seated next to Ayase-san, tapped her on the shoulder as she sat back down.

    "You have a really nice voice, Ayase-san."

    Ayase-san returned ss Rep''s smile with a small one of her own. I wonder if Ayase-san from a year ago would have smiled back like that. She probably would''ve just said "Thank you" in an aloof voice without changing her expression at all.

    I couldn''t pinpoint exactly when, but somewhere along the way Ayase-san had changed. She''d kept her core personality¡ªnot trying too hard to please others¨Cbut it wasn''t the same as when she used to call Narasaka-san her only close friend.

    Now, she talked casually with the girls in our ss. Not just with Narasaka-san or the people she went to the pool withst summer, but also with ssmates she''d only met when the new school year started. ss Rep was one of those. She was often called ss Rep instead of her actual name, maybe because of her overflowing leadership qualities. Ayase-san talked with her as if it were nothing, now.

    It''d barely been two weeks since the new school year started, yet she was already getting friendly with ssmates she''d just met. I was genuinely amazed at how much she''d changed.

    Have I grown too?

    I recalled what happened when we went to my grandparents'' house for New Year''s. My grandfather had been bad-mouthing Ayase-san, and I''d jumped to her defense¡ª"Saki is kind, sincere, and a truly hard-working person", I''d said.

    Yeah, she''s always doing her best.

    I also wanted to ovee something I was bad at.. I thought about Ayase-san chatting away with the other girls earlier. Like her, maybe I should try to be more positive and sociable toward other people. Maru once told me that I didn''t show enough interest in others, after all.

    I rested my chin on my hand, lost in thought. I was staring at the ckboard when my name was called again, and since I hadn''t been listening, I didn''t know how to answer this time around. There wasn''t much point in trying to lie, so I figured I''d just be honest.

    "I don''t know."

    "No, I haven''t asked anything yet."

    "Ah."

    The whole ss burst outughing.

    I guess I''ve been spacing out too much.

    I managed to answer the teacher''s question without drawing any more attention to myself, and soon it was recess.

    Yoshida came over to my desk to dig the knife in: "Sup, Asamura. I pegged you as the serious type, but turns out you''re one to fall asleep in ss, huh?"

    "I was awake the whole time."

    "Stayed uptest night? Were you watching porn or something?"

    "Nah, nothing like that. I just spaced out a bit."

    "I see. But that''s pretty unusual for you, right?"

    "Yeah, I guess."

    "Hmm. Well, I probably got the wrong impression. Honestly, we didn''t really talk much until the school trip."

    I replied with an "I guess so." Yoshida and I were in the same ss in our second year, but I didn''t really talk to anyone except Maru, so my rtionship with him isn''t any different now than it was before the ss reshuffle.

    I got to know him a bit better during our school trip when Yoshida, Maru, and I shared a room. He was a pretty friendly guy and was the first to talk to me after the ss change: "Looks like we''re in the same ss again. Let''s get along, dude." Since then, he chatted with me on asion.

    Unlike with Maru, I didn''t have much inmon with Yoshida, so by extension, there wasn''t much we could talk about. Yoshida was a good guy, though, and he was satisfied with my vague responses. I hadn''t been assertive in striking up a conversation and before I knew it, a whole two weeks had passed by. But if I did want to start a conversation, what should I talk about?

    "Hey, Yoshida."

    "Hmm?"

    Crap, what do I say now? If it were Maru, a topic would easilye to mind, but now when I try to have a casual conversation like this, I can''t think of anything to talk about.

    "So, what about you?"

    My question wasn''t really a conversation starter, I know.

    If he''d asked me "So, what about you?" I''d be at a loss for what to say.

    I know it was a pitiful attempt at starting a conversation, but Yoshida, being the good guy that he is, epted my sloppy attempt, "Me? Well, at night I usually listen to music or watch videos."

    Ah. I guess Yoshida interpreted my vague and meaningless question as "If you stay upte, what do you do?"

    He then listed a few of his favorite songs, but I hadn''t heard of any of them before. I tried looking them up on my phone.

    "Let''s see... Oh, that one''s an opening song for an anime."

    "Oh really?"

    "That''s what it says here," I said, showing him the search results. He responded "Wow, I didn''t know that," so I figured he only knew the song because it was trendy rather than because he was interested in anime or manga. Yoshida added he didn''t watch anime or read manga that much.

    I mostly read books and manga myself, but thanks to Maru''s influence, I also watched somete-night anime. But surprisingly, I was still behind on thetest trends and didn''t know that particr song. I did a quick search and found the anime''s official website had posted the song as a promo. I made a mental note to check it outter.

    "You''re a real good guy, Asamura."

    Surprised, I looked up from the smartphone screen.

    "Huh? Why?"

    "I mean, if you didn''t know about the song, you could''ve just brushed it aside, but you went out of your way to look it up to get on the same page as me. You really are different, man."

    Hmm, do I really do that? Not sure if that''s true, honestly.

    I know that I''m biased when ites to my favorite genres. Not just with books, but also with music and movies. That bias could lead to narrow-mindedness, arrogance, and narcissism.

    I learned the fear of bing a closed-off person from reading books. And that''s why when I read books, I try to not only read fiction, but also literature delving into Japanese philosophy, business, autobiographies, popr science, history, and so on. Bias is yet another form of one''s individuality, so its existence is inevitable. But I have tried to avoid being fixated on it.

    When ites to music, I don''t want ignorance to be the reason I didn''t listen to a song. And if I''m going to listen to something anyway, why not enjoy it?

    So, I exined my reasons to Yoshida.

    "Ah, I see. I don''t really get it, but okay."

    "It means I like listening to others talk about things they like. Anything else you''ve been intotely?"

    "Gotcha. If that''s how it is, then my rmendations are¨C"

    Yoshida talked about the YouTubers, popr songs, dramas, and the like that he was into. They were mostly new and unfamiliar genres for me. Maru usually just rmended that I watch VTuber gaming livestreams.

    I tried to keep up with the conversation by looking up unfamiliar words on my phone every time they came up. I wasn''t sure if this counted as a proper conversation, though.

    ¡­Is this what small talk is like?

    Either way, I managed to muddle my way through the rest of recess. I find it impressive how effortlessly everyone else can do stuff like this. As the bell for the start of ss rang out from the ss'' speaker, Yoshida returned to his seat.

    I nced up after opening my textbook and caught a glimpse of bright-colored hair passing through my line of sight. For a brief moment, my eyes met Ayase-san''s. She quickly turned her back and faced the ckboard, but I definitely felt like she had been looking at me.

    Or maybe it''s because I''m always consciously looking for her that I notice stuff like that¡­?

    ***

    After school, I stopped off at home before heading to the bookstore where I worked.

    My manager called out to me as I walked into the office, "Asamura,e here for a moment."

    "The thing is, Yomiuri-kun sent me a message saying she won''t be able to work all her shifts this week because she''s going out job hunting."

    Today, there were only four people working¡ªme, Ayase-san, and two university students who just started this spring. So, unintentionally, I have be the most experienced staff member.

    "Asamura-kun, I think you are experienced enough to know this already, but handling the returns is going to be pretty tough this week."

    "Ah, yes. I suppose so."

    Next week is the start of Golden Week, a long holiday, so deliveries are going to stop. In other words, magazines that are supposed to be released on Monday won''t arrive. This poses a problem for our customers. People want to read regr magazines every so often, and if a book is set to release each month, they expect it to be avable in bookstores by the 25th.

    If it''s a problem for customers, it''s a problem for the bookstore. So what happens then? Well, when the release date of a product, in this case, a book, coincides with a holiday, it is released early. The wisdom behind it is probably, "It''s better to be early thante."

    And so, before Golden Week starts, a week''s worth of books wille pouring into our bookstore. Our bookstore''s decently sized, so the number of booksing in will reflect that. And during Golden Week, returns can''t be issued. So if we don''t stack up on inventory in the office, we''ll have to return the magazines and books that are already selling well before Golden Week. That way, we can make space on the shelves.

    If Yomiuri-senpai was here, she would have given the returns processing to the other staff members, but as she wasn''t, I''d have to take the lead.

    I kept the conversation with the manager in mind as I made my way over to the shelves. When I passed by the register, I made eye contact with Ayase-san, who was working the same shift as me. I gave her a slight nod and proceeded towards the shelves to start organizing them.

    Generally, when I''m working on the shelves, Ayase-san is at the register, and when Ayase-san is on the shelves, I''m at the register. We try not to talk too much during our shifts, as per our agreement. That being the decision to not be too chatty with each other at work so that we can maintain a certain level of professionalism. That is, within natural limits.

    During our break, a male student happened to enter the office at the same time we were there, and Ayase-san and I couldn''t continue our conversation in peace. So, we ended up just sipping our tea without saying much to each other. The male university student finished his break and the other newbie, a female student, came in just as he left. As they passed each other, they exchanged a brief, "I''m heading back," and "Sure." The female student gave us a slight bow and made brief eye contact before sitting down and pulling out a small paperback book from her pocket to read. She was radiating an aura that screamed, "Don''t talk to me." Looking at her, I thought¨C

    "Right now, you''re probably thinking I was just like her, aren''t you?" Ayase-san, who was sitting next to me, muttered in a voice that only I could hear.

    I almost spat out my tea.

    Without waiting for a response, Ayase-san grabbed her paper cup and quickly left the office. The female university student briefly looked up from her book and shot me a suspicious nce.

    What? I didn''t do anything.

    And just like that, my shift was over. I was reminded just how important Yomiuri-senpai, our social lubricant, was to us. Like, if she had been there today, she would''ve casually engaged the two newbies and us in conversation. It would have been fine to talk to Ayase-san normally, too.

    When Ayase-san and I were alone, I couldn''t seem to adjust to maintaining a professional distance between us, which scared me. Even if we didn''t intend to act overly friendly with each other, if our colleagues saw us that way, we might end up getting criticized or used of doing something inappropriate at work. So we held back. But as a byproduct, we ended up distancing ourselves from the other two part-timers. It was frustrating, to say the least.

    When our shifts ended, Ayase-san and I returned to the office together, only to find Yomiuri-senpai standing there in an interview suit, despite the fact that she was supposed to have the day off.

    Wearing a white shirt underneath a navy-blue suit, and with her long ck hair tied back into a ponytail, Yomiuri-senpai looked quite different from her usual style of letting her hair flow down to her shoulders. It''d probablye off as condescending if Imented that she looked like someone who''s good at their job, so I bit my tongue to avoid the risk of angering her.

    When we entered the office, Yomiuri-senpai greeted us with a yful voice.

    "Yaa~ho! Have you two been lonely without your beloved senior?"

    She was grinning ear-to-ear, just like a teasing cat. Out of sheer stubbornness, I found myself not wanting to admit that I actually had been a tad bit lonely.

    "Nah, I wasn''t really lonely, but I definitely felt the pain of being short-staffed."

    "Oh?"

    "Anyway, weren''t you supposed to have the day off today?"

    "Goodness, what''s this? Am I nothin'' but a nuisance now? Is that what''s be of me?"

    "No, no. Not in the slightest."

    "Oh, how awful. I came all this way to support everyone''s hard work, and this is the thanks I get?"

    "If you said you came here to make fun of our hard work, then you''d have me convinced."

    "What a mean thing to say, Junior-kun. Sob sob, whimper, sniffle."

    She had an unnecessarilyrge repertoire of fake crying routines.

    "Um¡­"

    As a high school boy watching an older woman cry, the smart move here was to change the subject.

    "So, why''re you here anyway?"

    "Well, I sorta realized Golden Week ising up soon, so I figured I should be a good little worker bee ande help out, even if this is the dreadedte shift."

    So, it appears that after her job interview, Yomiuri-senpai asked to work thete shift since she knew the bookstore would be busy. However, she was still nning to work her regr shift on top of that. Ayase-san seemed to realize this at almost the same time as me and immediately bowed her head in gratitude.

    "Thank you very much."

    "No, no, it''s no big deal... But go ahead, you can shower me with praise if you wanna."

    It was kinda hard to praise her when she was the one who brought it up. Or was this just her way of hiding her embarrassment?

    I also thanked her from the bottom of my heart. After all, what I''d said about uscking manpower was the truth.

    We finished earlier than expected and stopped by the office again after changing back into our normal clothes. Yomiuri-senpai was rxing in a chair, a can of coffee in her hand.

    I was about to say goodbye to her, but something came to mind, "Senpai, is job hunting hard?"

    "Oho, are you interested, Junior-kun? But you two are both nning to go to university, right?"

    Ayase-san bobbed her head and I nodded, too.

    "Yeah. I''m nning on going to university, but I''m also thinking about finding a job afterward."

    "You''re a pair of little go-getters, huh? When I was your age, all I could think about was taking entrance exams."

    Sheunched into a rundown of her job-hunting experience. She had applied to a bunch ofpanies, including academic book publishers, e-book stores, ITpanies, office work at manufacturers, and more.

    I was surprised by the number ofpanies she had interviewed with, but honestly, I was more surprised to learn that she had applied to a wide range of industries despite only having a preference for a few of them.

    "I thought you were the type to go straight for the job you wanted. Are you really applying to so many differentpanies?"

    "Is that what it looks like?"

    Ayase-san nodded.

    "It does."

    "Oh, really? Do I seem like someone who''s got it all figured out?"

    "Not exactly like that."

    "Uh-huh, uh-huh, then how do Ie across to you, Saki-chan? I''m burning inside to hear your hot take."

    "Um¡­"

    Ayase-san groaned and fell silent. I understood why Ayase-san was struggling to put her thoughts into words. To put it lightly, Yomiuri-senpai''s personality was hard to describe.

    Seeing Ayase-san''sck of response, I reluctantly took over, "You''re the type of person who''ll go with the flow when you''re traveling with someone, but when ites to deciding where to go yourself, you only choose ces you really want to go to."

    Ayase-san nodded along in agreement.

    "I see it that way too."

    "You''re willing to go along with others, but you''re also stubborn about what you want."

    "Oho. Can you really say I go with the flow? I may be pretty good at faking a smile, but didn''t you just call me stubborn?"

    Well, I did say that.

    But even so, I feel like I chose my words carefully.

    "Wow, what a weird person, dontcha think? Do people with such outrageous personalities really exist?"

    Both Ayase-san and I stared nkly at that very person standing in front of us.

    Yomiuri-senpai let out a dramatic scream and clutched at her chest as if she''d been stabbed with a spear.

    "Your eyes¡­ they wound me! This is psychological warfare! When did you two start coordinating your attacks? Show some mercy, will ya?"

    "We were trained by a merciless teacher, after all. Like some kind of demon."

    "Okay, okay. Well, I get what you''re tryna say. But when I chose my university, I wasn''t that picky about it matching my job prospects."

    Yomiuri-senpai told us she didn''t pick a university based on the career she wanted in the future, but instead, because it was a convenient location for living in Tokyo after she''d moved from the countryside. It seems that she traveled for a change of pace, trying to figure out what it was that she wanted to do.

    "That''s why I haven''t narrowed down my options yet, even though I''m on the lookout for a job."

    Ayase-san and I listened to Yomiuri-senpai''s story with a mix of amazement and admiration. Never would we have thought that someone would enroll into a prestigious women''s university for a reason like that.

    "So, Junior-kun and Saki-chan, you should probs start thinking about that stuff soon, too."

    "Okay."

    "Got it."

    I had this vague idea that aiming for a university with a high entrance exam score would open more doors for me in the future, but seeing a real example with my own two eyes made me realize that I ought to put more thought into my goals.

    "Ahhh, my stomach! It hurtsss! I wonder if I''ll get an offer from some employer anytime soon."

    Yomiuri-senpai moved her hand from her chest to her stomach as sheined, and it seemed that our manager, who''d just entered the office, overheard her ramblings. "If you''re that worried about it, why not just work here?" It sounded like he was joking, but his tone was dead serious.

    "Deary me, there you go joking around again, manager."

    "The pay will be good, you know? Probably."

    "I''ll keep that in mind, thanks."

    Despite only just getting here, the manager quickly left the office again. Yomiuri-senpai sent him off with a wave and then whispered in a voice that only we could hear. "To be honest, I haven''t been thinking about staying here for the long haul. I mean, I don''t hate the job or anything, but I think I''ll get bored if I keep doing the same thing. I want some new stimtion, get what I mean?"

    It was gettingte, so with awkward smiles, we promised to keep what she''d said a secret before leaving the office.

    Job hunting, huh¡­

    Ayase-san and I started walking home, with me pushing my bike beside her.

    The season was transitioning from spring to early summer, and I rarely felt chilly while walking outside anymore. The branches of the trees lining the roadside were lush with green leaves, and the people we passed on the street wore bright colors, ditching the dark and heavy hues of the colder months. In some shop windows, mannequins wore summer-ready short-sleeved clothes.

    Ayase-san was peering through the ss of the shops we passed to check out the clothes on disy. I joined in, following her gaze and asionally making ament.

    "Looks like there''s a lot of light purple clothes now."

    "Digitalvender," Ayase-san pointed to a light purple dress.

    "That''s the name of this color?"

    "Yeah. I heard that this color is going to be trendy soon, too."

    I showed some interest, so Ayase-san talked about what clothes were trendy. But she used a lot of technical terms, and there was no chance I''d remember them all. She taught me a few trendy colorbinations, too, but I''d probably forget them by tomorrow.

    Having said that, the word "trend" is used for something that is currently popr, and therefore couldn''t be used for something that didn''t exist yet. The phrase "next trend" was clearly counterintuitive. But even so, the phrase wasmonly used in the fashion world. It''s almost like being able to predict the future.

    "It''s also used for books too, right?"

    "Yeah, I guess so."

    Like the boom of fluffy romance novels or the rising poprity of isekai[2] stories.

    [2: Isekai is a Japanese fiction genre where the protagonist is transported to, or reincarnated in, a different world and has to adapt to new surroundings and challenges.]

    "Also, aren''t there people who say things like ''this is going to be the next big trend''?"

    "Perhaps there are."

    Oh, I see. The timing of discovering a trend and its peak in poprity must be two different things.

    "If you try to force a trend, there''s still a chance it might not catch on, then it won''t actually be a trend."

    "That makes sense."

    If a fashion expert said so, there was no room to disagree. I gathered that it''s not about predicting the future or anything, but instead just making an educated guess. So, if you think about it like a form of fortune-telling, you don''t need to be obsessed with chasing the next trend. With that in mind, Ayase-san''s rmendations might actually stick with me. Maybe.

    We turned off the main street and began to walk down a narrow alley leading to our t. The bright lights of downtown Shibuya faded behind us. It was a bit harder to see, with only a spattering of street lights dimly illuminating the road ahead. The hustle and bustle of the city soon faded, too, and it should have made it easier to talk now. But strangely, both of us just continued walking in silence.

    We were close enough to feel each other''s body heat, and our shoulders almost touched. With no words to fill the silence, the only sound that could be heard were our breaths echoing in the night.

    "Job hunting, huh¡­" Ayase-san muttered as I spotted the entrance to our building, echoing the thoughts I had when we left work. Her words were filled with vague anxiety about the future. If only a job-hunting expert¡ªwell, a career counselor, I suppose¡ªwould read my career fortune just like fashionistas do for clothing.

    We rode the elevator up to our t and opened the door with a joint "I''m home." Our parents hadn''te home yet. While it was normal for Akiko-san, who would''ve only just left for her bartending job, not to be here, my old man had his hands full with the new fiscal year starting, and often didn''t get home until after midnight.

    Ayase-san and I ate dinner and washed the dishes together, after which we retreated to our respective rooms and took turns taking a bath. Ayase-san suggested that we didn''t need to change the bathwater every time to save water, and now, we decided who would go first with janken[3]. It had be our little routine.

    [3: Janken is the Japanese version of "rock paper scissors" and uses the hand gestures "guu" (rock), "choki" (scissors), or "paa" (paper) to determine the winner.]

    After freshening up, I either continued studying or read a book if I had finished. It was a peaceful time before bed.

    In the midst of this routine¡ª

    "Can Ie in?" Ayase-san called out to me as she tapped on my bedroom door. I told her it was fine, and she came in carrying two steaming mugs.

    A gentle breeze from the air conditioner blew the pleasant fragrance of her freshly washed hair into my nostrils. I swiveled my chair to face her, and Ayase-san walked me over to me, cing the mugs on my desk.

    "Milk tea?"

    "Yeah. I figured it''d be better than coffee before bed."

    "Thanks."

    Ayase-san smiled with a "You''re wee."

    "Hey, so... You were talking to Yoshida-kun today, right?"

    She probably meant after Modern Japanese Literature ss.

    "I was, yeah. He asked if I was staying upte."

    "And the teacher called your name multiple times, right?"

    "I was just zoning out. So, then we started talking about what we do before going to bed. Like this¡ª" I showed her the spine of the book I was reading.

    "I read books, while Yoshida listens to music, so he rmended some popr songs for me to listen to."

    I listed off all the song titles and Ayase-san seemed to know them all. She told me which one was her favorite, and I said I''d listen to it.

    Then I fired back a question of my own, "You were chatting to that ss Rep girl who sits next to you, right?"

    It''d be part of our routine to exchange trivial stuff like that with each other before bed. It was as if we were trying to make up for the fact that we couldn''t behave like a couple in ss or at work.

    We ended up in the same ss and we were very conscious of each other, yet¡ª

    "To be honest¡­ I feel a little lonely." Ayase-san muttered, her head down and shoulders slumped.

    "I want to talk to you more in ss. I want to be closer to you."

    "I''m sorry. I''m not all that great at starting conversations."

    Ayase-san shook her head, her slightly damp hair swaying steadily as she did so.

    "I was the one who said it would be better that way in the first ce."

    We didn''t want to attract attention by acting like a couple too openly.

    "I know, but still¡­"

    But we don''t want to suppress our feelings anymore, either. That''s what we agreed on during the school trip. We decided to act normal, but for some reason, the more we tried to act normal, the more unsure we became about how to act around each other.

    The hand sping Ayase-san''s mug was trembling. Unable to bear it any longer, I stood up from my chair and embraced her slender body. Ayase-san leaned her head against my chest and nuzzled it. I could hear her muffled voice say, "Asamura-kun¡­"

    "...Kiss me."

    "Okay."

    We brought our faces together and closed our eyes. The mug sandwiched between us stopped shaking without us noticing.

    Ayase-san pulled away from our embrace and said "Good night," then returned to her own room.

    I let out a faint sigh and slumped back down in my chair. My door clicked shut, leaving only the hum of the air conditioner in my ears.

    My racing heart gradually calmed down, and Ayase-san''s lingering scent was snatched from my nostrils as it slowly faded away.

    ¡ªIs it really okay for us to stay like this?

    I wonder what the perfect distance between us should be.

    I resumed reading the book on my desk, but none of the words made their way into my mind.

 Chapter 100: April 19th (Monday) â€“ Ayase Saki

    <h4>Chapter 100: April 19th (Monday) ¨C Ayase Saki</h4>

    "Golden Week ising up pretty soon, huh?"

    When someone put it into words like that, I was surprised by how much time had passed. It felt like just the other day that we took our new seats for the first homeroom of the school year. Hearing there were only 10 days left in April lit a fire under me.

    Has it really been that long?!

    Time flies, as they say, and by the same token, I''m amazed by how much my surroundings have changed since bing a third-year student.

    More surprising was the situation I found myself in¡ªspending recess chatting with a group of other girls from my ss. If someone had told me a year ago that I would be where I am today, I would''veughed in their face.

    I''ll admit, when I saw the ss roster I was a little disappointed. I''m not in the same ss as Maaya anymore, not to mention the other girls I''d just started chatting to in the previous ss.

    Talking to Melissa, a musician I met by chance during our school trip to Singapore, made me realize that I cared more about how people perceived me than I previously thought. And, upon reflection, it made sense. My hair, clothes, and makeup were my "armaments" purely because I did care about how I looked to others. I understand why I haven''t made any friends other than Maaya¡ªI''m scared. I''m afraid of having my values rejected.

    "I''m saying that you need to find a ce where you can be as selfish and free as you want, or you''ll break apart."

    Finding a safe space. In other words, a ce where I can do what I want and be myself.

    After my biological father up and left, I tried not to act too needy around Mom to lessen her burden. But, Asamura-kun epted me for who I was and didn''t criticize my lifestyle. He''d be that ce for me.

    Looking back, I''d found my refuge to escape from the world and no longer needed to be afraid of rejection anymore. I should''ve had no problems getting closer to other ssmates aside from Maaya¡­ or so I thought. All that newfound enthusiasm had been crushed in a blink of an eye when I became a third year and I looked up at the new ss roster almost a month ago.

    If anything, I''ve returned to being the shut-off Saki I''d been a year before. I didn''t feel like wasting time on idle chatter; there were entrance exams this year to consider, after all. I figured it''d be better to concentrate on studying and work.

    Asamura-kun is in the same ss as me now, but I''m notfortable chatting to him casually because it''d attract curious nces from my ssmates. I''m not ready for that yet.

    Right now, I just want to live a peaceful and uneventful life¡­

    Actually, when I stop to think about it, my days have been far from peaceful since the opening ceremony. On top of that, my negative thoughts are spiraling out of control.

    If I had time to prepare myself mentally I might be fine in this situation, but the moment I tried to turn my back and not get involved, I was already trapped in the circle of girls and feeling overwhelmed.

    How did this happen?

    Well, that much, at least, was obvious.

    "C''mon, calm down. I get that everyone is kinda frustrated about not being able to see their new friends over Golden Week, but it''s all about what you make of it!"

    "Oh? You have some ideas, ss Rep?"

    "Well, it''s not like there''s aw saying we can''t meet up outside of school, right? Why don''t we all go to karaoke or something?"

    There was an immediate chorus of agreement around the circle of girls.

    Uh, the girl who suggested karaoke, what was her actual name again? As everyone just called the bespectacled girl in question "ss Rep", it''s hard to remember her real name.

    At any rate, she''s theplete opposite of me in terms of social skills. In fact, she might even give Maaya a run for her money. Even during a short 10-minute break like this, she was quickly surrounded by a group of ssmates. So, because I sat next to her in ss, my escape route was blocked off.

    "Hey, Ayase-san, do you have any ns for Golden Week?" Ryouko Satou, a mouseish girl with droopy eyebrows, asked me. Everyone called her "Ryo-chin" or "Oryou-san." Not that I ever had as that''d be way too embarrassing. Satou-san, Maaya, and I had bunked together during the school trip. We hadn''t been particrly close during our second year, buttely, she seems to have warmed up to me.

    Um, what did she ask me again¡­? Oh, something about my Golden Week ns.

    "I''m probably just going to study for the mock exams," I answered, only to be met with a look of surprise.

    Was it really that shocking? After all, we were third-years with entrance exams just around the corner. Before I knew it, the conversation took a strange turn.

    She asked why didn''t want to "do other things" aside from studying and followed up with, "Like doing stuff with your boyfriend, for example¡­?"

    It''d been like this for the past few weeks when I found myself trapped in the circle. With high school girls, no matter how the conversation started, it alwaysnded on the same topic¡ªromance.

    Still, how''d the conversation turn to what I was going to do with my supposed boyfriend?

    "Anyway, what do you mean by ''doing stuff''? What are we actually meant to do?"

    ss Rep chimed in, "Well, like going on a date?"

    A date, huh? Come to think of it, what even constitutes a "date"? Have I ever been on one with Asamura-kun?

    "Eating together¡­"

    We do that all the time.

    "Watching movies¡­"

    Yep, we did that on Christmas.

    "Making food with him¡­"

    He''d been helping me with cooking recently, so that was checked off too.

    "I see. Um, is that all?"

    "Well, yeah¡­ but are you saying you wanna do more than that, Ayase-san?"

    I felt my cheeks burning as my brain caught up with my mouth and I realized what I''d just blurted out. Did I just make myself look like a dating expert?

    I tried to say "No, that''s not it," but the first-period bell rang before I could get the words out.

    Our Modern Japanese Literature teacher walked in and the noisy ssroom quieted down. But I felt a prickly feeling on the back of my neck as if everyone had their eyes on me. My paranoid brain told me they must be gossiping behind my back.

    Uuu, I messed up. Everyone must think I''m a weirdo now.

    Satou-san had only been talking generally about doing things with boys in general over Golden Week, but my mind had immediately jumped to Asamura-kun.

    Throughout Modern Japanese Literature ss I was only half paying attention, as I wallowed in regret over what I''d blurted out.

    Ahhh, why did I have to say that? It''s so embarrassing.

    When the bell rang, I slumped over my desk, my head in my hands. This was so unlike me ¨C I usually tried to maintain a confident front at all times. That was exactly why I struggled with small talk. How did everyone else surf the waves of conversation so effortlessly?

    I tilted my face, which until now had been facedown, and snuck a peek at the seat two rows behind and one to the left of mine.

    I wonder if Asamura-kun saw that embarrassing episode? I hope not.

    But Asamura-kun wasn''t even looking at me; instead, he was chatting with another boy in our ss. I couldn''t hear what they were saying, but it seemed like they were having fun.

    I don''t know much about Asamura-kun''s social circle, but he was already casually talking to a boy he probably didn''t know very well. It made me feel pathetic.

    Perhaps Asamura-kun was actually pretty sociable, after all. He always listened carefully to customers'' concerns at work. He said his only friend was Maru-kun, but here he was stepping into new rtionships. I think he''s doing his best, that''s great.

    And it sounds like he''s having fun¡­ but I''m kinda jealous too.

    Not being overly chatty in ss had been my idea, and now I couldn''t even talk to the person I felt closest to. But, even though he couldn''t speak to me, he was having fun with someone else.

    And here I am, burying my face in my desk, pretending not to hear the sounds around me.

    "Hey, Ayase-san. Earth to Ayase-san."

    I raised my head just a little to see ss Rep peeking at my face as she called my name.

    "¡­Hm?"

    "Um, I mean, that earring¨C" She poked her own ear with a finger as she said "That".

    "Oh. Yeah."

    I sat up straight.

    ¡ªWhat is it? Is she going to tell me to take off my earrings? She is the ss Representative, I guess.

    "I was thinking it''s a cute color. Where''d you buy it?"

    "Huh?"

    "Why the surprised face?"

    "Oh, I thought you were going to tell me to take it off."

    "Huh? It''s not against school rules, is it?"

    "I guess so¡­"

    Suisei High''s rules are surprisinglyx for a school focused on academic excellence. "Don''t be too shy. Show some restraint," the strict teacher in charge of student guidance told us, but overall, the school has aissez-faire attitude. Otherwise, I would''ve been expelled long ago for dyeing my hair and wearing earrings. On the flip side, if you failed a ss they''d force you to repeat the entire year. So some people said it felt more like a university than a high school.

    "Sooo, where''d you get it?"

    I dug through my memories.

    "At a shop in Center-gai[1]¡­ I think."

    [1: Center-gai is a trendy and bustling shopping district in Shibuya, Tokyo, known for its trendy fashion boutiques, cafes, restaurants, and entertainment venues.]

    "Oh, wow. Good taste. Your hairpin is super cute too. Did you pick it ''cause it matches your hair?"

    "Um, yeah."

    Can I really not say anything other than "um"?

    "Hey, can I join you guys?" asked the person responsible for the disastrous conversion earlier. To be fair, I know Satou-san didn''t mean any harm. It was obviously me who''d messed up my response.

    "Sure, go ahead. We were just talking about how Ayase-san has good taste."

    "I know, right?"

    Satou-san nodded vigorously, so much so I was worried her head might snap off.

    ttery or not, I was still happy to beplimented. Humans are creatures who thrive onpliments.

    "Yep. Although we ended up in the same ss only this year, I already knew Ayase-san even before that."

    "Huh?"

    "Uh, our sses were next to each in first year. Don''t you remember? I even tried talking to you in gym ss a few times."

    I shook my head. I didn''t remember at all.

    Looking back on it now, I was very guarded around other students during my first year. Having left behind the strictness of junior high[2], I thought entering a high school that encouraged autonomy from its students was a good chance to polish both my appearance and inner self. Piercings and hair dye weren''t against school rules, and I thought they suited me well. But, despite not breaking any rules, I constantly heard snide remarks and baseless rumors from other students whobeled me as a ''delinquent-looking blonde-haired gal''.

    [2: High school in Japan is notpulsory. Saki wasparing the strictness of the mandatory junior high to her new nonpulsory, freer-thinking high school.]

    But maybe back then I was too cautious, and there might have been people who just simply thought I was nice like ss Rep. That''s how I feel now.

    Satou-san brought up memories of our school trip. It waspulsory to wear our uniforms while en route, but we were free to wear whatever we wanted in the hotel. Satou-san actually remembered my outfits and essories from back then and started rattling off each one she had found cute. Absorbed in reliving those memories, her voice was gentle and joyful.

    "Aww, isn''t she just way too adorable!" ss Rep said as she hugged Satou-san from behind and ruffled her hair. She really is painfully cute.

    "I''m not good with fashion and stuff, though."

    "C''mon, that''s not true. Right, Ayase-san?"

    "Well, um¡­ I guess so."

    Satou-san''s appearance and gestures made her look a bit like a small animal¡ªso calling her cute was an understatement.

    "But, umm... I wanna be stylish like Ayase-san too."

    "Fashion is all about practice. If you hang out with Ayase-san, she might teach you a thing or two."

    "Sounds good."

    "Hey, Ayase-san, would you be down to take on an apprentice?"

    "Um, well¡­"

    "Like, with choosing clothes and stuff."

    "If that''s all it is, then okay."

    Wow, there they go again with the hugging.

    With the two of them practically jumping for joy, all I could offer was a vague nod and shortments and the conversation carried on. Being around them felt different to being with Maaya, but it still made me feel at ease.

    I thought I''d gotten used to maintaining a conversation even when it didn''t match my own interests because that''s what my friendship with Maaya was like; but now that I think about it, maybe she was the one who was actually keeping the conversation going for me all along.

    So, maybe that just makes me a crappy conversationalist.

    Despite feeling a bit awkward, I managed to follow along with the two of them for the rest of recess.

    ***

    After school, I had work again.

    Today, Asamura-kun and I were working the same shift at the bookstore where we were both part-timers. Asamura-kun went home first and rode his bike to the station, while I went straight there from school. When I rocked up, the store manager told me Yomiuri-san wouldn''t be able to work all her shifts this week because she was out job hunting.

    From his tone, I got the impression the manager was treating it as a serious problem, but I didn''t really get it. I mean, Yomiuri-san was very capable at her job, but the number of customers seemed to have settled down a bit since the beginning of the new fiscal year.

    The answer to this mystery was revealed when a customer asked about the release date of a new book and I looked it up. The release dates for magazines and new books were different from the norm. There were more than usual and concentrated just before the end of the month. And, on top of that, there would be no deliveries from the end of April to the beginning of May.

    "Ah, it''s because of Golden Week," I muttered under my breath, and an experienced full-time employee standing at the register with me nodded in response.

    "Compared to the end of the year or Obon[3], it''s not so bad," she exined.

    [3: Obon is a Japanese festival in mid-August to honor ancestors, where families offer food and participate in traditional dances.]

    "So, we need to make space on the shelves by the end of this week, right?"

    "That''s right. Ayase-san. Looks like you''ve really gotten used to this job. Good job!"

    "Thanks."

    More praise. I wonder if there was anything special about today that could exin why I''m receiving so much of it.

    "Well then, we need to do the returns carefully. If Yomiuri-san were here, she''d clear them out in no time ''cause she''s a pro at this stuff."

    Unlike libraries where the aim was to preserve books, bookstores stocking new releases treated books that remained on the shelves too long as bad inventory that took up valuable shelf space. But, it''s not like every book that went on the shelves sold instantly.

    As Asamura-kun said, there are happy customers who, after searching and searching, finally find a book they were looking for and be regrs. Although, he also said there weren''t many of those. That''s why it was important that employees had the ability to determine which books to return and which to keep on the shelves.

    Asamura-kun took over the register and I made my way over to the shelves. I walked around and checked the stock level of books stacked and waiting to be shelved, scanned the shelves for avable space, and restocked them as necessary. If books were in the wrong ces, I rearranged them, and if I found a customer wandering around looking for something, I asked if they needed help.

    I''m still not used to approaching customers. Maybe it''s because I don''t want to be approached in stores myself, but I can''t shake the feeling that I''m being intrusive. Still, if it''s for work, I open my mouth and move.

    My real weakness is¡­ aimless conversation.

    Although,tely I''ve started thinking being good at small talk was vital to having good rtionships with people, both in ss or at work.

    Kicking the polished, shiny floor, I walked between the shelves. Without realizing it, my gaze wandered to the business know-how books¡ªpossibly because it''s been on my mind. There seemed to be a lot of books with titles like "How to Talk Effectively with Your Boss" and "Methods of Communication with the New Generation of Subordinates." Maybe lots of people struggled with workcemunication.

    Case in point, I haven''t spoken to the two new part-time university students much either. I''m worried that I might be making them ufortable.

    Although this bookstore was my first job, I know I''m a person who doesn''t want to be underestimated or looked down upon. So if I had a boss who abused their power, would I be able to deal with it? I feel like I wouldn''t. There''s even a possibility that I might snap and quit on the spot. What keeps me going is having Asamura-kun, someone close to me whom I can lean on, working here too. And Yomiuri-san, of course, who always helped me with things as well.

    If this was a job where I didn''t know anyone¡­

    Fact is, I wouldn''t want tomunicate with rude people. But if someone shrugged and said it''s "Just part of the job," I wouldn''t know how to respond.

    "That''s work for you, huh."

    When the end of my shift arrived, I changed back into regr clothes and headed to the office with Asamura-kun. We stopped by to say goodbye to everyone but found Yomiuri-san, who wasn''t supposed to be working, sitting there.

    The conversation turned to job hunting for a while, and she told me to start thinking about my own future sooner rather thanter.

    I found myself unconsciously thinking about what type of job I wanted as Asamura-kun and I walked home. I don''t really have anything specific in mind yet. The bookstore was teaching me how to work well with others, but I feel like a job that valued independence would suit my personality better.

    Assuming I was like Yomiuri-san and started job hunting in my third year of university, that meant I would need to decide on something within the next three years. Should I think about it as only having three years, or still having three years to decide? For now, I chose thetter. My thoughts on the matter right now were just spection, anyway, without any genuine emotions behind them. In reality, I couldn''t envision the person I would be in three years. To begin with, untilst year, I''d been guided by individualism.

    The habit or principle of being independent and self-reliant¡ªthat''s how individualism is defined if you look it up in a dictionary. For my own purposes, I interpreted it as valuing my own thoughts and independence. I have my own values and standards to protect. I decided on them myself. Obviously, being too self-absorbed isn''t good, either. But, I don''t want to be swayed by others¡ªthat''s what I''d always believed.

    Still, I''ve spent all day extremely conscious of Asamura-kun''s presence, while also not being able to talk to him. It made me feel genuinely lonely. We only exchanged nces in ss and at work. I want to hear his voice. I want to feel his warmth. If not, I feel like the ground beneath me will crumble¡­

    ...Is this really the feelings of an individualist?

    When I saw the lights of my building, relief washed over me. I guess this is how a wanderer feels when they find a home to return to. On the other hand, I intended to move out of my Mom''s ce and start living on my own when I entered university.

    "Job hunting, huh¡­" I muttered as the entrance came into view, and my words were carried away into thete spring breeze.

    I opened the front door to our t. The house was quiet because my Mom and Stepdad weren''t home. Since April, the chances of the four of us eating together had decreased dramatically¡ªexcept on weekends.

    Is Stepdad really that busy? I hope he doesn''t make himself sick from overwork.

    Asamura-kun and I prepared dinner together, and we ate facing each other.

    Since mornings were hectic, this is the only time Asamura and I could chat at a rxed pace.

    We tried to make up for not being able to talk during the day, but for some reason, it was hard to find the words sometimes.

    "How''s the miso soup today?"

    It''s tricky to answer "how" it tasted, but Asamura-kun gave me his honest thoughts.

    "Mmm. Nameko[4] miso go well together. It''s delicious."

    [4: Nameko: Brown slimy mushrooms.]

    "I''m happy to hear that."

    "Did you buy the miso?"

    I nodded.

    Although I usually use kome[4] miso, which is the easiest to get in the Kanto region, we decided to change the type of miso specifically for this dish, since it''smon to use akadashi[4] with nameko mushrooms.

    [4: Kome: White uncooked rice grains, Akadashi: Rich red-colored paste.]

    "What''s the difference when you add akadashi miso again?"

    "Well, mame[4] to soybeans. Akadashi miso is made by adding kome miso and dashi to mame miso."

    [4: Mame: Small beans, various colors.]

    "Oh, I see."

    "Also, mugi[4] miso is made with barley koji. Kome, mame, and mugi are the three main types of miso, I think. The home of akadashi miso is the Tokai region, but nowadays it''s easy to get in Kanto as well."

    [4: Mugi: Light brown barley grains, Koji: Whitish-yellow fermented rice.]

    You can buy it at the supermarket, and if pushes to shove, you can always get it online. Online shopping offers a wide variety of miso from all over Japan ¨C not that I''d buy them. I''m confident that if I really start getting into it, I''ll end up organizing a nationwide miso soup festival. Asamura-kun would definitely be pleased, I think.

    I should add, today''s other ingredients were just tofu and nameko mushrooms.

    The tofu was diced into small cubes. If I had mitsuba[4], I would''ve liked to add some finely chopped pieces too, but unfortunately, we didn''t have any today.

    [4: Mitsubi: Herb with bright green leaves.]

    "Nameko has a nice texture and is pretty easy to swallow, don''t you think?"

    "I do. It has a nice pop when you bite into it, and it goes down easily."

    If you''re not careful, you might identally swallow it without chewing.

    "It goes well with rice too."

    "Speaking of which, I found a recipe for nameko mushroom mixed rice online the other day¡­"

    We chatted excitedly about mixed rice ingredients for a while. It''s nice to have these kinds of conversations, but I simply want more¡­

    "Thanks for the food. It was delicious."

    As I looked up, Asamura-kun had his hands together, bowing his head toward me. I hurriedly responded with "You''re wee." Since we both cooked dinner, I would do the same thing after I finished eating.

    That''s not it, though. It feels like I missed something important.

    We finished eating and cleaned up together. We each went to our respective rooms to study for a while before taking a bath. While blissfully soaking in the hot water, I recalled our conversation during dinner, as well as other topics from the past few days.

    I really want to talk to Asamura-kun. That feeling is definitely strong. But, when I think back to walking home from work as we usually do, I don''t remember us saying much.

    I was conscious of the people around us when we walked on the main road, but as soon as we turned down the alley leading to our t, I thought we would talk more¡ªbut our conversation actually petered out instead.

    Maybe it''s because I was preupied with thoughts about job hunting after hearing what Yomiuri-san had to say. No, that''s not it. If that were the case, it would''ve been a good topic to bring up, wouldn''t it?

    During dinner, there was plenty of time to talk about other stuff since Mom was at her bartending job and my Stepdad had beening homete recently.

    "I want to talk to him a little more¡­" I muttered while soaking in the bathtub, then scattered the words with a ssh. Sometimes I got frustrated by myck of conversation skills. It''s as if my conversation Rolodex was only filled with trivia.

    After getting out of the bath and getting dressed, I put on a bathrobe to keep warm and headed to the kitchen.

    I boiled water, warmed some milk, and made milk tea. For two.

    Awkwardly holding the two mugs in one hand, I knocked on Asamura-kun''s door with my free hand.

    When he told me I coulde in, I eased open the door. I switched the mugs to both hands and walked over to where Asamura-kun was sitting in his swivel chair, carefully cing the steaming mugs on his desk.

    "Hey, so¡­ you were talking to Yoshida-kun today, right?"

    It was only after saying it out loud that I realized I wanted to have this kind of conversation. I want to know more about Asamura-kun''s day-to-day life. I want him to tell me what happened today and want him to hear about my day, too. I want to truly know him, and I want him to know me.

    I never thought of myself as particrly talkative. If anything, I wasn''t the type to talk about myself much and wasn''t very interested in knowing about others.

    If I like that sort of thing, maybe I would be able to understand the feelings of the characters in novels a bit better.

    Yet, once we get going, it''s hard to stop talking when it''s with Asamura-kun. It''s as if I naturally be more talkative. The problem was, it wasn''t easy to get to that point in the first ce.

    It''s different fromst year¡­ I be so chatty when Asamura-kun is around. Is this really who I am now?

    I don''t know if he even liked having trivial conversations like this. I mean, it''s just small talk, isn''t it? Am I just acting too needy with the boy I''m closest to?

    But thinking about something and actually putting it into action were two different things, and I couldn''t help myself.

    "I want to talk to you more in ss. I want to be closer to you." I couldn''t stop the words from pouring out of me.

    I was the one to decide not to talk much at school because I didn''t want people to meddle in our rtionship.

    I''m so selfish.

    Asamura-kun had told me to act normal and not to force myself to hide things, but I can''t grasp what a "normal" state even is. My usual self¡ªsomeone always worried about what others think of mees out, and I end up holding myself back in public. But, when we''re alone, I get really clingy.

    I even ended up begging for a kiss and felt so embarrassed afterwards I could''ve died.

    That''s what I meant by being too clingy.

    I hurriedly returned to my own room, seeking refuge in my futon.

    When I traced my lips with my finger, the aftertaste of the kiss resurfaced and my cheeks went up in me. Remembering the warmth of his body as he hugged me, I writhed and iled under my futon.

    The more we talk, the more I crave his warmth and embrace, and the more we kiss, the more I want it. I still feel like it isn''t enough.

    At the same time, an rm was going off in the back of my mind. I felt as if this thing I''ve been protecting all this time, Ayase Saki, was about to break apart.

    I cocooned myself in my futon. In the dark room, I strained my eyes to see beyond the invisible wall. But no matter how hard I tried, the vague concept of what was the right distance between Ayase Saki and Asamura Yuuta eluded me.

 Chapter 101: April 20th (Tuesday) â€“ Asamura Yuuta

    <h4>Chapter 101: April 20th (Tuesday) ¨C Asamura Yuuta</h4>

    I parked my bike in my t''s parking lot and shot off a LINE message to Ayase-san letting her know I was home.

    [Wee back. I''ll let stepdad know]

    Looking at her near-instant reply on my phone''s screen, I felt admiration for my old man well up inside me and wondered if he''d been able to leave work early today.

    I passed by the building''s flower bed filled with blooming white magnolia flowers, went through the entrance, and took the elevator up to my floor.

    "I wish he wouldn''t push himself so hard¡­"

    My old man has beening home past midnight recently, but ditched work early tonight especially to make dinner.

    Since April, our cooking rotation has changed. We already had a system for dividing up cooking duties, but Ayase-san and Akiko-san were nice enough to take more than their fair share. Akiko-san prepares dinner before leaving for her bartending job, and Ayase-san makes breakfast. Plus, since Ayase-san and I often came home from work together nowadays, she would touch up and reheat the dinner left for us. In short, a lot of the work fell on Ayase-san''s slim shoulders.

    That''s why I''ve been trying to help out since the end ofst year. Before the new school year started, my old man said: "Since you two are going to be taking entrance exams soon, we should reorganize the cooking duties starting in April." He dered he''d also cook dinner on weekdays. It was a big step for a man who, until that point, had relied on pre-prepared meals and food deliveries. He was in charge of Tuesdays, Akiko-san had two days, and Ayase-san and I had one day each. On weekends, Akiko-san and my old man would cook together. She took that chance to teach him how to cook.

    Today marked the third week, meaning it''s his third time cooking solo on a weekday.

    But just as things were decided, my old man''s work suddenly got a whole lot busier. It made me realize once again how difficult it is to bnce work, or study, and household chores. That said, if things really did get too tough, we''d go back to the drawing board or I''d fill in for him.

    "I''m home," I called out as I opened the front door of our t.

    Responses from my old man and Ayase-san came almost in unison. As I opened the door leading to the dining room, I saw Ayase-san already sitting down, wiping down the table with a cloth.

    "We just finished getting everything ready. Go wash your hands."

    After acknowledging her, I tossed my bag into my room. I stopped by the bathroom to wash my hands and returned to the dining room, where dinner was ready and waiting. My chopsticks were alreadyid out for me on the table. Everything was perfectly arranged, leaving me with nothing to do but eat. I reluctantly took my seat.

    "Alright, grub''s up. Let''s eat."

    At my old man''s urging, Ayase-san and I also parroted, "Let''s eat."

    On the menu today was... stir-fried vegetables, rice, and miso soup. The vegetables were the standardbination of cabbage, carrots, and bean sprouts, with pork as the meat. It was piled up generously on a huge te, and we each took our portions onto smaller tes. Ayase-san served herself arger portion of vegetables, but I can''t tell if it''s because she likes vegetables or if she''s on a diet. I''m not going to touch that particr topic.

    "So¡­ how is it?" My old man asked nervously.

    "It could use a touch less salt."

    It tasted saltier than what Ayase-san usually makes. I wonder if my old man thought it tasted normal. People who were run down tend to crave saltiness, so I''m worried about him. I wish I could''ve given some clever advice on seasoning, but with almost the same limited cooking experience as him, I couldn''t think of the right words and ended up being too blunt.

    "I see¡­"

    His face fell with disappointment. I''m sorry.

    Ayase-san quickly came to the rescue, "It''s delicious! The cabbage has a nice crunch to it."

    "Oh really?! Yeah, Akiko-san told me to pay attention to that."

    "Yeah, this is good."

    "Good, good. There''s more if you want seconds."

    "Thanks."

    My old man seemed to have perked up after Ayase-san''spliment. Maybe I should leave that stuff to her.

    And she didn''t forget to offer advice either, "So, when you taste-test a dish, you only taste a small amount of it, right?"

    "Right, yeah."

    "Well, salt builds up in the body as you eat. So, the amount stated in the recipe should be enough. Even if you think it''s not enough during the taste-test, you don''t need to add more. It ends up way saltier than what you tasted. It''s kind of like soup, in that way."

    "Ah, I see. Now that you mention it, sometimes when I think a soup is too light on vor, it gets more intense as I continue to eat and it bes overpowering."

    My old man nodded in agreement to Ayase-san''s exnation.

    Ayase-san was way more knowledgeable about cooking and her advice was solid, so I made mental notes as the two of them went back and forth.

    My cooking skills were only slightly better than my old man''s since I''ve been helping Ayase-san with her cooking. But, he was learning from Akiko-san on weekends, too, so there was a chance he might surpass me soon. I''ll probably only be able to critique his cooking for a little while longer.

    After dinner, Ayase-san took her turn in the bath first.

    What should I do? Should I read a book in my room or should I finish my lesson prep for tomorrow?

    As I was about to return to my room, I suddenly recalled what Yomiuri-senpai said yesterday. She told me to start thinking about my future career path now.

    My future job, huh?

    My old man was sitting in front of me, leisurely sipping tea with a carefree expression on his face.

    He looked like someone with his head in the clouds, but he''d been diligently working the same job for almost 20 years. I''ve never heard him talk about changing jobs before, nor have I ever asked him about it. I wonder how he ended up working for his currentpany.

    "Hey, Dad. I''m making coffee, want some?"

    "Oh, sure, I''d love some."

    It was already nighttime, but I wanted to have a clear mind for the conversation we were about to have, hence the coffee. Since he didn''t question why I offered him coffee at night, he might''ve sensed that I wanted to talk about something important.

    As I brewed coffee for two using the dripper, I warmed both my old man''s and my own cups before pouring the coffee and sitting down with him.

    "Here you go."

    "Thanks."

    "Dad, I just realized I''ve never really asked you about your job before¡­"

    My old man, who''d been enjoying the aroma of the coffee, looked at me curiously with a "Hmm?"

    I told him that since university entrance exams were approaching I''ve started thinking about my future. As part of learning about various professions, I wanted to hear about his job as well. He seemed surprised at first but then broke out into a smile.

    He was clearly happy that I was interested in his work, and he leaned forward slightly as he began to talk.

    "Where should I start?"

    "Well¡­ is that the same job you''ve had from the start?"

    "If you mean working at the samepany, then yes. It might be unusual nowadays though."

    Is it really that unusual¡­?

    "You don''t think it''s rare to find a job you can do for your entire life from the get-go?" He asked.

    "¡­I can''t even imagine myself working yet."

    His expression turned serious as he said, "Neither could I back then."

    My old man worked at a food manufacturingpany with its headquarters in Tokyo. I know that much. Currently, he''s the head of the product nning department.

    "Oh, so you''re the department head?" I said, and he replied, "Well, pretty much." It felt kinda strange for a son to only just be learning about his old man''s position at work, but he never really talked about that kind of thing at home.

    "But I wasn''t always in product nning."

    "Really?"

    "When I first started there I was in sales. I might have mentioned it briefly before."

    Come to think of it, I do remember hearing something like that. He used to pay more attention to his appearance back then, too.

    "I''ve heard sales is pretty tough."

    "Well, I don''t think there''s any job that isn''t tough in some way. But I was quite shy and introverted back then."

    Introverted¡­ was that really true? My old man''s words were almost enough to make me question the concept of introversion as he didn''t seem that way at all. I couldn''t help questioning it. He just chuckled awkwardly in response.

    I wondered out loud how someone who was bad atmunicating could have gotten drunk, proposed to a woman who took care of him at a bar he frequented, and managed to get married.

    "Yeah, that''s because I used the sales skills I honed to¡ªoh wait, no, never mind."

    My old man went along with his son''s joke and even followed up with aeback of his own. He might even have a younger mindset than me.

    "I was really shy, introverted, and had trouble talking to people when I was young. That was almost 30 years ago, though."

    "To be honest, it''s hard to imagine."

    "Well, I was really pushed around by my seniors back then. I used to go to wholesale stores and mass retailers¡ªalthough you might not know what mass retailers are."

    "A store that buys and sells products inrge quantities at low prices?"

    I quickly looked it up on my phone, and it seemed to be something along those lines.

    "Can you think of any examples of stores like that?"

    "Supermarkets and department stores?"

    My old man nodded. It seemed I was right.

    "And I used to go around to restaurants too. I would go to make sales pitches. I would go to each store, bow my head, and say things like ''We''re releasing this new product soon'' or ''Would you consider carrying our products?''"

    "Oh, really¡­"

    I could only offer a vague response because I didn''t really understand the details.

    "Obviously you can''t just ask and expect an immediate "yes". In fact, more often than not you won''t get it. Sometimes you get turned away before even getting a chance to make your pitch. You know how there are people handing out flyers at the train station? Most people don''t take them, right?"

    "I''m one of those who don''t take them, actually."

    "Haha. Well, that''s how it is. Many stores have long-standing rtionships with their suppliers, so asking those stores to switch to yourpany''s products can be quite challenging. You''re essentially trying to cut in from the side. Even when you seed in making a sale, the salespeople from their previous supplier might hold a grudge against us."

    "Wow."

    "Sometimes I even had to cook right in front of the person in charge in order to show off the products."

    "Cooking...wait, you cooked?"

    That''s surprising. That''d mean he''s been cooking for much longer than me.

    "Well, it wasn''t actually cooking. It was more like just heating up or boiling the products. No actual cooking skills were required. But since it was done in front of important people, I was always nervous, afraid of making a mistake. I did that for about ten years."

    "That''s quite a long time."

    So he was still in sales when I was born.

    "Well, yeah. Seeing the products I pitch actually make it onto a store''s shelves made me incredibly happy. It made me feel like all the hard work had paid off," My old man said with a profound sense of emotion.

    "That sounds nice."

    "Although, after that, if there were any issues, all theints woulde to the sales department."

    With a distant look, he told me how much it drained him, as it required goodmunication skills and sucking up to the customers.

    Listening to his exnation, I couldn''t shake the feeling that I''d struggle to do those kinds of things.

    "I don''t think I could push products aggressively like that."

    My old man silently shook his head from side to side.

    "No, Yuuta, it''s not called ''pushing'' in sales. What you are talking about is called ''pushy sales''."

    "Uh... Yeah. I guess so. Maybe you''re right."

    "To be sessful in sales, you need to understand both the good and the bad qualities of yourpany''s products. If you aren''t honest with your clients, it''ll eventuallye back to bite your ownpany. Rtionships built on hiding ws won''tst, understand?"

    "But what if there aren''t any good qualities?"

    "I can''t say there aren''t any salespeople who can sell products that won''t sell well. But personally, I''m not good at that, and in the long run, I think it''s bad for thepany. Besides, strengths and weaknesses can depend on your point of view, wouldn''t you agree? The same goes for human personalities. Like, for instance, if someone was careful you could say they''re ''cautious'' or you could say they''re ''timid''."

    I think I get it.

    "So the same trait can be seen as good or bad depending on the other person?"

    "Exactly. So, you find qualities that the other person would see as good. Things or people, whether a rtionshipsts or not cane down to howpatible you are with the person you''re dealing with. It might sound harsh, but that''s how it is¡­"

    In the end, his tone held a hint of bitterness. It was supposed to be a conversation about products and sales targets, but maybe something else had crossed his mind.

    "Plus, it''s a big help if the product you''re pitching is something you believe in yourself. I get really excited when I''m promoting products like that. I mean, if it''s a great product, you know it''s going to be good for the customer, too."

    With that, my old man sipped his coffee and sat in silence for a while.

    He grabbed a milk capsule from the table, broke off one corner with a snap, and poured it into his cup. He lightly stirred it with a spoon held between his thick fingers, creating a white swirling pattern.

    As he sipped his coffee, my old man continued talking, "Well, anyway, after going through those kinds of experiences, I got interested in actually making products that people would want to rmend."

    "Ah, I see. So that''s why you joined the product nning department?"

    "Actually, I was invited to try it out."

    I mentioned we were going off on a tangent, so my old man brought the conversation back on track.

    "Basically, in summary, I think sales is a job where you start new rtionships with strangers. It''s not about forcing or pushing things onto people if that makes sense? I believe that with your unique approach, Yuuta, you can find a way to connect with others in your own way. I don''t think you can''t do it. You should choose the path you love, but don''t discard it as an option just yet."

    I wasn''t entirely sold on sales as a possible career or if it''d suit me, even after hearing all of that, but the conversation was still very informative. It''s a topic I usually find tricky to discuss with my old man.

    I thanked him for the chat, then took my cup of coffee back to my room.

    ***

    My eyes slid across the open book''s pages like rain off an umbre.

    The text may as well have been moon runes, and none of the content was soaking into my brain. Realizing that, I closed the book with a thud.

    "Should I sleep...?"

    As I lifted up theforter on my bed, I noticed the towelket[1] I was using instead of an inner nket had slipped and was bunched up at my feet, so I let out a sigh and fixed it. As April was nearing its end and it started to warm up again, my downforter had been stored away in the closet, and now the setup was a towelket topped with an ordinaryforter. But, these two didn''t seem to go well together, as the inner fabric would slide towards my feet and bunch up while I was asleep. I don''t think it''s because of my bad sleeping posture¡ªdefinitely not.

    [1: A towelket is a lightweight, absorbent, and quick-drying nket made of towel-like material, popr in Japan. It''s typically used in the warmer months.]

    I was just about to slide under the covers when there was a tap on my bedroom door. After I responded, the door creaked open slightly and I heard Ayase-san''s voice through the gap. It was rare for her to visit my room two days in a row.

    "Can Ie in?"

    "Of course."

    Ayase-san slipped her body through the narrow opening she''d left for herself and locked the door behind her. That action reminded me that my old man was still home. With his job being busy recently, he normally wouldn''t be back for another 30 minutes. Simultaneously, I felt my heart rate go up a bit.

    "Were you about to go to bed?"

    "Yeah."

    "If it''s a hassle, I can wait until tomorrow."

    "No, it''s okay. What''s up?"

    I felt anxiety creep up inside me.

    "Um, well... I don''t really have anything in particr to talk about, but¡­" As she said that, she walked over and joined me on the bed, where I was sitting with my legs to the side.

    "...I was just thinking we didn''t have much time to talk today."

    Ayase-san didn''t have work today, so we hadn''t walked home together, and when I thought about it, we didn''t spend as much time together as we did yesterday.

    "Well, let''s chat for a bit, okay?"

    "Okay."

    Ayase-san started telling me about her day little by little, and I responded with asional nods and chimed in with things that happened to me, too. But, as a typical high school student, nothing particrly exciting happened to me today¡­ well, aside from talking to Yoshida for a bit. Oh yeah, speaking of which¨C

    "I talked to Shinjo for the first time in a while during lunch today."

    "Shinjo-kun?"

    "Yeah. I just happened to run into him in the cafeteria. You know the bench in the courtyard? We ate our lunches there."

    At Suisei High, the main building and the second building (which houses ssrooms that require special equipment, such as chemistrybs and cooking practice rooms) are built side by side, with a courtyard in between that has a small garden and benches. In winter, it''s too cold because it''s in the shade and the wind blows through, but at this time of year it''s like a terrace seating at a caf¨¦, so the benches are highly sought after. Today, we happened to find one that was empty.

    "Eating lunch together, huh. That sounds nice."

    "Well, it''s not like we had anything in particr to talk about."

    "Still, I''m a little jealous."

    "But we ate dinner together, didn''t we?"

    Today, I just happened to have lunch with Shinjo by chance, but I basically eat breakfast and dinner with Ayase-san every day.

    But Ayase-san didn''t seem at all pleased with my response.

    "We weren''t sitting next to each other at dinner."

    Ah, so that''s what it is?

    Our dining table seating arrangement wasn''t set in stone, so it''s not like Ayase-san and I can''t sit next to each other. But Ayase-san and Akiko-san, who were often in the kitchen, tend to sit closer to the sink, while my old man and I sit across from them.

    "Sitting next to each other like that, your shoulders probably touched."

    "No, they didn''t touch."

    "I''m jealous."

    "Of Shinjo?"

    "Yeah, I wish I could do that."

    "Well, if I wanted to touch shoulders with anyone, it''d be with you."

    "Really?"

    As she said "Really?", she lightly bumped her shoulder against mine. It seemed she wanted to be physical because we didn''t have much time to talk today. The problem is it could cause misunderstandings if we don''t talk it through first. I wonder how other couples in the world make sure they understand each other''s intentions with physical stuff. Both Ayase-san and I aren''t great at reading the mood or picking up on unspoken cues.

    On the suspension bridge at Pwan Beach, we''d been so happy to see each other that we ran into each other''s arms without a second thought. But, I haven''t felt Ayase-san''s warmth as clearly since then.

    It''s also a bit scary.

    I whispered softly in her ear, "Can I hug you?"

    As if she''d been thinking the same thing, Ayase-san leaned into me, pressing her weight against my chest. I wasn''t expecting it, so I lost my bnce and we both fell onto the bed.

    "Be careful," I said as I wrapped my arms around Ayase-san as if to support her. I didn''t want to let go of the warmth I felt.

    I couldn''t see Ayase-san''s face as she had buried it in my chest. But, I could feel her shoulders trembling slightly. When I asked, "What''s wrong?", she didn''t say anything, only shaking her head from side to side. I did notice her grip on me tighten just a little, though.

    I felt warmth radiate up the arms I had wrapped around Ayase-san''s back.

    " " So warm¡­" " we murmured in unison. I felt strangely moved by it. Ah, right now, we''re feeling the same way.

    Yet, a faint sense of unease lingered in the back of my mind.

    I remembered the time when we first met and she tried to keep her distance, saying that we shouldn''t interfere with each other''s lives.

    Was Ayase Saki really the type of person who craved so much physical affection? And was I also the type of person who didn''t want to let go of someone I''ve touched like this?

    Ayase-san''s arms wrapped around my back, and I squeezed her tight with both of mine.

    The breeze from the air conditioner, which we had set to a low setting because early summer was approaching, gently stirred Ayase-san''s hair. Even though it was warm air, it probably wasn''t good to have it blowing directly onto our damp bodies. When I draped the towelket over her, Ayase-san thanked me in a small voice.

    Feelingforted by the soft sensation of holding each other, I fell asleep, not knowing who drifted off first.

 Chapter 102: April 20th (Tuesday) â€“ Ayase Saki

    <h4>Chapter 102: April 20th (Tuesday) ¨C Ayase Saki</h4>

    The scratchy sound reverberated deep in my eardrums as if I was listening to an old vinyl record mixed with a bit of background noise.

    The music streaming through my headphones¡ªLofi Hip Hop¡ªhelped me concentrate on the words in front of me, and pushed away my distracting thoughts.

    I was working on past entrance exam questions from Tsukinomiya Women''s University.

    "Choose the appropriate word that fits... huh?"

    Want and desire... it''s one of these, right?

    Both roughly mean to desire in English, but I remember that desire is used when one wants something more strongly. Want is more colloquial and casual, like when you don''t have enough of what you need. Desire is used when one wants something more strongly, and it can also have a sexual connotation. Come to think of it, there was a song with that exact title in old Japanese pop¡ªnever mind.

    I read the surrounding text and chose a word that seemed to fit.

    I checked the time on my phone¡ª7:33 pm. Usually, I''d be cooking dinner right now. But tonight, Taichi-san, my Stepdad, is in charge of cooking, so I could concentrate on studying.

    I''d told him that if my Mom wasn''t around I''d do the cooking. I''d always had to do it when it was just the two of us, anyway. Honestly, it was a bit embarrassing to shirk my responsibility just because I''m under the banner of an "exam taker."

    And today he even ditched work early just to cook dinner, which made me feel guilty. I couldn''t help feeling relieved but also frustrated that I couldn''t bnce both responsibilities.

    By the way, this is unrted, but "Nishiki no Mihata"[1] refers to a g made of beautifully colored silk fabric used since the Kamakura period as a symbol of government forces. In other words, it''s a way of saying that one is holding up a just cause. Well, I don''t think we use words like that in everyday life. I wouldn''t have remembered it if I hadn''te across it while studying history. Asamura-kun sometimes casually slips proverbs and idioms into everyday speech.

    [1: A Nishiki No Mihata (The Royal Silk g) is a g with a golden circle, which means Amaterasu, the greatest god of Japanese mythology, on a red background. This g, traditionally used as a symbol of the imperial government, is also a prototype of the current national g of Japan.]

    He''s a bit of a trivia maniac¡­

    "Oops, I shouldn''t be thinking about that. Let''s continue¡­"

    I drove away the distracting thoughts with my Lofi Hip Hop again. Then, I realized my mouth was dry. I brought my cup to my mouth and tilted it to moisten my parched throat with tea, but nothing came out. I''d drained it without noticing.

    And finally, my concentration broke. Time to take a short breather.

    I got up from my chair and stretched my arms up toward the ceiling. After doing some light exercises, I sat back down on the chair. I stared absentmindedly at the red book filled with past exam questions. I''m considering attending Tsukinomiya Women''s University after I graduate.

    Suddenly, I recalled something Yomiuri-san said about job hunting yesterday. I grabbed my phone and looked up career paths for Tsukinomiya Women''s University graduates.

    ¡ºTsukinomiya Women''s University: post-graduate career paths.¡»

    I threw some relevant keywords into the search bar and found the university''s official website. Going off the information about the career paths of alumni, about 20 percent go on to graduate school, 20 percent go into teaching, and the rest work in public service or privatepanies... that seemed to be the general trend. While there may be some slight variation depending on the specific undergraduate departments, the overall proportions remain rtively the same.

    "So only 10 to 20 percent go on to a post-grad program¡­"

    From my research, the average for women is about 5-6 percent, so the percentage is higherpared to other universities.

    I wonder if that means there are a lot of academically inclined students that go there. The face of Professor Kudou, whom I met at the open campus, crossed my mind.

    "I can''t imagine that person working at apany."

    No, now''s not the time to think about Professor Kudou.

    Saying that, what kind ofpany would be willing to hire me?

    My future job, huh?

    Honestly, I still don''t have a clear idea of my career path after graduating from university. Since I''m trying to move out and be independent, I figure I''ll need to work for somepany or other.

    But what kind of ce would be good for me? Public service? Or a privatepany?

    What does "privatepany" even mean? The word "private" isn''t enough to go off of. I wanted something more specific, not just a broad ssification.

    When I looked into it further, I found a site listing the names of thepanies where graduates found employment.

    Hmm, I see. Hospitalitypanies, ITpanies, publishing firms, advertising agencies, foreign management consulting firms, banks, securities firms... The list of well-knownpanies hiring graduates went on and on. Although it was probably just for marketing, being a prestigious national university and all, it seemed a lot of people hadnded jobs with high-payingpanies.

    Well, I didn''t know if they chose their job for money or not, but that was my motivation.

    So, what about people whopleted post-grad? For that, I pulled up articles with interviews of people who went on to be professionals right after graduation. There were people who, like Professor Kudou, stayed at the university and pursued an academic career, those who became clinical psychologists, those who became medical engineers, and so on. The multitude of paths to take in life made my head spin.

    Wow, how did everyone find a job that suits them so well?

    "Oh, there are people like this too."

    I found an article about someonebeled a "designer."

    A photo included in the article showed a woman with a bob haircut, the inner part dyed a bright color. She wore a mustard-colored jacket over a ck sweater, a thin silver ne, and mismatched earrings. I thought she looked really cool.

    I wonder where they sell clothes like that.

    ...Let''s put aside her fashion for the moment.

    When I read on, I found that her major was psychology. From psychology to a designer? It seemedpletely unrted.

    I was under the impression that it''s normal for designers toe from art schools, so I found it surprising. To begin with, she''d apparently been interested in the rtionship between stress and colors in everyday life. From there, she began researching designs that could improve people''s mental health and studied the psychological effects clothing had on people.

    It''s like when you wear your favorite clothes and you feel energized, I guess?

    And the article said with her pre-existing interest in fashion she started designing her own clothes. It took courage to venture into a field different from your major. I wonder if I could do that myself.

    Personally, I used fashion as a form of self-expression and for my own self-confidence every day.

    When I walked around the city I always peeked into the windows of designer stores and tried to memorize the outfits of people I passed on the street¡ªfrom their shoes all the way up to their hair. If I spotted a unique outfit, I''d look through fashion magazines and try to figure out whichbinations they used. Coordinating outfits like that was something constantly on my mind.

    Just now, when I saw the designer''s photo, my eyes were unconsciously drawn to her outfit before anything else. Still, I''ve never thought of it as a viable career path so far. I consider my knowledge of fashion as amateurish, at best, let alone actually being able to design things.

    I wonder where the designer found the courage to step into such an unusual field.

    I was broken out of my thoughts when my Stepdad called my name. I looked up in surprise and nced at the clock¡ªalmost 8 pm. Time for dinner, it seemed.

    I called back to him, left my room, and opened the door to the dining room. Stepdad had already started setting the table, so I rushed to help him. Please let me do at least that much.

    As I was serving the rice, Asamura-kun arrived home from work.

    ***

    "Let''s eat."

    The three of us¡ªAsamura-kun, Stepdad, and I, dug in.

    A huge te of pork and vegetable stir-fry was plonked down in the middle of the table, and we each had a bowl of rice and miso soup in front of us. Simple.

    Using a set of chopsticks meant for serving, I transferred some vegetables onto my small te. I guess Stepdad remembered that, when I first moved in, I used to avoid picking up shared food directly with my chopsticks. I don''t really mind it anymore, though. There wasn''t much meat to speak of, but that''s okay.

    There were three types of vegetables: green cabbage, red carrot, and white (or maybe yellow?) bean sprouts. The colors mixed beautifully and it looked really tasty.

    I switched to my own chopsticks and brought some vegetables to my mouth. I felt the gentle warmth near my lips. That''s always one good thing about freshly-made food. The vegetables were still warm, but I was d they weren''t too hot.

    When I bit into the cabbage, I felt a satisfying crunch¡ªyep, it''s delicious. Leafy vegetables lose their freshness and be limp if they''re overcooked. They were cooked just right. I chewed and chewed then swallowed it down.

    The seasoning was a bit different from mine. Salt, pepper, and... there''s something that makes it taste a little like Chinese vegetable stir-fry... sesame oil, maybe? Either way, it seemed like only a drop or two had been added. I wonder if he used a recipe or learned how to make it from Mom. All said, his warm, freshly-made vegetable stir-fry tasted very delicious.

    My biological father had never cooked a meal for me like this.

    "So¡­ how is it?" Stepdad asked nervously.

    "It could use a touch less salt." Asamura-kun immediately gave his honest opinion.

    Well, it is true. With the amount of salt in it, we''ll probably get thirsty by the time we finish eating. But I can also understand why Stepdad might''ve thought the vor wascking when he taste-tested it.

    "It''s delicious! The cabbage has a nice crunch to it."

    "Oh, really?! Yeah, Akiko-san told me to pay attention to that."

    So it was my mom''s advice after all.

    So, maybe the sesame oil had been her suggestion too. It''s surprising since we don''t usually use it. In the Ayase family, we often add chicken broth powder for voring. Adding just a little bit gives depth to a dish''s vor. Personally, I like adding a drop of oyster sauce. Anyway, as usual, my Mom''s advice was spot on.

    And then there''s the saltiness issue¡­

    I guess we''ll have to get used to it.

    That said, too much salt isn''t good for people''s health either. When we''re tired, we tend to make dishes saltier, but heavy seasoning can be hard on our stomachs too.

    After some thought, I decided to give Stepdad a few tips on seasoning. Thinking back to Asamura-kun''s honest opinion, I figured I was being too reserved at times like this because he wasn''t my real father.

    As I carried the dishes to the sink, we decided that I''d take my bath first.

    I grabbed my change of clothes and headed to the bathroom. I quickly undressed, rinsed myself off in the shower, and eased myself into the bathtub for a good soak.

    Wrapped in the warm water''s embrace, my thoughts drifted back to the advice I gave Stepdad earlier.

    Did ite across like I was invalidating Asamura-kun''s opinion? It was more like a follow-up than that, and I don''t think Asamura-kun was particrly bothered by it.

    But I wasn''t sure¡ªanxiety crept up inside me because I didn''t know what he was thinking, possibly because we hadn''t talked much today.

    "Maybe I''m worrying too much¡­" My words leaked out as the droplet that had clung onto my forehead fell to the hot bath''s surface.

    Once I start worrying about something, the creeping uneasiness in my heart continues to grow and refuses to disappear. Even if I get out of the bath, study for tomorrow''s ss or read fashion magazines, the unease doesn''t let up.

    So, I reluctantly put on my bathrobe and knocked on Asamura-kun''s bedroom door.

    The dining room light behind me had already been turned off, and only the faint light of a night light illuminated the area. The white door to Asamura-kun''s room was the only thing that stood out, a square cutout amidst the dimly lit hallway. I waited for a response, then opened the door a crack and slipped inside. I locked the door behind me. That guilty feeling, like I was carrying a heavy stone in my heart for hiding something from my parents, welled up inside me. But, as soon as I saw Asamura-kun''s face I let out a sigh of relief, and the stone was lifted from me.

    It looked like Asamura-kun was just about to go to sleep as he was in bed sitting on his side.

    "Um, well... I don''t really have anything in particr to talk about, but¡­"

    I sought his permission by making eye contact, then sat down beside him.

    I tried to be honest.

    "...I was just thinking we didn''t have much time to talk today."

    "Well, let''s chat for a bit, okay?"

    Little by little, I started telling him about my day, and he responded by telling him about his own. He didn''t seem worried about what happened during dinner earlier. Thank goodness.

    Asamura-kun also told me that he ate lunch with his friend Shinjo-kun on a bench at school. Shinjo-kun was in the same ss as mest year, but this year he''s in a different ss from both me and Asamura-kun. We haven''t had much contact sincest year, so I''dpletely forgotten, but he''s friends with Asamura-kun and Maru-kun, isn''t he?

    They had lunch together, huh? I see.

    "Eating lunch together, huh? That sounds nice."

    I identally put my thoughts into words. Then he pointed out that we had dinner. That''s true, but still¡­

    "We weren''t sitting next to each other at dinner."

    On the days when Mom or I cook dinner, we often sit on the kitchen side as we move back and forth between the kitchen and the dining room. Saying that, my Stepdad and my Mom sit next to each other on weekends, and if I''m the one cooking I made an effort to put their tes next to each other. They are technically newlyweds.

    Surprisingly, Asamura-kun and I don''t end up sitting next to each other all that often.

    Sitting side by side. Within touching distance.

    That''s a big thing for me. I wish I could do it. When I told him that, he said he''d rather touch shoulders with me rather than anyone else. So in response, I yfully bumped my shoulder against his.

    I know I''m being needy. I just want to make sure that his heart hasn''t drifted away from me. That''s how I feel. Just as I was about to ask for a hug to align our feelings, he whispered in my ear, "Can I hug you?" and I instinctively jumped onto his chest.

    Asamura-kun lost his bnce and fell onto the bed, but he held me firmly so that I wouldn''t roll off. He hugged me tight, his arms wrapped around my back. I could feel his warmth where our bodies pressed together. I reflectively took a deep breath. The uneasiness that''d been lingering in my heart started to fade away. Just as I felt a sense of relief, drowsiness suddenly overwhelmed me¡­

    ¡­As I shot awake, I could see the white-indigo dawn sky outside Asamura-kun''s window¡ªOh crap, I fell asleep!

    ***

    Realizing my mistake, I broke out in a cold sweat.

    I looked up at the bright ceiling light. Then, I turned my head to the side and stared at Asamura-kun''s sleeping face. I listened to his gentle breathing. Clearly, I''d fallen asleep while we were hugging.

    How long have I been asleep? I craned my neck to look at the clock on the bedside table¡ª5:12 am. It''s already early morning.

    I panicked and tried to pull away from the sleeping Asamura-kun, then hesitated.

    I shouldn''t wake him up.

    I peeked at his face, and saw he was breathing rhythmically with his eyelids still closed. He was sound asleep. Phew.

    I slowly eased my body away from his and swung my legs over the side of the bed, putting the soles of my feet on the hardwood floor. I could feel the coldness of the floor through my socks. The air conditioner had shut off, perhaps because it was set on a timer. I hugged myself with both arms to stop my body from shivering.

    After covering Asamura-kun with the nket I had slipped out of, I stood up and crept toward the door, trying to be as quiet as a mouse.

    Still, I''dpletely let my guard down. It must be because we had spent so much time apart. His warmth, which I hadn''t felt in a while, was soforting that I was suddenly overwhelmed by drowsiness. It might''ve also been because of thete nights studying.

    If anyone¡ªespecially our parents¡ªsaw us like this¡­

    Let''s just say I''m d I locked the door.

    I doubted our parents would peek into our rooms without a reason anyway, but it didn''t stop the creeping anxiety from asking me, "Did they somehow sense that we were both in the room?" I strained my ears for any sound in the hallway, before gently easing the door open¡ªcreakkk. The sound of the door''s hinges made my heart skip a beat.

    I-It''s okay, right?

    I nced left and right. Good. No one in the hallway. Taking a deep breath, I let out a sigh and was about to return to my room when I noticed how parched I was. Was it because of my nerves just now? No, it''s probably because I just woke up. My body was craving hydration. There should be barley tea in the fridge, right?

    I headed to the kitchen. Opening the door that connected the hallway to the living and dining room¡ª

    "Oh, it''s unusual for you to be up at this time."

    "Mo¨C"

    I almost let out an involuntary shriek.

    My Mom, sitting at the table, turned her face towards me.

    "Hmm?"

    "Oh, yeah. I dozed off at a weird time and woke up early, maybe that''s why."

    She was still dressed in her work clothes and she hadn''t removed her lipstick yet.

    Is it possible that¡­?

    "Did you just get home?"

    "Yeah."

    It was past 5 am and the first trains had already started running. Even for a night shift, it seemed kindate to be getting back.

    "Did you alwayse home thiste?"

    "Actually, this is early. I oftene back after everyone has left."

    When I asked for details, she said her manager had told her she could go home early today and skip the bar''s prep for the next night. There weren''t as many customers on Tuesday and Wednesday, so it wasn''t as busy.

    "I didn''t know you came home sote¡­"

    "Well, when you were little, I made sure to be home in time for breakfast."

    I started helping my Mom with cooking in my fifth grade of elementary school. At the time, I remember my home economics teacher praising me for how efficiently I boiled potatoes. There was a reason for that; I''d just happened to learn it from my mother shortly before starting the ss.

    In hindsight, that experience became a turning point for me. People gain confidence when they''re praised for their abilities. So, I gained confidence in cooking and wanted to help my Mom.

    Before junior high started I learnt how to make simple dishes¡ªas I needed to bring my own bento to school¡ªso my busy Mom wouldn''t have to make it for me. In elementary school, she hadn''t let me do any deep-frying.

    Still, in the early days of junior high, she always made breakfast and lunch for me. That was around the time my parents got divorced, so it must''ve been tough for her.

    "But are you okay? You''re not overworking yourself?"

    "I can take breaks when I need them now."

    Ah, because Stepdad was with her now. He mentioned it before.

    But, recently, he''d also beening homete almost every night.

    "Mom, why do you work so much?"

    I was curious because I thought workingte at night, or even just working in general, was tough. But my mom''s answer was¡ª

    "You know, I don''t think I work that much."

    "But youe homete every day."

    "That''s just because I start at night, so my working hours are normal. Theter you start, theter you finish. I also get a night shift bonus. It''s not like I''m working at a ckpany[2] or anything."

    [2: A ckpany is a Japanese term for apany with poor working conditions that can cause health problems.]

    Her response was pretty matter-of-fact.

    My "hard work" seems to be just "normal" for my mother, and she didn''t seem to understand the nuance of "is work really something that requires you to sacrifice your body and time like that?"

    "And besides, I n to rx, drink some tea, take a long bath, and get plenty of sleep after this."

    Both my Stepdad and Mom seem like workaholics to me.

    "Just don''t push yourself too hard, okay?"

    "Thank you. I won''t."

    "Mhm. Oh, tea, right?"

    "Oh, I''ll make it myself."

    "But I woke up at a strange time, so I probably won''t be able to sleep right away. Just sit down."

    As I said that, she quietly sat back down in the dining room chair she''d been hovering over.

    I flipped the switch on the electric kettle and used the time it took for the water to boil to find some tea leaves.

    That being said, rummaging through the cupboard to find a container this early in the morning would make a lot of noise, so I opted for a tea bag instead. Caffeine-free, of course.

    With a click, the kettle''s switch blinked off. I poured the boiling water into a cup with the teabag in it and handed it to her.

    "You want sugar?"

    "This is fine since I''m about to go to bed." She said "This" as she held up the cup of steaming tea.

    I followed my Mom''s lead and went for straight tea. I sat down in front of her.

    I lifted my teacup closer to my face. The aroma of the tea rose, mingling with the steam, and tickled the tip of my nose.

    "It smells so nice, don''t you think?"

    When I raised my head at the sound of her voice, my Mom was also enjoying the aroma in the same pose as me.

    Or more urately, I must have picked up my mannerisms from watching my Mom as I grew up. At times, I notice myself making the same gestures as her¡ªlike how we hold our chopsticks, how we hesitate, or how I prop my elbow up on the table when lifting a cup. That''s how much influence she has on me.

    But I realized I didn''t know anything about her job.

    "Hey, Mom."

    She raised her eyes from the tea and looked at me with a "What is it?" expression.

    After struggling with how to ask about what "working" means to her, I ended up deciding just to ask her straight out.

    "Is being a bartender a tough job? Why do you keep doing it?"

    "I don''t think there''s any job that isn''t difficult in some way, but¡­"

    She looked down for a moment, searching for an answer in her cup, then looked up at me.

    "Lots of people work while everyone else is asleep¡ªI don''t think that''s exclusive to bartenders. It might have been different in the Edo period or something, but today''s cities run 24 hours a day, you know?"

    "Like convenience stores you mean?"

    I thought the answer was too simplistic, but as expected, my Mom just chuckled.

    "Not only that. For example, this tea." She slightly lifted the cup.

    "We''re drinking it in a room lit by electricity with boiled water. Water and electricity don''t stop working just because it''s nighttime. There are people who make sure they don''t get cut off. We can turn on the lights, boil water, and drink tea without any worries because someone is working somewhere at night."

    "That''s...true."

    "There are people who run trains and drive trucks at night to transport things. There are people who guard warehouses and buildings at night. There are people who repair roads and railways at night. That''s why our lives can continue as they do."

    There are people who''re always working while everyone else in the city has fallen asleep. It may not be the majority, obviously, but society''s infrastructure would grind to a halt without them.

    "You probably don''t remember, but when you were two, you had a fever in the middle of the night."

    "What? I don''t remember."

    I was genuinely surprised, but I got a look that said, "Of course, you didn''t."

    "Well, you were two, I''d be amazed if you remembered. Anyway, I was a first-time parent, and I had to find an emergency doctor who''d treat you at night."

    She rushed me to the hospital, but by the time we got there, my fever had already gone down. She apologized profusely to the doctor at reception, but they didn''t get angry and were kind to her.

    "At the time, that man was also panicking and came to the hospital with me¡­"

    She took a sip of her tea and grimaced like the tea leaves were bitter.

    "I see¡­"

    "Well, jobs with different lifestyles can be tough, really tough. Living a life where night and day are reversed can easily disrupt hormonal bnce, resulting in constant small health problems. It can also lead to irregr menstrual cycles, too."

    "Ah, I see. That does happen."

    "That''s why you''re not allowed to stay upte. You shouldn''t study toote either."

    "...Don''t people normally tell students preparing for exams to study more, though?"

    "Well, if you get sick, you might not be able to show off all the skills you get from studying. That''d be a hassle, don''t you think?"

    She''s absolutely right¡­

    My Mom chuckled and continued the conversation, "Also, well, the area where I work may not be the safest ce. It''s not too bad, though."

    The bar she works at is in a corner of Shibuya''s bustling district. Since it''s just one street away from the main road, it isn''t exactly the safest spot.

    Sometimes drunk people get into fights, and people are robbed from time to time. A club located just a few minutes walk away had once been raided by police to catch drug addicts¡­ or so I heard.

    I frowned. It''s definitely a bit scary.

    My Mom''s bar is in that neighborhood, but it''s just a normal ce where she works as a bartender, nothing shady.

    "By the way Saki, do you know what being a bartender is like?"

    "I''ve only seen it in movies and stuff, but... isn''t it someone who stands behind the bar and serves drinks?"

    This time, she gave me a bitter smile.

    "Well, you''re not entirely wrong. The basic job is to serve customers and make cocktails."

    I vaguely remember seeing something like that in movies and videos.

    I pretended I was holding an imaginary cocktail shaker, shaking it up and down with both my hands.

    "This way, like this."

    As she said that, my Mom demonstrated how a pro does it, her movements looking practiced. I can''t exin what was different between mine and hers, but I can just tell. I simply shook it up and down, but my mother moved her entire arm and added a bit of a snap, causing the tip of the imaginary cocktail shaker to draw an arc.

    "That seems difficult."

    "Well, if someone with no experience could do it right off the bat, it wouldn''t be a job, would it? You can''t watch someone make every drink, so you have to memorize a lot of cocktail recipes and learn how to use all the little tools, like cocktail shakers."

    "That''s a lot to remember."

    "Learning how to use tools for work is the same for any job, right?"

    "Even if you worked at apany or something?"

    "Oh, I suck at usingputers, remember?"

    "I know."

    My Mom is someone who couldn''t even use the calendar app on her phone until I showed her.

    "You can think of it like anything you do in a restaurant, you also do in a bar. Customer service, serving food and drinks, ounting, inventory management¡­ even the part-time job you''re doing probably has all that aside from serving food and drinks, right?"

    "Yeah."

    She was spot on. At the bookstore, I do customer service, ounting, and shelf organization. I haven''t done things like ordering books, yet, because I''ve only been working there for less than a year. Now that I think about it, Yomiuri-san orders a certain number of books. Sometimes she asked Asamura-kun, "How many of these do you think we should order?" I think it''s kinda amazing that Asamura-kun can give her a specific number in response.

    Sometimes, when the number of orderses in and we manage to sell them all just before the return deadline they would both do a fist pump. I felt a little frustrated that I couldn''t join in on that.

    "Anyway, that''s the gist of the job."

    "What''s the toughest part?"

    "Hmm, probably customer service. I want customers to feel like they had a good time and want toe back. I think that''s important to get regrs."

    She sighed as she said that, and leaned both elbows on the table, resting her chin on her hands.

    "It can be frustrating to deal with customers who try to sexually harass us even though it''s not that kind of ce and not to get angry about it."

    "Sexual harassment¡­"

    "Well, I don''t really care if they just tease us with words at this point, but there are people who try to get too handsy from time to time."

    Just hearing that made me feel angry.

    "Should we knock them out or call the police?"

    Just thinking about people who''d try to touch my Mom makes me want to poke a hole in their palm with an ice pick. Why would someone do that?

    But, she just said "I don''t want you to do that." with a bitter smile.

    "It''s not like I can''t do it, I just don''t want to."

    The tea had gone cold when I wasn''t paying attention.

    Cradling the cup with both hands, I took small sips of the remaining amber liquid.

    She said, "Thanks for getting angry on my behalf," so I think I must''ve been making a sulky face.

    "But you know... I don''t think humans are superior."

    She started using some big words.

    "Uh, superior?"

    "How do I say this¡­" My Mom searched for the right words as she stared up at the ceiling.

    "Smart? Intelligent? Whatever you want to call it. I''m not saying humans are terrible creatures, I just don''t think we can always live up to the expectations of others."

    "Umm¡­"

    ©¤©¤What does she mean?

    "So, basically, I think the core of human nature is pretty meaningless. But we''re all expected to act rationally and decently in society."

    "Well, if everyone lost their sense of reason and let loose, it would be a problem."

    I want to believe it won''te to that. I want to live in a society where I can get water from the tap and boil it, even at night.

    "I think it''s unrealistic to live solely on reason. We''re animals, too. So, if we don''t let loose and vent our trivial selves somewhere, we''ll keep umting that stress, and we''ll be more and more unhappy."

    Maybe she''s talking about the issues that stressed-out people would cause¡ªsuch as ruining family rtionships or causing trouble at work.

    "But it''s more like being a beast than an animal to touch someone without permission, in my opinion."

    "Well, that depends on your point of view," she said with another bitter smile.

    Then, my mother exined that she takes pride in "skillfully deflecting" customers who fail to "let loose" in a more appropriate way.

    There are many ways people deal with the stress of maintaining their social lives: some sing loudly at karaoke, some shoot people in video games, some work up a sweat ying sports, and some vent their frustrations to their families¡ª

    And others let off steam by drinking.

    Not all customers who go to a bar to drink are the same. Some enjoy the taste of alcohol without losing their senses, while others go "to get drunk." The bar is open for everyone who wants to drink. That''s what my Mom believes.

    "Obviously this is just my personal opinion."

    "Hmm, I still don''t agree with it."

    "It also depends on the bar''s policy. There are some bars that kick out anyone who starts acting inappropriately straight away."

    "I''d feel better if you worked in a bar like that."

    "But think about it, Saki. By letting loose in a bar, that customer might not take out their frustrations on their family at home. It might keep the family together¡ªdon''t you think that makes it a very rewarding job?"

    Keeping a family together¡ª

    "Well¡­"

    I understood what she was saying. But still, I couldn''t help but dwell on it.

    Ironically, it was my Mom starting her job as a bartender to keep our family together that led to my biological father and her separating.

    No... maybe it''s the other way around.

    Maybe it was because of what happened that my Mom found fulfillment in her job.

    Holding her tea, my Mom smiled softly at me. I couldn''t see any signs of her forcing herself to do it, and I definitely feel that she''s finding fulfillment as a bartender.

    "But isn''t that delicate, tricky, and annoying customer service difficult, though?"

    Sheughed as I fumbled my way through my question.

    "In your case, thatst part is probably your true feelings."

    Well, yeah, I hate drunk people.

    "Hehe. Still, I won''t say it''s easy. If I don''t handle the situation well and cross the line of ''this is not okay,'' then the customer, me, and the bar will all be in trouble. That''s not good for anyone involved."

    Then she raised her finger to emphasize her point as if trying to convince me.

    "The thing is, rather than just throwing out customers who get out of control, the goal is to let them release their pent-up frustration while making sure they don''t cause any big problems¡­ I take a certain pride in improving and practicing that skill."

    She wants to be able to handle any customer who walks into the bar, no matter what type of person they are.

    "Although making and serving cocktails is the main part of the job, I find the most fulfillment in serving customers." She concluded with that.

    "I don''t think I could do your job."

    Just hearing about it made me feel mentally exhausted.

    "Oh my. When I was in high school, I didn''t know if the job I have now would suit me, either."

    My Mom tapped my cup with her finger and asked, "Are you done?" I nodded reflexively as I realized that my cup was empty. She stood up from the table and grabbed both hers and my empty cups, taking them to the sink.

    So basically she was keeping tabs on how much tea was in my cup more than I was. Hmm.

    "There''s no rush," my Mom said as she rinsed the cups out.

    "It''s actually pretty difficult to know what you''re suited for."

    "Yeah, maybe."

    "Yeah. Surprisingly, what you think is nothing special might turn out to be difficult for other people and could be your true calling."

    "I wonder if that really happens. I can''t think of anything I''m particrly good at."

    I''ve never thought that I have any special talent. That''s why I at least try to be good at schoolwork.

    "It doesn''t have to be a talent you were born with. It could be something you''ve picked up by just doing everyday things. Like, I''ve always been the type of person who friendse to for advice. I guess I''m just easy to talk to."

    Just seeing my Mom''s gentle smile, I think I got it.

    "I never really thought about it, but I feel like I''ve been doing the same thing all along."

    Advice, huh?

    "Saki, I''m sure your friends also ask you for one or two favors, don''t they?"

    Well, to be honest, I can''t think of anyone besides Maaya who I would call a friend.

    I''m well aware I''m not the best at socializing. Back in my first year of high school, I thought it was better to avoid tiresome rtionships rather than waste my time and energy on them. It''s unrealistic to expect people to understand things I don''t even say out loud. That''s why I really value Maaya. She''s straightforward about her needs and respects my decision if I say no.

    There was a time when I cut off all my friendships except for Maaya. Recently, my friendship circle has grown again thanks to Asamura-kun''s influence...

    I wonder if people like Maaya could be called "social butterflies."

    Wait a sec. I just realized something. Then where was I nning to find a job and make money? My Mom said it herself earlier.

    "...Customer service, serving food and drinks, ounting, inventory management¡­ even the part-time job you''re doing probably has all that aside from serving food and drinks, right?"

    That''s true. All I did was try working part-time at a bookstore, but I ended up doing all of that. But can someone who easily cuts off friendships because they see them as too stressful really handle customer service?

    The more I think about it, the more impossible it seems.

    While putting our cups in the dish drainer, my Mom repeated, "There''s no need to rush."

    "Yeah¡­"

    I said goodnight to her as she headed to bed, and I returned to my own room.

    Something that''s difficult for others but easy for me, huh?

    Is there anything like that? Even thinking back on recent events, I can''t think of anything.

    When I was struggling with the Modern Japanese Literature test, I leaned on Asamura-kun for help, and Maaya was the one who motivated me to keep going when I felt bored because I couldn''t meet Asamura-kun on the school trip.

    Asamura-kun and Maaya both seem good at customer service.

    I''m useless. The only time I was able to help was when I went clothes shopping with Asamura-kun. He praised me a lot for it, but all I did was look for clothes that suited him. It''s nothing to brag about.

    I picked up my phone, which was currently charging, and wondered how many hours were left until breakfast.

    As I unlocked the screen, the article about the designer from Tsukinomiya Women''s University''s graduate program popped up.

    As I thought earlier, I consider my knowledge of fashion to be amateurish, at best. Being able to actually design anything was out of the question. At this point, I don''t think I could catch up by studying fashion and art now.

    But still¡ª

    I wonder if there''s a job where I can help people choose clothes as I did with Asamura-kun.

    "Job hunting, huh¡­"

    I caught a glimpse of the blue morning sky through a gap in my curtains.

    The thin rays of sunlight shining through made streaks of light on my bed.

 Chapter 103: April 21st (Wednesday) â€“ Asamura Yuuta

    <h4>Chapter 103: April 21st (Wednesday) ¨C Asamura Yuuta</h4>

    I felt a light in the back of my eyes and slowly opened my eyelids.

    Beyond the gap in my curtains, the sun peeked through the narrow space between the buildings.

    "¡­!"

    This is bad.

    Memories ofst night came flooding back to me. I remember wrapping Ayase-san in a towelket as she clung to me and holding her until she calmed down. I remember feeling her warm body and quiet breathing. And, I remember being ovee by sleep myself.

    In our t. With my old man and Akiko-san here.

    Kindergarten-aged siblings spending a night hugging each other in the same bed might be all well and good, but two high school-aged siblings? There''s no way that''smon in modern Japan unless they were stuck on some snow-covered mountain in a disaster, right? It might also happen if the siblings were extremely close, but... that''s not the point; Ayase-san and I aren''t blood-rted in the first ce.

    Put simply, we''re just a boy and a girl who happen to like each other. Wait a sec, wouldn''t it be even worse if we were blood-rted? The ethics of sibling love are prettyplicated.

    ...Where''s Ayase-san?

    There was no sign of her sleeping beside me. Had she woken up before me and left the room?

    I hurriedly sat up, and the nket around my shoulders slipped down.

    A nket? I looked down at the fabric gathered around my waist, trying to remember. The only thing I put over her was a towelket. The air conditioner had stopped, and the room''s temperature had dropped considerably since dawn. Most likely, Ayase-san had put this nket on me.

    I held the soft fabric in my hand, but the warmth was already gone. That absence made me remember the heat I had felt beside me, and my cheeks grew hot. I can''t believe I fell asleep like that. But the warmth of her slim body I''d held was soforting. That''s why I was scared to lose it. Just a slight movement felt like it would make it disappear, and I couldn''t bring myself to move my body.

    It was like a cat lover not wanting to wake a cat sleeping on theirp¡ªwell, maybe not.

    I fell asleep without changing into my PJs. I looked down at my wrinkled clothes with a frown, then looked around the dimly lit room again.

    As I thought, Ayase-san was nowhere to be seen.

    I turned on the light, stood up, and checked the door. Unlocked. She probably woke up earlier and left the room. Ayase-san had locked the door from the inside when she came in, so I don''t think she was seen by my old man or Akiko-san. Still, I''d been way too careless this time.

    Checking the time, it was already past 7 in the morning, and if I went back to sleep, I''ll bete for sure. I have no choice but to get up.

    Imagining the awkwardness of facing my old man and Ayase-san (Akiko-san was probably still asleep) made my feet feel heavy, but I can''t just stay in my room forever. I braced myself and left the room.

    I washed my face in the bathroom. The cold water on my face helped wash away the haziness in my heart.

    "Phew¡­"

    I took a deep breath and headed to the dining room.

    When I opened the door, Ayase-san was there. Our eyes met as she turned around¡ª

    And she looked away.

    It was unnaturally quick. Then again, I could hardly hold Ayase-san''s awkwardness against her, because I looked away at the same time.

    She''d already changed into her school uniform and was wearing an apron over the top of it. She''d woken up without issue and made breakfast for us¡ªmaking me feel guilty for sleeping so soundly and ashamed for not doing my share.

    My heart was pounding too fast and I couldn''t calm my nerves.

    Without looking at her face, I spoke.

    "Good morning¡­"

    "Mm. Good morning."

    Ayase-san''s response was also pretty awkward.

    I nced at my old man sitting at the dining table. He''s probably reading the newspaper on his tablet and didn''t look up. Ah, that''s a relief.

    As I sat down at the table, I pped my hands together in thanks for the food in front of me. Today, we had grilled salmon filets, roasted seaweed, and grated daikon radish¡ªa very traditional Japanese breakfast.

    With a light thud, a bowl of rice was plonked down in front of me. Steam rose from the shiny white grains. It looks delicious.

    "Here you go," Ayase-san said as she removed her apron.

    "Thanks."

    Our eyes met for a moment, but we both quickly looked away. Well, this is awkward.

    "Let''s eat¡­"

    "Hm, what''s wrong?"

    My old man was looking at me.

    "Nothing."

    "You''re unusually quiet. Looks like you''re going to bete, everything okay?"

    "I''m cutting it close, but I''ll be fine."

    "If you''re in a hurry, you can leave the dishes and go. I can clean up since I have ate start at work today."

    "No, it''s fine, I can do it."

    I broke apart the grilled salmon filet with my chopsticks, drizzled soy sauce on it, and put it on the rice. I scooped up the rice and salmon with chopsticks and brought it to my mouth in one go. The salmon was grilled just right, still moist, and the rice was fluffy and easy to chew. The juice from the fish, white rice, and soy sauce mixed together as I chewed, creating an indescribable deliciousness, but I didn''t have enough time to savor it properly today. Chewing slowly is better for the stomach and overall health, but if I didn''t finish in five minutes, I''d bete.

    For now, I''ll have to overlook my health a bit and hurry up and eat.

    Ayase-san grabbed her bag and turned her back to us.

    "Well, I''m off."

    I watched her back as she disappeared into the entryway. My old man called out, "Take care!"

    I hurriedly called out too.

    "Take care!"

    "Yuuta, it''s bad manners if you don''t finish chewing first."

    "Ah, yeah."

    I know that, but I also want to properly send her off when she leaves and greet her when shees home.

    I heard the faint sound of the front door closing as I continued eating.

    "Hey, Yuuta," my old man said in a low voice.

    I felt my heart jump.

    "...Uh, yeah?"

    "Don''t stay up toote. It''s a waste if you ruin your health."

    "Oh, that''s what it was."

    "Huh?"

    "Oh, no, don''t worry. I wasn''t up thatte."

    "Is that so? Well, that''s fine then."

    Sorry, Dad. It wasn''t that I stayed upte; it was more like I went to bed early. And it wasn''t because I was studyingte; I fell asleep while holding Ayase-san¡ªwhen I tried to put that into words it felt incredibly immoral.

    But, I couldn''t spill the beans about Ayase-san to my old man without her knowing. If I got to the point where I needed to tell him someday, I''d only do it after I talked to her about it first.

    ¡­Can I really do that?

    When I think about telling my old man and Akiko-san about our rtionship, I feel a sense of nervousness and guilt.

    No, not guilt exactly, but©¤

    A hesitation toe clean about it, I guess.

    Oh no, it''s time to go!

    "Thanks for the food!"

    I hurriedly cleared the dishes away and rushed out of the door.

    I smelled a floral scent as I rode my bike to school. I didn''t have time to think on what kind of scent it was, though.

    It was a morning at the end of spring.

    ***

    During ss I found myself reflecting on the events of the morning.

    I can''t help feeling we''d been a whisker away from getting caught. What Ayase-san and I had done was something real siblings simply don''t do, in normal circumstances at least. I''m genuinely relieved we weren''t discovered, but by the same token, it feels like we missed another chance.

    If we weren''t siblings, it wouldn''t be strange for us to act like a normal high school couple¡­ still, it''s not something we should just unt in people''s faces.

    Then there''s the hesitation I feel abouting clean.

    I lost myself in thought trying to figure out the root cause of that feeling.

    As a result, I couldn''t focus on the morning sses, and before I knew it, it was lunchtime.

    "Yo, Asamura!"

    I looked up when someone called my name.

    "Yoshida?"

    "Zoning out again, man? What''s it this time? Whatever, let''s grab lunch in the cafeteria."

    The school cafeteria, huh? Usually, I just grabbed some bread from the school store, but I didn''t have enough time to eat properly this morning so I was pretty starving.

    "Alright, sounds good."

    I grabbed my wallet out of my bag and stood up. I nced over at Ayase-san. As usual, she was surrounded by girls, ss Rep included. They had pushed their desks together, forming an ind.

    Lately, it seems like they often eat together like that. I don''t know what Ayase-san did for lunch in second year, but like me, she probably either ate alone or asionally with Narasaka-san.

    I guess Ayase-san''s surroundings had changed a fair bit since we started our third year.

    But¡­ what about me?

    As I trailed behind Yoshida, who set a brisk pace for some reason, I again tried to puzzle out the hesitance I felt towards my old man this morning. Yet, my thoughts were spinning in circles, and I struggled to grasp the feeling. At times like this, Maru would usually notice and casually lend me his ear so I could talk about my concerns... But this is my own problem and it''s a mistake to think that someone else should care about it. I have to find a way to solve it myself¡ª

    "We''re here."

    "Ah, right."

    I snapped back to reality.

    Yoshida was putting his phone back in his pocket.

    "Huh? Phone call?"

    "Nah, just a message. Don''t worry."

    Saying that he opened the sliding door to the cafeteria.

    The Suisei High cafeteria is built adjacent to a long building housing the sports clubs'' locker rooms and the pool. Surprisingly spacious inside, there are more than ten tables that could seat about six people each. But, while it could amodate the equivalent of two or three ssrooms'' worth of students, it isn''t very popr among the general student body due to having limited menu options. I''ve heard from Maru that the cafeteria was a popr spot for the athletic clubs'' members, who would gather there with the hungry eyes of starving tigers.

    The interior resembled a self-service soba noodle shop. You choose the menu item you want from a ticket machine near the entrance, then line up at the counter with your ticket.

    Many of the students in line were clearly athletes, judging by theirrge builds.

    "Check it out, the portions are massive here."

    "Yeah."

    "The taste is kinda mid though, nothing special."

    I smiled wryly at Yoshida''s honest opinion.

    "No worries, I''m kind of hungry right now anyway."

    Yoshida chose katsudon[1], and I went with chikuwa[1] tempura udon. Yoshida wasn''t lying, there was a lot of food per serving. Even the tempura pieces were piled high.

    [1: Katsudon: A Japanese dish made with deep-fried pork cutlets, eggs, and onions served over a bowl of rice.

    Chikuwa: A type of Japanese fish cake made from fish paste and wheat flour, used in various dishes like soups, stews, and stir-fries.]

    I put the te on my tray and looked around for an empty seat.

    "Asamura, over here."

    "Huh?"

    For whatever reason, I walked towards the table without even ncing to the side. I took a seat across from Yoshida, tilting my head in confusion.

    A girl sitting diagonally across from me bowed her head.

    "Thank you for your help the other day."

    ¡ªHm?

    I recognized her voice and looked up. I was certain she''d been addressing me, but I''m sure I don''t remember knowing this girl... Ah, it''s her.

    "No, no, I didn''t do anything. Yoshida did most of it."

    "Yep, true."

    "You''re really going to talk up yourself like that?"

    After that yful jab, I turned my attention towards the girl.

    With a round face and her hair in loose twin tails, this girl''s name was¡ª

    "Makihara-san, right?"

    "Yay, you remembered me. Yes, I''m Makihara. Thank you for taking care on the school trip."

    She''s the girl who copsed from anemia during our school trip. Yoshida and I took her to the hotel where we were staying, with Makihara-san riding on his back for much of it. She was slim with white skin that looked like porcin. I heard she was a little on the frail side.

    "So yeah, Yuka wanted to thank you again."

    ¡­Yuka?

    "Ah, I see."

    I somehow managed to guess who he was talking about.

    So they nned to meet here from the start. Fiddling with his phone before we came in was probably to let her know we''d arrived.

    "Asamura-kun, would you like some tea?"

    "Huh?"

    "I''ll go get it for you. And for Yoshida-kun too."

    Looking at Makihara-san''s tray, there''s a stic cup about 80 percent full of tea with a color simr to hojicha[2].

    [2: Hojicha is a roasted Japanese green tea with a smoky vor and reddish-brown color. It has less caffeine, and can be drunk hot or cold.]

    "Ah, I can get it myself. It''s okay."

    "Just getting the free tea from the cafeteria isn''t much of a thank you, but let me do at least this much since I caused you trouble."

    "Just take it man, it''s her way of saying thanks."

    "I feel bad for making her go through the hassle though¡­"

    "It''s okay, it''s no big deal, really," Makihara-san said with a soft smile and went over to the drinks dispenser.

    "She''s pretty considerate, don''t ya think?"

    "Yeah, I think so too."

    It''s already been about two months since the school trip, so I suppose she''s a serious person based on the fact she still wanted to thank me.

    "But hey, Yoshida, what would you''ve done if I hadn''te to the cafeteria with you?"

    Usually, I would just buy something from the store, but I joined Yoshida today because I hadn''t eaten a proper breakfast. It''s just a coincidence.

    "No worries, Yuka and I would''ve just eaten lunch alone together."

    "Ah¡­ am I a third wheel right now?"

    "No, no."

    "What''re you guys talking about?"

    Makihara-san had returned. With a light tap, she ced a cup of tea on both of our trays.

    As we thanked her, Yoshida and I yed it off as if we hadn''t been talking about anything important.

    Come to think of it, when did these get close enough to eat lunch together? With thoughts like that going through my head, we reminisced about the school trip as we ate. Well, forming a close bond through hardship is a beautiful thing, as they say.

    I finished eating before them, so I excused myself and left them to it. I figured they might have a better conversation without me around. I dumped my dishes at the return counter and left the cafeteria.

    Stepping out into the bright sunlight, I squinted my eyes. As April approaches its end, the sun is getting more intense. The blue sky was so bright it hurt my eyes, and I quickly sought refuge inside the school building. As I walked towards the ssroom I couldn''t help feeling a bit jealous seeing Yoshida and Makihara-san eating lunch together like that.

    I''m aware that I like Ayase-san, and she''d told me she likes me too. After the school trip, we decided to stop forcing ourselves to hide our feelings and to be as normal as possible around each other.

    But in reality, what''s our rtionship? Even after confessing our love and even kissing¡ªnot to mention falling asleep in each other''s arms¡ªwe somehow can''t even manage to eat lunch together. Why''d things turn out this way? And since we couldn''t even have a proper conversation at school, we both feel lonely. So, when we get home, we couldn''t resist touching each other whenever we''re alone.

    Is this really "acting normal?"

    Ayase-san and some girls passed me as I entered the ssroom, and I wondered where they were going. Our eyes met for a moment, but both of us quickly looked away.

    We didn''t talk at school at all for the rest of the day, and soon it was time to go home.

    ***

    In the evening, I had work at the bookstore again.

    Ayase-san and I have the same shift, but we still didn''t say a word to each other. Naturally, we can''t chat or touch each other during work anyway. In the cramped space behind the counter, our shoulders were almost touching. But when I was putting a cover on a book, checking the price of something, or taking payment from a customer, there wasn''t any time to pay attention to each other''s presence. Ayase-san is so close, yet so far away.

    On my break I sat alone in the office, drinking tea made from the hot water dispenser and thinking back on my conversation with Yoshida at lunch.

    I''d felt jealous watching Makihara-san and him happily chatting away. Wasn''t that the same thing Ayase-san had said the other day?

    "Eating lunch together, huh. That sounds nice."

    Ayase-san had said that because she was jealous of Shinjo and I eating lunch together. I finally understood how she felt.

    Still, I thought about what happened this morning and I''m d our parents didn''t catch us in bed together. Then there''s the awkward feeling I have towards my old man. Why do I want to hide our rtionship from Akiko-san and him? If I just came clean, Ayase-san and I could act like a normal high school couple. Granted, there was the possibility that my old man and Akiko-san would object to our rtionship. There weren''t anyws against us being together as we were just step-siblings, but they might be ufortable with it given we were a family.

    Well¡­ my old man at least doesn''t seem like that kind of person. Even if I get shouted at or told I can''t be with her, I don''t want to lie about my feelings for her. I want to say it loud and clear when the timees, like when I defended her in front of my grandfather. I want to be able to say, "I want to date Ayase-san." Not just now, but always.

    Ah, I see. It came to me. I can''t confidently say it yet¡ªto Akiko-san or my old man. I can''t ask them to ept our current rtionship as it is, with me not even knowing what I wanted to do with my life.

    I heard a knock on the door, and it opened. I looked up, and my eyes met Ayase-san''s as she entered. My heart skipped a beat as I''d literally just been thinking about her.

    "Ayase-san?"

    "Ah, um¡­"

    She slid into the room and gently pushed the door close behind her. Her actions were the same asst night, and my heart raced with a sudden sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu.

    "U-um, about yesterday... I''m sorry."

    "No, I was careless too."

    "Maybe I was just tired. I can''t believe I fell asleep. Did you catch a cold?"

    "No, I''m fine. Um, are you on break too, Ayase-san?"

    I thought for sure it was something like that, but the moment I said it, Ayase-san''s face lit up with realization.

    "Oh, no. Asamura-kun... a-ah, I mean Asamura-san, the manager is calling for you. He wants you toe to the warehouse."

    "Huh...?"

    "Like I said, he''s calling for you."

    So she just came to pass on a message.

    "W-well, I''ve told you now, so¡­"

    Having said that, Ayase-san scampered out the door again. With no other choice, I abandoned my break and left the office. Being called to the warehouse probably meant helping with packing up returns or something like that. Only after leaving did I realize that, aside from greetings, my exchange with Ayase-san just now was our first conversation of the day at work. If you could call passing on a message a "conversation" that is.

    "Asamura-san, huh¡­"

    It''s typical of Ayase-san to politely correct her way of addressing me in order to keep some distance between us. Even if it''s just the two of us in the room, apparently.

    "What''s up, Asamura-kun?" The manager asked me the moment I opened the door to the warehouse.

    "Huh...? Ah."

    I pushed my thoughts about Ayase-san to the back of my mind for now. I need to focus on work.

    "Um, did you need my help with something?"

    "Yeah, well, I would''ve been fine with you doing it after your break."

    "It''s okay, I''ve rested enough."

    "Sorry about this. I need you to carry these return boxes to the shipping shelf."

    There were one, two¡­ seven chock-a-block cardboard boxes at the manager''s feet.

    "Is this all of them?"

    "Yeah, that''s it."

    So it wasn''t packing, but carrying.

    "Understood. I''ll bring the handcart."

    The deliverypany that picks up the returns took the cardboard boxes we stacked on the shipping shelf.

    In other words, if we don''t have them on there by a certain time, they''ll be considered non-returns. The deliverypany usuallyeste at night, but since the store is already closed by that time, we need to move the packages during business hours.

    And most of the carrying work is done by young part-timers, like me. I don''t think being young necessarily equates to being strong, but there''s no point inining. Work is work.

    "I think you''ll probably need to make two trips. Think you can handle that?"

    "Yes."

    I brought the handcart, loaded the cardboard boxes onto it, and stacked them on the shelf. I made exactly two trips. By the time I was done, my break was over, and I went straight back to the register.

    As before, Ayase-san was standing next to me, but our shift passed without us talking much. Even if we did, it was just work-rted stuff like, "Please grab that" or "Can you put a cover on this for me?" Well, we are at work.

    Still, it''s frustrating not being able to touch each other, and we''d definitely seek it out when we got home.

    ¡ªIs it really okay for us to continue like this?

    That question floated up from the depths of my mind.

    I did know one thing for certain¡ªI don''t want our parents to know about our rtionship yet. Even though I''m confident in my feelings, I''m not confident in my future.

    Seeing Ayase-san change so much since starting our third year made me realize I haven''t changed at all. My thoughts about my future are still vague and uncertain.

    At minimum, I want to have a solid n for my future to share with my old man and Akiko-san when they find out about Ayase-san and I. Not having one is probably why I feel so guilty.

    After work, Ayase-san and I walked home together.

    It waste at night, but the April wind was warm, so we no longer needed to huddle against the cold.

    The sweet scent of flowers carried by the wind signaled the shift from spring to summer. The clothes of passersby were bing thinner and brighter in color. After Golden Week, more people would probably start wearing short sleeves.

    The suffocating, gray season was supposed to be over.

    And yet the silence stretched between Ayase-san and me, no words filling the space between us as we made our way home.

    ***

    "I''m home" we both called out as we opened the door to our t. Then came two relieved sighs.

    Finally home.

    I''m starving. I need to get some food in me as soon as possible.

    "Ah, I''m on cooking duty tonight, right?"

    It''s Wednesday. My turn to cook dinner. Not spotting any shoes in the entryway, I figured my old man hadn''te home yet.

    Dinner for three it is. I''d set my old man''s aside. He usually let us know if he was eating out.

    "Need any help?" Ayase-san turned and asked me as she stood in the hallway.

    "If you help it defeats the purpose of taking turns. It''s okay."

    "Got it."

    With just those two sybles Ayase-san retreated to her room.

    We''d hardly spoken all day. Ah well, at least we can eat together. Now, what should I make?

    After tossing my stuff into my room, I booted up the Notes app on my phone. Currently, my cooking repertoire is limited, so I have a rotation going. That''s why I kept a list of dishes I can make, with notes on how many times I''ve made each of them.

    It was past 9 pm, so I don''t want to spend too much time on this¡­ I''m getting tired of stir-fried vegetables, though.

    "Let''s see what''s in the fridge."

    First things first, I need to see what ingredients we have on hand.

    When I opened the fridge, I found a pot covered in stic wrap. What''s this? I took it out to take a peek. It turned out to be leftover nikujaga[3], with about a quarter of the pot''s contents left. Akiko-san probably made it for lunch and put the leftovers in the fridge. Alright, If I just heat this up¡­

    [3: Nikujaga is a Japanese stew with beef, potatoes, onions, and sweet soy sauce broth, served over rice.]

    "Is this even enough?"

    We had vegetables in the fridge, but no meat.

    When in doubt, Google it:¡ºNikujaga+leftovers¡»

    Croquettes, stew, gratin, curry... there were quite a few options.

    Curry, huh? That might be good. I couldn''t add more meat, but I could think of it as vegetable curry. That way, I can just add store-bought curry roux, and it should be enough. I''ll add a few more potatoes, carrots, and onions, too.

    I added water directly to the pot of nikujaga leftovers, then added the curry roux. While it was heating up on the stove, I chopped the vegetables. The extra vegetables wouldn''t cook properly as they were, so I zapped them in the microwave for about five minutes before adding them to the pot. All that''s left is to let it simmer.

    While the curry bubbled away, I took the chance to quickly browse through other "leftover" recipes. It seems I''ll be relying on them in the future. I wanted to know what could be whipped up using them.

    Curry made from leftover oden[4], curry made from leftover chikuzenni[4], curry made from leftover zoni[4], curry made from leftover cream stew¡­

    [Oden: A Japanese hotpot with boiled eggs, fish cakes, daikon, konjac, and tofu in a light soy sauce and dashi broth.

    Chikuzenni: A traditional Japanese stew with chicken, vegetables, and mushrooms cooked in seasoned broth.

    Zoni: A Japanese soup with vegetables, mochi (rice cakes), and chicken or fish, traditionally eaten during the New Year''s holiday.]

    Wow, curry really is really versatile. When in doubt, make curry. Everything usually works out.

    I tasted the curry and adjusted the seasoning. It was slightly spicier than usual, but I feel like I need that right now. I also added extra spice to mask the nikujaga''s original taste. It might''ve been because the original broth was mixed in, but the curry still had a slight Japanese-style dashi vor. Well, not to worry.

    After setting the table, I called out, "It''s ready!"

    Ayase-san sniffed the air as she came into the dining room.

    "Smells good. You made curry?"

    "Akiko-san left some nikujaga for us, so I used it."

    "Leftover curry, huh? It has a homey feel to it, don''t you think?"

    "Well, you could call itzy, I guess."

    "Why? I wouldn''t say that. If that''s beingzy, then all the dishes I make are me beingzy too."

    Ayase spoke a bit faster than usual, and I was taken by surprise.

    "You think so? I think the dishes you make are always really good."

    "Oh, really? Didn''t I forget to marinate the meat one time and ended up having to apologize?"

    Oh¡­

    "Ah, I remember now. That''s the time when I didn''t know what marinating was."

    If I recall correctly, that happened right after Ayase-san and her Mom moved in at the beginning of Junest year.

    "So that''s what you remember, huh?"

    Ayase-san''s wry smile finally cracked the icy tension that''d built up between us and the awkwardness eased up a bit.

    We both sat down, put our hands together, and said, "Let''s eat."

    "Mmm, this is delicious."

    Hearing that from a skilled cook like her made me happy.

    "It might be a tad spicy."

    "Yeah... it''s definitely spicier than usual, but it''s still delicious. I can''t even taste the nikujaga vor you tried to mask."

    "Haha, busted."

    We continued to chat casually like that. We tiptoed around the elephant in the room¡ªwhat happenedst night¡ªas the conversation gradually shifted to what''d been on both of our minds recently. Our futures, or more specifically, finding a job.

    When I told Ayase-san about the long talk I had with my old man, she mentioned she had a simr one with Akiko-san.

    "We''re kind of doing the same thing, aren''t we?"

    "Yeah. Well, I guess that''s just what it means to be a student preparing for entrance exams."

    While it isn''t our first time taking exams, university entrance exams felt way more connected to our futures than regr high school ones. It should go without saying, but there were plenty of people who ended up in professions without going to university as well.

    "Honestly, I don''t know what job would suit me."

    "I said the same thing to Mom. It''s hard to know what you''re suited for."

    "I guess that''s just how it is."

    Ayase-san nodded and continued, "Unlike my Mom, I never thought I''d be that great at customer service. I don''t really enjoy dealing with people, you know. But you seem to have a knack for it, Asamura-kun."

    "Really? I don''t see it."

    "Really. I can tell by the way you talk to customers at work. You''re practically a wizard when ites to helping people find books they want."

    "Well... that''s just because I read a lot of books."

    "Maybe that''s what Mom meant by, ''Something you''ve picked up by just doing everyday things''."

    Hmm, that''s a good point. I''d never thought of it that way.

    "So back in my junior high days¡­"

    "Hmm?"

    Having suddenly changed the subject, Ayase-san looked at me with her head tilted to the side. Her gesture was so adorable that, for a moment, I was reminded how much I love her.

    "So back then I thought of myself as a bit of a bookworm. I was absolutely certain I read more books than anyone else."

    "How many books did you read?"

    "One a day, or near abouts."

    "That''s amazing."

    "Yeah, well, everyone praised me like you just did. I guess I was kind of full of myself. Then I had a chance to talk to my Japanese Language teacher at that time. They were the kind of humble person who even used honorifics when talking to students."

    So, I got carried away and asked them how many books they read.

    "And then?"

    "They casually told me they read three books every day. They weren''t even boasting about it or anything."

    "That many... in one day?"

    "Yeah. They said it without even a hint of pride. That''s when I thought, ''This is what a true bookworm is like''."

    From then on, I never thought of myself as a bookworm again.

    "Um, you know... that teacher was amazing and all, but I think you''re pretty amazing too, Asamura-kun."

    "Maybe that''s the case, but¡­ That''s why I can''t see myself doing it as a career. Especially for someone like me who wants to be the best at things."

    "Like being the world''s number one bookworm or something?"

    "That''s fine too, or maybe the best bookstore clerk in Japan. But you could see how people would think I wasn''t good enough, right?"

    "Wait a sec, if people have to be the best at something before they do it as a job, wouldn''t that make you the only bookstore clerk in the entire world?"

    I couldn''t hold back a smile, as I was thinking the exact same thing.

    "Well, that''s not what work is supposed to be about, right? Plus, I''m the type of person who can''t even decide what my favorite book is."

    "So, does that mean you''re not into having favorites?"

    "More like, I have a favorite for everything. Like, for time-travel sci-fi, this book is my favorite and for horror, it''s this one¡­ something along those lines."

    Ayase-san nodded along to my exnation.

    "Yeah, it''s more about being unique rather than being the best, right?"

    "Something like that, yeah. At first, I tried to read four books a day, trying topete against myself. But reading that way wasn''t fun at all. When I stopped to think about why I was reading in the first ce, I realized forcing myself to read wasn''t the answer."

    "So, what about now?"

    "Now, it''s not about how many books I''ve read, but how I read them. I just want to read in a way that''s true to myself, you know?"

    "Reading in a way that''s true to yourself, huh¡­ that''s a very ''Asamura-kun'' way of thinking."

    "Thanks. Well, honestly, I don''t even remember that way of thinking ever being useful, so I guess it''s just me beingpletely self-indulgent."

    She smiled as if to say, "That''s not true" and I felt my heart grow lighter. Come to think of it, I haven''t even told Maru about this stuff.

    "Anyway, what about you, Ayase-san? Don''t you have ''something you''ve picked up by just doing everyday things''?"

    Ayase-san hesitated for a moment before opening her mouth.

    She told me she''d read an article about a person who became a designer after finishing Tsukinomiya Women''s University''s graduate program.

    "A designer, huh?"

    "I''ve never studied design, let alone drawn a single picture. I don''t think I do what that woman does, to be honest. But, I do like thinking about clothingbinations and what kind of clothes suit each person."

    "I remember you helping me pick out clothes that one time."

    "I borrowed a shoujo manga from Maaya once."

    Huh? The topic changed out of nowhere.

    "You don''t normally read manga, do you?"

    "She forced me to read it because she rmended it. The manga''s protagonist is a celebrity, but for whatever reason, she never wears the same outfit twice."

    "Sounds expensive."

    "You''d think so, right? But it also mentioned her not having much money, and as I kept reading, I realized something¡ªshe was just wearing the same clothes in different ways."

    Considering I''m hopeless when ites to fashion, I asked Ayase-san what she meant.

    "Maaya told me to look closer at the outfit changes. When I thought about it, each outfit does show up at some point. But the top and bottombos are different, or they might change just the socks or another small detail, or even switch up essories and hairstyles. Sometimes they add new outfits, and you can tell, like, ''Ah, that''s new''."

    "That''s amazing."

    "Yep, I thought it was pretty amazing too."

    Ayase-san sounded like a mischievous kid bragging about a prank.

    "You probably haven''t noticed, Asamura-kun, but I''ve been doing the exact same thing since I moved in. I''ve never worn the same outfitbination twice."

    She was right, I hadn''t noticed.

    "I see. That''s why I think you''d be good at giving fashion advice."

    "Mm, I don''t know if I can do it, but I just thought it would be nice."

    Still, she''d taken a small step forward.

    I wonder if there''s something I''m naturally good at that I haven''t figured out yet. Will I find it during my four years in university?

    No, can I even manage to pass the university entrance exams in the first ce?

    The more I think about it, the more anxious I be about my future.

    Even the spiciness of the curry couldn''t lift my spirits.

    ***

    I felt an overwhelming thirst gripping my throat.

    Maybe because I''d spent too long in the bath thinking about the future?

    It waste. My old man had alreadye home, eaten dinner, and gone to bed. The dishes were washed, so I could just go to bed and read or sleep if I wanted, but I needed to rehydrate.

    I went to the kitchen and opened the fridge.

    I poured the barley tea we always kept stocked into a ss. It wasn''t quite hot enough yet to start gulping down cold barley tea, though. I was sipping it slowly when Ayase-san walked through the hallway door.

    She passed by me and opened the refrigerator to take out the barley tea. She must''ve been thirsty too, I guess.

    She tried to drink standing up but thought better of it and sat down next to me.

    The sight of Ayase-san wearing only loungewear with a cardigan over it is unusual, as she normally tried not to show any vulnerability. But there was a chance she just didn''t know I was in the kitchen.

    Still, I''m happy the distance between us has shrunk to the point where she didn''t panic and run away the moment she noticed me.

    "You are working hard thiste into the night, huh"

    It was already past midnight.

    "Yeah¡­"

    I peered into her face to see why she sounded so gloomy.

    "What''s wrong? You seem a bit down."

    "My studying isn''t going well."

    Her downcast expression made me a bit worried.

    "Well... I''m not one to talk. I''m a third-year student, yet my concentration is way worse than before."

    "You too?"

    "Pretty much."

    "I see."

    After that quick exchange, we both fell silent. As we stared at each other, I realized that we hadn''t really talked much or touched each other today.

    We both slowly reached our arms out towards each other, but our hands stopped midway, hovering in the air.

    "We should really get a good night''s sleep, right?"

    "Yeah¡­ you''re right."

    The hands that''d been seeking each other''s warmth slowly pulled back.

    "Goodnight, Asamura-kun."

    "Yeah, goodnight, Ayase-san."

    With that, we both returned to our respective rooms.

    It''s barely been a day since we werest careless, yet we''d almost slipped up again¡ªthis time with our parent''s bedroom just one door away. It''s like we''re asking to be caught. But, as things stand, I don''t have a good enough future n to show Akiko-san and my old man.

    Despite that, the current me can''t help but chase after Ayase-san''s reflections at each and every turn¡ª

    With my thoughts spinning around, I got into bed.

    I''d intended to read a bit before hitting the hay, but not a single line of the book made its way into my mind, so I reluctantly gave up and closed my eyes.

 Chapter 104: April 21st (Wednesday) â€“ Ayase Saki

    <h4>Chapter 104: April 21st (Wednesday) ¨C Ayase Saki</h4>

    There are definitely sses that make me sleepier than others.

    The weather was lovely this time of year. Warm sunlight streamed into about the second row from the window, making the ssroom bright. Almost too bright.

    The edge of the roller curtains swayed gently in the breeze from the slightly open windows.

    The conditions were perfect for a post-lunch nap. Even if I wasn''t near the window it still made me feel sleepy. On top of that, it was just after a grueling PE ss in fourth period. Worse still, the current ss¡ªJapanese History¡ªis one I''m good at, so I let my guard down.

    Overwhelmed by sleepiness, I found myself unconsciously repeating the rhythmic row, row of a boat in my head as I dozed off.

    ss Rep, who sat next to me, was called on by the teacher. She scraped her chair back as she stood up, probably to wake me up. Thankfully, I managed to keep my eyes open for the rest of the ss, but I''m clearly more zoned out than usual.

    This is the first time I''ve fallen asleep in ss since entering high school.

    I messed up.

    I nced at ss Rep beside me. She was looking at me too and moved her finger to her mouth. I panicked and hurriedly wiped my mouth. Did she notice?

    She moved her lips to form the word "Li-e". Ugh. So she did notice I fell asleep.

    I mouthed a "Thank you" as I nced in the teacher''s direction. Then I turned back to the ckboard. I never thought the day woulde when I''d be getting help from other people. I''ve tried my best to keep my walls up, to not show any weakness, but now they''re crumbling down so easily.

    What the heck has gotten into metely?

    After ss ended, we had a short 10-minute break before the next period started. There wasn''t really any time to do anything besides prepare for the ss next. Still, my ssmates crowded around the cheerful ss Rep and chatted away the whole time. As the person next to her, I inevitably got caught up in it. Well, to be fair, ss Rep didn''t force me to talk to her, so I could just listen with half an ear. But, there were some ssmates among the group who were pretty persistent in trying to talk to me.

    The biggest change in my third year is how I deal with these situations now. I wanted to learn from Asamura-kun''s good social skills at work, so I couldn''t be cold like I used to be when people talked to me. If I think about this as practice for customer service, I can''t just brush them off. But today I feel gloomy and just want to be left alone.

    If Maaya were here, she''d understand the situation and leave me to my own devices, but it''s silly to expect other people to show that level of consideration.

    With a fake smile stretching my cheeks, I slogged my way through the break. By the time school was over for the day I felt mentally exhausted. And I still had a shift at work to get through.

    ***

    Things didn''t improve when I got to work.

    Yomiuri-san was off today due to job hunting and Asamura-kun and I were rostered on together.

    Perhaps because I''d almost beente and felt rushed, work that day was a disaster.

    I made a bunch of mistakes that I usually wouldn''t make. For instance, when I went to restock books on the shelves, I almost put them on the wrong shelf. Even if they were kept in the same section, manga pitched at either men or women were different. As Asamura exined, if only cute girls were on the cover, it''s for men, and if there are only cool boys, it''s for women. There were exceptions, of course, but that was the general trend that I had to keep in mind.

    But he also warned me that if it''s switched¨Ca cute boy instead of a cool boy and vice versa¡ªit could go either way. I didn''t really get it, but apparently, that''s how it is, and I almost forgot his lesson.

    Besides that, I almost made a mistake handing out change to customers and messed up folding the book covers.

    They weren''t fatal mistakes by any means, but I knew something was wrong and I had to do something about it. So, I asked the manager if I could use the restroom.

    My goal was to wash my face to fix myck of concentration. I sshed my face with cold water and checked what I looked like in the sink''s mirror. My eyes looked a bit swollen, but that was probably because I fell asleep at a weird time and woke up early. I hadn''t gotten enough sleep, so myck of concentration might''ve been because of sleep deprivation.

    Since I didn''t put on much makeup today, I didn''t have to go through the hassle of redoing it. If I were a working adult or like Yomiuri-san, I might''ve had to fix it properly.

    When I told the manager I was back, he asked me to tell Asamura-kun to go to the warehouse. I found him on break drinking tea in the office and passed on the message. While I was there I had a chance to apologize to him for falling asleepst night, but I felt incredibly ufortable. The second the message was passed on I practically bolted out of the room.

    Even on the way home after work, I couldn''t find the right words to say.

    The gloomy feeling still clung to me.

    ***

    My pen stopped on the page when I heard "It''s ready!" from beyond my door.

    "Coming!" I called back and marked the ce in my notebook where I''d been summarizing my notes from ss. I haven''t made much progress today either.

    Studying after finishing work anding home is only possible because our family took turns making dinner. I''m grateful for it, but I also feel a bit guilty. I had intended to do everything on my own.

    As soon as I entered the dining room, the aroma tickled my nose.

    "Smells good. You made curry?"

    Asamura-kun exined that my Mom had made nikujaga, and he used the leftovers for the curry. He added microwaved vegetables to top it up and turned it into a vegetable curry. Asamura-kun from a year ago could never have done something like this. Because I knew he and Stepdad would just buy pre-made meals or get food delivered before my Mom and I moved in. Come to think of it, Asamura-kun didn''t even know how to marinate meat back then.

    Considering his progress, I''m genuinely impressed. But he was worried that his leftover-based curry could be seen as beingzy. I didn''t think so, personally. If Asamura-kun''s curry was consideredzy, then what I cooked every day would be, too.

    I didn''t mean to heap praise on him, but because I got a bit animated, Asamura-kun''s face seemed to rx a bit. I was relieved.

    We sat down and started eating.

    Asamura-kun said it might be a tad spicy, and he was right. I preferred less spice, usually. But I''ve been feeling pretty deted since this morning and the spiciness surprisingly didn''t bother me too much.

    As we ate, we were finally able to talk at length.

    We realized we''ve been having simr concernstely. Not just about university, but what came after that too. Until recently, we''ve only had vague ideas about what we wanted to do in the future. But thest six months had lit a fire under us and our ns demanded more thought.

    "Honestly, I don''t know what job would suit me."

    Asamura-kun''s words reminded me of my talk with my Mom.

    I tried to ease his worries by rying what she''d said to me. When I mentioned to her that I didn''t think I''d be any good at customer service, she told me she didn''t think she would be either at my age. I tried to get that message across to Asamura-kun, hoping it''d encourage him. I knew full well how hard he''d been working.

    Since my Mom and I moved in with Stepdad and Asamura-kun, they''ve tried to adjust their rules and family customs to us so we''d be asfortable as possible. That included cooking. I didn''t necessarily think relying on food deliveries and pre-prepared meals was all that bad. It could be more cost effective for people living alone in certain circumstances.

    If someone was lucky enough to have cooking knowledge and equipment passed down through generations in their family it could be pretty cheap. But for people not so lucky, starting from scratch could be pricey.

    Above all, the human brain didn''t like change much. Stepdad and Asamura-kun have adjusted to us regardless, and I''m nothing but grateful. Asamura-kun even cooked dinner for us on his own now. He also found music to help me focus while studying and came up with strategies to get me through Japanese Modern Literature tests.

    If Asamura-kun is anxious about his future, I''m even more so.

    "There''s no need to rush," my Mom had told me.

    ¡ª"I don''t know what job would suit me."

    After I thanked him for the food and retreated to my room, I whispered in my heart, "I feel the same way."

    ***

    I took my bath first after dinner.

    As I sat down to blow dry my hair, I spread a fashion magazine out on myp and thumbed through it. When my hair was short it dried quickly, but now that it''s almost back to its original length it takes much longer.

    It''s near impossible to study with wet hair. The hair dryer was too loud to watch videos or listen to music, and reading was my only real option¡ªbe it a magazine or a vocabry book.

    By the time I finished drying my hair, my Stepdad had returned home. I called out, "Wee home" as he opened the door and showed his face.

    Asamura-kun started warming up some curry for him. I offered to help, but as expected, he insisted he was fine to do it on his own and I went back to my room to study.

    I threw on some warm clothes so I wouldn''t catch a chill and opened my workbook to tackle my weakest subject¡ªJapanese Modern Literature.

    I picked up where I left off yesterday and got stuck into some problems¡­

    ¡­The buzz of the air con that''d been drowned out by my Lofi Hip Hop was in my ears again.

    Crap, I dozed off. My headphones had slipped off at some point and my face was sticking to the desk. ncing at the clock, I saw it was just past midnight.

    Since my concentration was already fading, it''d be inefficient to try and push on now. I hadn''t even finished half of the problems I''d nned to do in the workbook.

    "I give up. I''m going to bed."

    I felt thirsty. I tore off my headphones and shook my head vigorously one time. I opened the door leading to the kitchen.

    Startled, I stopped in my tracks. Someone was in the dining room¡ªAsamura-kun. He was drinking brown liquid from a ss. Barely tea most likely.

    I thought it looked good and decided to have some myself. I passed by him, opened the refrigerator, and poured myself a ss of the cold tea. I sat down next to him and started drinking, copying his sips.

    "You are working hard thiste into the night, huh."

    My heart jumped as the words left his mouth.

    "Yeah¡­"

    I mumbled a positive answer, but the truth is I actually dozed off and felt guilty about it.

    Even with his own stuff to deal with, Asamura-kun is still worried about me. I took advantage of his kindness and admitted I''ve had trouble concentrating on my studiestely. He told me he''s been having the same problem, struggling to concentrate despite being a third-year student now. It turned out we''ve both had the same concerns without even realizing it.

    It''s a little surprising that we''ve been third years for almost a month but haven''t shared our problems with each other until now. Maybe it''s because we haven''t talked muchtely.

    We haven''t talked. We haven''t held hands. And, most importantly, we haven''t felt the warmth of each other''s bodies.

    Our embrace on the Pwan Beach suspension bridge feels like a distant dream, now.

    That''s why¡­st night¡­ feeling each other''s warmth had been sofortable and we''d fallen into blissful sleep.

    We looked at each other, set down our barley tea, and reached out to bridge the gap between us. But both our hands stopped halfway, hovering in the air.

    In the back of my mind is the fear of what might happen if I followed through and touched him.

    "We should really get a good night''s sleep, right?"

    I pushed away my thoughts of "What could''ve been" from my head.

    I tried not to think about the warmth that I was meant to be feeling in my arms slipping away from me. We both pulled back our hands.

    I washed my cup, said goodnight, and went back to my room. I got into bed, turned off the light, and closed my eyes.

    But the sleepiness that came so easily when I was studying earlier didn''t return. I couldn''t help imagining what would''ve happened if we''d just taken each other''s hands and I couldn''t sleep.

    I spent the night staring at the faintly glowing ceiling light.

 Chapter 105: May 20th (Thursday) â€“ Asamura Yuuta

    <h4>Chapter 105: May 20th (Thursday) ¨C Asamura Yuuta</h4>

    Two months have almost passed since I became a third-year student.

    I climbed the stairs up toward my now familiar ssroom.

    The May sky visible from thending window was clear and blue. Light streamed onto the linoleum-covered stairs.

    "Mornin'' Asamura,in'' through!"

    Yoshida overtook me by taking two steps at a time and skirting around thending, continuing up the stairs.

    "Good morning," I called out to his back as he disappeared out of sight.

    The same scene had repeated itself countless times since starting third year.

    The faces of the people I passed have be familiar too.

    When did I stop noticing the number of stairs I climbed? Routine transformed fresh scenery into the mundane. Entering the school gate in the morning, passing through the entrance hallway, and heading up to my ssroom was the epitome of routine.

    Animals get used to repeated stimuli and stop reacting to them. This reaction was called habituation. The brain doesn''t try to remember safe, familiar information as new. You only noticed a familiar thing when it''s been reced.

    As I climbed the stairs, I looked down at my feet. I tried to recall each day I had taken each step. But, my feet suddenly stopped in their tracks.

    The first thing that came to mind was when Ayase-san and I spent the night in each other''s arms. The next day, we discussed our thoughts about the future.

    And... um¡­

    I can''t remember anything else.

    I sighed internally as I looked down at my motionless feet. A month has already gone by since then. Time seemed to pass so quickly. I''ve only just be a third-year student, and yet another month has passed. But the reason I feel time passing so quickly is obvious: there hasn''t been any significant changes in my rtionships, Ayase-san included. Days passed without anything particrly noteworthy happening, just like these mornings on the stairs.

    Before I knew it, May''s weeklong holiday, Golden Week, had ended.

    What have I been doing? Well, studying.

    I''m in my third year of high school. If I want to aim for a university with an eye on the future, it''s a time when I can''t afford to ck off. Compared to my second year, I''ve ramped up my study time for exams. I''m also studying with the midterms in mind.

    To be honest, I''m busy¡ªtoo busy. Aside from school work and daily necessities like food, baths, and sleep; my only memories were of being hunched over my desk with books spread out before me.

    That''s fine, but the problem is that I still don''t feel like I''ve spent enough time studying, no matter how much time I allocated to it.

    There''s no sense of aplishment.

    I think it''s¡­ kinda strange.

    Studying before a test is nothing special since I''ve done it countless times. If anything, I should''ve put more effort into motivating myself than usual, so that I could build confidence for my future. So why can''t I shake this feeling of uneasiness?

    I shook my head slightly to dispel my negative thoughts. It''ll be alright. I''ve been studying a lot. I''m doing all I can. I''ve been attending cram school since my second year, studying with exams in mind from the get-go. There''s no way I''ll stumble here. Today was the start of the midterms.

    Anyway, I don''t have time to stand here worrying. I should be hurrying to ss to desperately cram the test material into my brain at my desk.

    I rushed to the ssroom to prepare myself for the midterm exams.

    But¡ª

    Despite my determination, my thoughts remained dull and muddled when the test began.

    During the exam, I couldn''t shake the foggy feeling in my brain and I lost concentration. The more I panicked, the less I understood the questions in front of me¡­

    As my frustration grew, the time left for the exam ticked down.

    What have I done to myself?

    ***

    Almost dinner time.

    I''m standing in the kitchen. It''s my turn to cook today. During our exam period, I didn''t have any shifts at work, so only Ayase-san and I were at home.

    But, we hardly saw each other as we''ve both been holed up in our rooms studying.

    We live in the same house, are in the same grade, same ss, and are taking the same exams, so it would be more efficient if we helped each other with difficult subjects. At the same time, the rational side of my brain said, "No, that''s impossible."

    It''s obvious that I''ve been too distracted to concentrate on studying. I want to touch her. I want to feel her warmth. I constantly battle those urges, all because I found her so damn attractive.

    Along that vein, an experiment was conducted using smartphones. Participants with simr academic abilities were divided into multiple groups with their smartphones ced in different positions to solve tasks that required concentration. Group A had their phone on the desk, Group B had it in their bag, and Group C had it in the next room. As a result, the group with their phone on the desk performed the worst, while the group with their phone in the next room did the best.

    The experiment''s data clearly showed that if there''s a task to focus on, having a smartphone within arm''s reach is distracting. Even if you try not to think about it consciously, the act of "not thinking about it" uses brain power. Energy is needed even for "not thinking" apparently.

    Put simply, Ayase-san is like a smartphone... wait, that''s not important right now.

    I was so lost in thought that I almost burned the contents of the frying pan. I hurriedly turned off the IH stove.

    As I was ting up, Ayase-san peeked her head out of her room.

    "...Mackerel?"

    "Yeah. I tried marinating it in miso sauce."

    On the I found out that eating oily fish like mackerel was good for boosting concentration as it contained a lot of DHA.

    Ayase put her hand to her mouth as if she''d just realized something.

    "Ah."

    Her eyes seemed to suggest that she wanted to say something, but since she didn''t borate, I spoke instead.

    "You don''t like it?"

    "No, I was actually thinking I wanted to try it."

    "Well, that''s good to hear."

    "Thanks for making it."

    "You''re wee. I don''t think I messed it up¡­ hopefully."

    I followed the recipe, so it should''ve turned out fine. It looked presentable enough, at least. I also kept Ayase-san''s advice to my old man in mind and tried to make the seasoning on the lighter side.

    We sat down at the table facing each other, put our hands together, and said, "Let''s eat."

    I broke apart the white fish marinated in miso sauce with my chopsticks and put it in my mouth with rice. The sweet and savory aroma tickled my nose as steam rose, and the soft vor spread gently on my tongue.

    Mmm, it turned out pretty good.

    Ayase-san also said it was delicious. But she seemed a little down, and it made me worried.

    "Are you feeling sick?"

    "No, I''m fine."

    While saying that, her chopsticks began moving again. She looked like she''d remembered something. Not able to press for more details, I industriously moved my chopsticks in the same way.

    We continued eating in silence.

    After dealing with the dishes, we exchanged a spontaneous "Well then" and "Yeah" before retreating to our respective rooms.

    Time for more studying.

    I spread my notebook out on the desk.

    In the end, I couldn''t bring up today''s exam with Ayase-san. If I ask her how she feels about the exam, I''ll have to answer the same question myself. It''d be hard to say that it went perfectly, but it''d also be dishonest to lie to her right now. Plus, it''d be an unbearable situation when the test results actually came out.

    Before the exams, Ayase-san and I agreed not to touch each other like couples do in order to focus on our exams. That''s why we had to achieve good results.

    It''s time to put my head down.

    If I can''t produce good results, I won''t feel confident at all, and if I neglect what I should be doing, I can''t expect to have happy times with Ayase-san in the future¡ªIt''s just not the right way to go about it.

    I get it.

    But, the reality is that I finished the first day of the examscking concentration anyway. Then, along with my frustrations about the situation, another worry reared its ugly head.

    Ayase-san''s feelings.

    Going off her expressions and behavior, she seemed like her normal self. She was calm and collected, as per usual. There were moments when things felt awkward, but that''s probably because I''m not acting normally myself. It could''ve also been because of me making her feel anxious.

    It''s not like I''m a mind reader, so I couldn''t decipher Ayase-san''s feelings. Since we''ve been holding ourselves back from touching, strangely enough, I feel like the emotional distance between us has grown as well.

    Beep, beep, beep. I hurriedly looked up. It was the rm I''d set.

    The Pomodoro Technique¡ª a method of studying involving splitting up time into chunks to improve concentration. I set the rm to ring every 25 minutes. One chunk consisted of 25 minutes of study and a 5-minute break.

    I dropped my eyes back down to my notebook. I hadn''t made any progress at all.

    Once again, I spent the time I should''ve used for studying thinking about things there weren''t any answers to.

    This can''t go on.

    But I can''t think of any solutions.

    I guess it is true that it takes brain power to deliberately not think about something. And a lot of it, apparently.

    I somehow need to shove the things I''m anxious about so far into the back of my brain that I can''t reach them.

    But, for me, Ayase-san the "smartphone" is always in reach when I get home, in the same ssroom at school, and even at work. Lately, she''s even carved out a ce for herself in my head.

    I was a bit disappointed that we were in different sses during our second year, but I never thought that being in the same ss would lead to the current situation.

    If we were anxious about something, we should discuss it. Right now I feel anxious, but what''s the actual reason?

    That''s how I should''ve been building a rtionship with her.

    But if we talked about it and the oue wasn''t good, I can''t even imagine what''d happen to me.

    Beforest year, when Ayase-san became my Stepsister, I couldn''t have ever imagined being in that kind of state. I feel pathetic, constantly being pulled this way and that by new emotions. I believed that If I had confidence I could think of a solution, but since I have none and can''t solve it, I can''t gain any confidence¡­ It''s a terrible cycle.

    Our agreement is wavering.

    Our life as Stepbrother and Stepsister seemed to be faint and transient, like a bubble on the water''s surface, about to disappear.

    If even suggesting starting a dialogue with Ayase-san made me feel anxious, how the heck would we adjust our rtionship?

    The rm beeped again.

    I can''t keep going on like this.

 Chapter 106: May 20th (Thursday) â€“ Ayase Saki

    <h4>Chapter 106: May 20th (Thursday) ¨C Ayase Saki</h4>

    At the signal to start the exam I flipped over the sheet.

    First, I filled in my ss and name.

    Then, I looked at the question sheet¡ª

    It''s been a while since Ist felt the sensation of everything I''ve built crumbling around me.

    Maybe not since elementary school, when I hadn''t figured out a study method that suited me yet.

    I wonder if the study method that suits me best will change as I get older, like my tastebuds.

    ...But now''s not the time to escape from reality, is it?

    I''ve devoted my time¡ªwell to be exact, more of my time¡ªto studying. I''ve even had cooking, usually my responsibility, swapped to a rotation so I could spend more time studying. But if I couldn''t concentrate, I couldn''t produce good results, and if I couldn''t produce good results, I wouldn''t forgive myself.

    It isn''t the study method at fault, but me. I''ve spent plenty of time studying. Yet, the studies I''ve done, the content I thought I''ve memorized, all slipped through my fingers like sand.

    I couldn''t grasp questions even after reading them, as if I was chewing on that sand.

    Whyyy?! I screamed internally.

    My frustration turned to panic, and seeing the tip of my mechanical pencil trembling in my grip, I held my breath.

    I closed my eyes. I slowly inhaled, then exhaled.

    I need to stay calm.

    Calm down, me.

    I have to do my best.

    But no matter how much I tried to motivate myself, the sand still slipped through.

    With nk spaces still left on my answer sheet, a merciless chime signaled the end of the exam.

    ***

    That night¡ª

    Asamura-kun is amazing, I thought as I put a bite of the miso-marinated mackerel he''d made into my mouth. The slight sweetness of the miso felt like a little piece of Asamura-kun''s kindness to me.

    Mackerel was rich in DHA, which was good for brain function.

    Although we''ve been talking about our concentration not being good since bing third-years, I hadn''t thought of the link with cooking.

    Choosing mackerel was probably his way of trying topensate for ourck of concentration.

    ¡ªAnd when I saw the miso-marinated mackerel ted up on the table, I let out an involuntary "Ah."

    But, I can''t bring up the topic because I feel guilty. If I do, I figure the conversation would inevitably turn to how today''s exam went. Piled on top of that was guilt for not having put enough effort into cooking for him in the past. A skilled cook would be appalled.

    So, I ended up acting cold towards Asamura-kun.

    I tried to steal nces across the table at him without him noticing. I couldn''t read what he was thinking from his expression as he silently ate.

    I wonder what he thinks of me now¡­

    The thought scared me. We were alone together, and we didn''t need to care about what others thought of us, but I didn''t know what kind of conversation to have. Not long ago we used to share even the most trivial details that happened in our daily lives.

    Or is it just me who feels awkward?

    I couldn''t even taste the delicious mackerel anymore.

    We''ve held back from acting like a couple during exams. I''d asked for that myself, and Asamura-kun had agreed withoutint.

    And yet¡ª

    Because he wasn''t trying to touch me anymore, I even lost confidence in the fact that he told me he liked me. I have doubts about whether the person in front of me still has feelings for me. Maybe he doesn''t want to touch each other as much as I do¡­

    But if he wants it as strongly as I do right now, when he''s so close to me, he would''ve done something¡ª

    Wait. What was that¡­?

    "Ayase-san?"

    "Huh? Ah."

    "Are you feeling sick?"

    "No, I''m fine."

    I quickly shook my head. I somehow managed to pick up the mackerel with my chopsticks and put it in my mouth.

    I couldn''t even taste it anymore. But I desperately moved my chopsticks and mouth.

    He was worried about me, but I pretended to be fine, not wanting him to see through the thoughts that''d just crossed my mind. I shuddered internally when I realized the type of thoughts I''ve been having.

    If he were to break his promise and forcefully hug me¡­

    No, what was I thinking?

    My vision seemed to darken as if my eyes had been covered by a veil.

    I feel disgusted by my own thoughts. It makes me feel sick.

    I realized it on my own.

    I want his warmth so much, and it seems I don''t want to admit it.

    The reason isn''t hard to imagine. If he touched me first I won''t have to break the promise to not act like a couple during exams. If he does it, I won''t have to think of myself as weak-willed. I want to erase the desperate feeling of wanting him. I want a stable mind. But if he hugged me, I''d probably findfort like the night we fell asleep together. Then, I''ll be able to concentrate when studying.

    When I thought that far, I felt a chill run down my spine.

    Can''t I even control myself without relying on Asamura-kun?

    If that''s true, what''s the difference between me and my biological father, who couldn''t control himself and took out his frustrations on my mother?

    Haven''t I always tried to use reason instead of giving in to my impulses?

    I shouldn''t be so reliant on others. I shouldn''t be overly demanding and doubt that he likes me. I don''t want to be the version of myself that I hate.

    I forcefully swallowed my shameful thoughts along with the food in my mouth.

 Chapter 107: June 1st (Tuesday) â€“ Asamura Yuuta

    <h4>Chapter 107: June 1st (Tuesday) ¨C Asamura Yuuta</h4>

    The ssroom was a lot brighter.

    From June, we shed our dark-colored jackets in favor of lighter-colored uniforms.

    It''s started to heat up too, and today was hot like being under the sun, so the ssroom windows had been wide open since morning.

    A season to lift our spirits.

    ¡­Which was the opposite for us third years at Suisei High that day, as we had to contend with gloomy, rather cloudy weather and the likelihood of rain too.

    It was self-study time after school, and the whole ss was buzzing. The tone of the conversation was a mixture of happiness and sadness and our homeroom teacher, who''d normally yell at the ss for being noisy, wasn''t making any effort to calm it down.

    It''s not that surprising, I thought as I stared down at the printout in front of me¡ªmy midterm results.

    I already know the scores for each subject based on the answer sheets returned by the respective teachers.

    What I was holding was a report card summarizing the scores for all subjects. It included rankings, average scores, and even the internal standardized score of the entire school. In short, I was staring into a mirror reflecting my academic ability.

    I looked at the numbers¡ªMy personal average was roughly 74 points.

    It has dropped¡­

    It wasn''t badpared to the rest of the grade, but my score had definitely dropped since ourst exams.

    Last year, I wouldn''t have cared too much, but this year was different. The entrance exams were looming. The other students were aware of that too and had switched to study mode, so naturally, the overall average jumped as well.

    My performance dropping at a time like this is a serious problem.

    The fact that my rank hasn''t dropped did very little to lift my spirits.

    After my chat with Yomiuri-senpai, I naively thought I''d shoot for a good university to have a wider range of options for my future, but at this rate that might just be a pipe dream.

    Above all, I can''t be proud. Not in front of my parents or Ayase-san.

    Driven by frustration, I looked over at Ayase-san to gauge how well she''d done. But, I couldn''t read anything from her profile. Maybe she did well, or maybe nothing changed.

    ncing around the ss, it seemed everyone was feeling a bit down¡ªeven those whose scores had improved. Just getting midterm results back was a stark reminder that we were all entrance exam-takers.

    So even if Ayase-san''s face did look gloomy, it was too hard to work out what she was truly feeling. She did look a little worried, though. Maybe she''s in the same boat as well.

    What am I even thinking?

    No matter what Ayase-san''s results were, it wouldn''t change my pathetic personal average.

    Yet, fueled by my own anxiety, I found myself watching Ayase-san''s behavior to see if she felt bad about her results. It''s almost as if I''m hoping her scores have dropped like mine.

    I''m just the worst. Momentarypse in judgment or not, hoping Ayase-san didn''t do well just to make myself feel better is despicable.

    Besides, she''s good at self-study. There''s a decent chance that she''s improved her rank, not dropped down. She might just be hiding her joy out of consideration for her other ssmates. Imagining that only added to my indescribable anxiety.

    I want to somehow change my mindset and improve my grades. It''d be nice if there were some sort of catalyst to do that. Without a catalyst, my concentration might not return to normal.

    Self-study ended, and my ssmates left the room. Ayase-san nced at me before leaving as well. Meanwhile, Yoshida had already vanished. Third-year sports club members normally quit by June and passed the baton onto their juniors, or, like Yoshida, they pushed extra hard in the final leg.

    Maru popped into my head. If he were with me, we''d be debriefing about our exam results like we always did, but this was thest summer for third-year baseball club members. It''d be selfish of me to bug him with my problems. Maru, and probably Shinjo in the tennis club, must''ve been swamped with club activities and studying. I really don''t want to bother them.

    I shoved my report card deep into my bag. There isn''t much point crying about it. The entrance exams woulde whether Iined about it or not. If I didn''t change something ASAP my scores would continue to drop, that much I know.

    It''s a Tuesday after school. Normally I''d be on my way to work, but, because of midterms, I''d told the bookstore I''d be taking a break until today.

    I''ve used that time to focus on attending prep school lectures. I have a lecture today as well.

    So, I jumped on my bike and rode full speed straight there.

    ***

    With my disappointing report card still fresh in my mind, I paid close attention to the prep school lecture.

    While I thought my concentration was better than usual, I still feel like it wasn''t good enough. As the bell rang to signal the end of the lecture I started mulling over a way to change my mindset.

    It was thest day of prep school lectures I''ve been attending instead of work. Time was of the essence.

    The catalyst I''ve been seeking dropped right into myp as I was leaving the school. This is it! I thought the moment Iid eyes on it.

    I''d stopped in front of a bulletin board near the entrance and saw a flier that''d caught my eye.

    Written in a bold font, the flier read:¡ºSummer Intensive Study Camp¡»

    Apparently it involved intense study for exams, without having to go home at night.

    I can''t remember when the flier first went up, but wasn''t the fact that it caught my eye a sign that I was concerned about how my studies were going?

    What really piqued my interest were the two characters for "concentration."

    There''s no doubt in my mind that myck of concentration is the reason for my disappointing midterm scores.

    Ever since Ayase-san and I joined the same ss, I''m always conscious of her.

    Although nothing has happened recently, my mind is preupied, and if we''re in the same ce, I follow her with my eyes.

    Even when we aren''t face to face at home, just knowing she''s in the next room distracts me. It isn''t Ayase-san''s fault. But, I''m scared that if I continue to stay close to her things will spiral out of control before I realize it.

    The true face of the anxiety I feel about my midterm results is obvious to me at this point. I need to put the source of my anxieties beyond arm''s reach¡ªfar enough away so that I don''t have to consciously try to not be conscious of her.

    While looking at the flier, I thought about my ns for summer vacation. I nned to cut down on my shifts at work. Clearly, my grades are slipping, and entrance exams are just around the corner.

    I can use the time to attend prep school. Ayase-san isn''t a student here, so concentrating shouldn''t be a problem. In fact, today proved that a bit. But money-wise I can''t afford to take on any more courses. With work on hold, my purse strings will only get tighter.

    I''ll probably still attend the sses, but it''ll be tricky to pay for more. Should I use the self-study room like Fujinami-san? Wait a minute¡ªisn''t trudging out in the scorching sun to the crowded Shibuya station, getting tired, and then trying to study terribly inefficient? That''s what I ended up thinking.

    But if things carry on as they are I''ll inevitably start spending more time at home. Then what will happen? I''ll be spending more time with Ayase-san, is what. We''ll see each other when we wake up in the morning, while making lunch, in the living room during breaks in the evening, and in the dining room for dinner.

    That''s bad. Scratch that, it isn''t bad. In truth, I''m actually happy about it, but that''s also why I''m not happy about it.

    If I feel that way during our everyday lives, what''ll happen when summer holidays start and we''re under the same roof 24/7?

    I grabbed a flier for the summer camp from the envelope pinned to the bulletin board.

    For the sake of my future with Ayase-san, perhaps I need to deliberately put some distance between us for a while.

    I left the building and, looking up, saw that the sky was covered with thick clouds. The weather seemed to be taking a turn for the worse, and the wind that brushed against my skin felt damp. I could smell rain. With determination in my heart, I left the prep school behind.

    ***

    As I was about to pull my bike out of the bicycle parking lot, I saw I''d received a LINE notification on my phone.

    "¡­Old man?"

    I opened the app and read it.

    [An urgent meeting came up. Akiko-san arranged for Saki-chan to take my turn.]

    Huh? Oh, he''s talking about our cooking rotation.

    It''s Tuesday, so my old man was supposed to cook. Originally, I had work that day, so it was his turn. That''s why I was able to attend prep school. My old man knew I''d being homete. If we needed to switch, we had no choice but to rely on Akiko-san or Ayase-san. Maybe Akiko-san had something else to do, or Ayase-san agreed to take over since midterms were over.

    That meant my old man would bete today as well, and knowing Ayase-san, she probably wouldn''t eat dinner until I got home.

    I should rush home and help out. Thinking that, I got on my bike.

    My spirits have lifted a bit, having brought the flier from prep school home with me.

    I rode through the streets of Shibuya, putting some strength into my pedaling as I headed towards my t.

    It seemed I would make it home before the rain started to fall.

    ***

    My prediction was half right and half wrong.

    As I slid into our t''s parking lot and parked my bike, I sent Ayase-san a LINE message to let her know I was home. She''s not the type to go out and have fun just because exam results are back, so she should''ve been home by now.

    A near-instant came back.

    [Sorry, it''s not ready yet. Please wait a bit longer.]

    I was surprised because I thought Ayase-san hadn''t had any particr ns. She''d left the ssroom before me too.

    I opened the door to my t and called out, "I''m home." There was no reply, but I could hear noiseing from the kitchen. When I peeked in, Ayase-san was in a panic, cooking dinner.

    "Oh, wee home. Sorry, I''m running a bit behind. I''ll have it ready soon."

    "Don''t stress, I''ll help."

    I threw my bag in my room, quickly changed clothes, and returned to the kitchen.

    I offered to help, but only so much that I didn''t overstep my bounds.

    Since we''ve decided to divide our roles, we''ve agreed not to break our arrangement as much as possible.

    Some might argue that the person with free hands should just do the work, but breaking the agreed system could be risky.

    Habit was a scary thing; once you got help a few times, you started expecting more of it, and might even start thinking it was cruel when you didn''t get it.

    We had to stick to the system we''d all agreed on, as we cared about each other.

    Long story short, it was best for Ayase-san¡ªwho''d taken my old man''s turn¡ªto cook while I just acted as her assistant.

    We finished making dinner and sat down together.

    "Let''s eat."

    Ayase-san and I faced each other and put our hands together. Dinner was slightlyter than usual.

    On the menu was miso soup, spinach ohitashi and aburaage[1], steamed salmon and mushrooms in butter, and rice with pickled radish.

    [1: Ohitashi: A Japanese dish made from boiled greens, typically spinach, that are chilled and then served with a soy sauce-based dressing or a dashi-based broth. Aburaage: A Japanese ingredient made from fried and thinly sliced tofu,monly used as a sushi roll wrapper or stuffed with ingredients like rice and vegetables.]

    [2: Ohitashi: A Japanese dish made from boiled greens, typically spinach, that are chilled and then served with a soy sauce-based dressing or a dashi-based broth. Aburaage: A Japanese ingredient made from fried and thinly sliced tofu,monly used as a sushi roll wrapper or stuffed with ingredients like rice and vegetables.]

    At first nce, it was hard to tell, but the dishes practically shone with time-saving techniques.

    Well, even I might not have noticed if we hadn''t been working together.

    First, I moistened my mouth with the miso soup.

    I let out a sigh of relief. I thought about why I did that even when winter was long gone. Maybe it''s just because the miso soup was hot.

    The miso soup had wakame[2] seaweed and green onions in it.

    [2: Wakame: An edible seaweed used in Japanese cuisine, with a slightly sweet and briny vor, and often used in soups, sds, and rice dishes.]

    The aroma of the sea gently spread in my mouth. Delicious.

    Wakame just needed to be rehydrated with water, and the green onions were straight out of the freezer, so it didn''t take much effort to make. Ayase-san seemed to prefer using fresh vegetables as much as possible, but she chose convenience over taste in this case.

    The idea was to cut the green onions, put them in a ziplock bag, and freeze them so they could be used at any time. Although slightly different from fresh vegetables, I still thought they tasted delicious.

    Next, I reached out my chopsticks to grab some ohitashi and aburaage. As I slowly chewed the fried tofu, the broth made from a mix of white dashi and soy sauce seeped out. The spinach was also soft and delicious.

    The dish seemed simple enough, but experience made all the difference.

    Ayase-san had thrown pre-made spinach ohitashi and pre-cut aburaage into a small pot, added seasoning by eye, and turned off the heat at just the right time to let it cool. She said that when simmered dishes cool, the vors seeped in. I''d have struggled to time turning off the heat at the right moment when the other dishes were ready and at an edible temperature.

    Ayase-san imed it was simple. She''d just thrown all the ingredients together and it was done. But people with experience tend to forget that theirmon sense isn''t somon to others. That said, this salmon and buttered mushroom dish is simple enough even for a lowly cook like me to make.

    I broke apart the salmon with my chopsticks and brought it and some mushrooms to my mouth. The taste of soy sauce and butter filled my mouth. My chopsticks immediately reached for the white rice. The mushrooms were called bunashimeji[3]. I love how I can still feel the fibers in them even when they''re cooked.

    [3: Bunashimeji: A type of mushroom with a mild and nutty vor used in Japanese cuisine, often used in soups, stews, stir-fries, and rice dishes.]

    Today''s main dish is doing a great job as a rice thief[4].

    [4: Rice thief can refer to a dish or cuisine that is so delicious that people can''t resist eating a lot of it, as if they were "stealing" it.]

    It''s surprising that such a delicious dish could be made in the microwave. That''s right, the reason I said it''s simple enough even for me to make was because it''s microwaved. It might seem like frying or grilling were moremon in cooking, but today was all about maximum efficiency. They simply weren''t needed. Plus, doing much more would''ve meant I overstepped my "assistant" role.

    Quick and easy.

    That was the name of the game for the¡ºEasy Microwave Salmon and Mushroom Butter Steam Recipe¡»

    I''m always amazed at Ayase-san''s repertoire of recipes.

    She wanted to cook properly but was also realistic about what she could get done with the time and ingredients avable to her. It''s very typical of her.

    All I did was follow her instructions and zap the ingredients for the appropriate amount of time. Ayase-san cut and seasoned them. Yet, it''s to my taste. Just the right amount of saltiness and richness. When had she fine-tuned it to my taste, even though I''ve never been picky about food?

    As I ate the steaming hot rice, I started craving something cold. That''s when the pickled daikon radish shined. The crispy texture was a nice contrast to the rice, adding color andfort to the meal. Ayase-san''s cooking was really delicious, as always.

    As I was enjoying my dinner, Ayase-san suddenly brought up a topic.

    "It''s almost been... a year, hasn''t it?"

    My chopsticks stopped.

    What''s she talking about? Oh, right.

    It''s been that long since we met and started living together.

    "To be honest, I was a bit surprised back then. I figured I''d get a grade-schooler as my Stepsister, but it turned out to be a girl my age."

    "Ah yeah, that happened, didn''t it?"

    Ayase-san shot me a wry smile.

    She must be remembering the first time we met.

    She didn''t like having her picture taken, so there were only photos from her early childhood. Also, Akiko-san had forgotten to mention it, so I thought I was getting a much younger sister.

    "You know, I was kinda prepared."

    "Prepared?"

    "To live with someone I couldn''tmunicate with. That''s why I''m d it was you, Asamura-kun. I''m d it was someone who was willing to adjust to each other."

    "I''m the one who should be saying that¡­"

    I suddenly realized something.

    "I won''t have any great expectations from you, so I want you to do the same for me."

    That''s what Ayase-san had said when we first met.

    Not expecting anything from each other, and interacting with each other under that premise. That''s supposed to be our mutual understanding.

    I realized it was the same as the issue with our cooking rotation.

    It''s precisely because we didn''t overstep each other''s boundaries that we were able to maintain the status quo. But for that same reason, goodmunication between us is key.

    That''s how we''d built our current rtionship.

    It''s beyond ridiculous that we could manage to divide our household chores but couldn''t talk about the most important stuff.

    Maybe I haven''t beenmunicating with her as much as I should be.

    I feel that way again.

    "Hey, Ayase-san, listen," I said, gently putting down my rice bowl and chopsticks.

    Then I spilled my heart out about my recent frustrations.

    How I''ve found it hard to concentrate since we joined the same ss. How I couldn''t change the situation no matter how hard I try. How my grades aren''t improving. And, most importantly, how I''ve been shoving my problems aside and ignoring them.

    Ayase-san also stopped eating to listen.

    After listening to the end, she slowly opened her mouth to speak.

    "It''s been the same for me. I''ve been struggling too honestly."

    "Huh?"

    "My grades have slipped and I even dozed off in ss¡­"

    I was shocked, to be frank. I couldn''t believe my ears.

    The perfectlyposed Ayase-san, outside of the house at least, had fallen asleep in the middle of ss?!

    "I didn''t try to adjust to you either."

    I didn''t notice. No, I couldn''t have noticed. My mind was so preupied with my own problems to think about Ayase-san. I hadn''t noticed that she was also struggling too.

    "But, you know, if it were me until yesterday, I probably wouldn''t have been able to adjust to each other well even if we tried. Actually¡­"

    She filled me in on what happened today.

    After school, Ayase-san went all the way to Tsukinomiya Women''s University and consulted Professor Kudou about her recent slump.

    "I want you to listen to what I''ve learned, Asamura-kun. Then, I want us to work through it together. Can we do that?"

    Having asked that, Ayase-san started to recount her conversation with Professor Kudou.

    There''s one word that kept popping up: codependency.

 Chapter 108: June 1st (Tuesday) â€“ Ayase Saki

    <h4>Chapter 108: June 1st (Tuesday) ¨C Ayase Saki</h4>

    Walking home from school, I looked up at the sky through the gaps between buildings.

    During ss, the sky was nothing but blue, but now white clouds had crept in.

    The sun was hidden and when the wind touched my skin it made me shiver. I rubbed the arm sticking out of my short-sleeved shirt.

    It''s getting a little chilly, and I wonder if it''ll rain.

    When I lowered my gaze I noticed a crack in the sidewalk. For some unknown reason, it annoyed me, so I kicked it with my loafer.

    ...Ow.

    It actually hurt. Well, duh.

    "What am I doing?" I muttered to myself, but the words were snatched away by the wind before anyone could hear them.

    I trudged my way home through the busy streets near Shibuya Station, feeling defeated.

    Today we got our midterm exam results back, and I''m not pleased about it in the slightest.

    Along with graded answer sweets for each subject, we were handed a report card with average scores for the entire grade, the school''s standardized score, and our personal rankings.

    Mine had fallen.

    Both my ranking and averages.

    I ended up doing worse than in my second year, and dark despair filled my vision. I was too scared to even look at Asamura-kun, so I''d practically run from the ssroom.

    "Why...?" I muttered. I didn''t need to ask though, I already know the reason.

    I don''t want to admit it, but now that things havee to this, I can''t keep looking away from it.

    Asamura-kun. It''s the very existence of the homosapien Asamura Yuuta. Specifically, my weakness for beingpletely entangled with that existence. And his existence was affecting my concentration while studying. Yep, it''s safe to say my days as Asamura Yuuta''s Stepsister were the root cause of all problems¡­ Okay, Saki, just chill.

    Stay calm. Don''t panic.

    I can''t ruin the life my Mom and her partner are building now. There was no way parents with a teenager facing entrance exams the following year would move in together without considering that teenager''s future. My Mom had told me that if it seemed too difficult we could live separately until I graduated, and she''d even wait until then to get married.

    I''d turned around and stubbornly insisted I''d wait it out and start living alone after graduating. That''d lowered the hurdle for my Mom and step-dad to get married.

    I wanted her to be happy. I didn''t want her to postpone her marriage or give up on it for my sake. I''d gone to the Asamura family home fully aware of the risks.

    That''s why I told Asamura-kun in no uncertain terms that I didn''t expect anything from him, and I didn''t want him to expect anything from me. I wanted to keep my distance from him.

    And yet¡­

    Why is it that I can''t control my own feelings and have them do what I want?

    "What should I do?"

    I didn''t want to go home with these feelings, so I walked into the first fast-food restaurant that caught my eye.

    It might be my first time I''ve ever gone into a ce like this alone in my school uniform. I sat down, holding the single cup of hot coffee I ordered. Resting my elbow on the table, I took small sips of the brown liquid as I lost myself in thought.

    Time to organize and consider the situation as it currently stood. The first part''s easy, my grades had dropped despite being a stone''s throw away from entrance exams.

    A trial began in my mind.

    [intiff]¡ªMe.

    [Defendant]¡ªMe.

    [The public gallery]¡ªMe.

    [Judge]¡ªAlso me.

    [The charge]¡ªA decline in academic performance.

    First, it''s the prosecution''s arguments for the intiff.

    ¡ª"The cause is Asamura Yuuta! He should be erased from existence!"

    ¡ª"Objection!" Thewyer on the defendant''s side shouted.

    The judge banged her gavel, silencing the courtroom, and told the prosecutor to borate.

    The entire room, including the audience, went quiet. Everyone''s expression was serious. By everyone, I meant all the me''s.

    The prosecutor spoke up again.

    ¡ª"It''s clear that Ayase Saki''s concentration on her studies has declined."

    No one objected. It''s an undisputed fact.

    ¡ª"The cause is Asamura Yuuta. His presence shes in my mind, causing the words in front of me to dance on the textbook, my pen to stop, and my hippocampus to engage in sabotage!" I rattled off all at once.

    The 7-year-old me in the audience, who was curious about what ''hippocampus'' meant, tilted her head. The 13-year-old me, whose eyes were filled with anguish due to my biological father''s harsh treatment of my Mom, shrugged her shoulders, and the 17-year-old me exined, "The hippocampus is a part of the brain that decides whether to remember what you''ve learned for a long time or not."

    In short, the prosecutor''s just usingplicated words to say the defendant''s cking off in their studies. Important people tend to useplicated words.

    As a side note, there were no objections that time either. Apparently, Ayase Saki agrees with everything up until this point.

    ¡ª"As such, the defendantcks concentration in their studies, and the reason is clear. The defendant is more concerned with the existence of Asamura Yuuta than with their studies."

    The prosecutor red at the defense after saying that, and the defensewyer red right back.

    The judge turned to the defense.

    ¡ª"Do you ept the prosecutor''s statement?"

    ¡ª"We do," the defensewyer answered.

    What!? I screamed internally. They''re epting it!? Well, yeah, I guess it does bother me. It''s about the person I... like.

    ¡ª"But, Your Honor!" The defensewyer began their rebuttal. Good for them.

    ¡ª"The defendant became aware of their romantic feelings for Asamura Yuuta when¡­"

    M-m-my romantic feelings?! I screamed again internally. What an embarrassing way to say it.

    In the courtroom of my mind, a me in the public gallery frantically waved her hands in front of her face in embarrassment.

    The judge banged the gavel again. "Silence, Ayase Saki!" they yelled.

    Why am I telling off myself...?

    ¡ª"I''ll continue. The defendant, Ayase Saki, became aware of her feelings of love, or rather, affection, far before bing a third-year high school student. If directing these feelings toward a male student were the cause, the decline in grades would have happened far in the past!"

    The defensewyer''s argument was logical. This defensewyer is smart! Well, that''s also me though.

    There in my mind''s courtroom, it struck me.

    The decline in my grades started when I became a third-year student... Why is that?

    ¡ª"Objection!" The prosecutor shouted.

    ¡ª"I haven''t said the reason for my romantic feelings!"

    I gasped.

    Despite it only being make-believe, I waited for the prosecutor''s next words with bated breath.

    ¡ª"The cause of this situation is clear. The situation worsened when the defendant became a third-year high school student, meaning there was a change in the defendant''s environment."

    Ah, yes. That''s true.

    ¡ª"The defendant, Ayase Saki, confirmed her mutual feelings with Asamura Yuuta in thetter half of her second year, and a romantic agreement is considered to have been made at that point."

    M-m-my roman¨C. Before I could finish the word, the judge banged her gavel.

    Fine, I''ll shut up.

    ¡ª"Furthermore, they embraced each other on the suspension bridge at Pwan Beach, exchanged kisses, and even fell asleep together in bed. So, I ask the defendant¡­"

    A stray bullet flew in my direction.

    ¡ª"How did you feel the day after you fell asleep together?"

    I dug through my memories. The day after I fell asleep with Asamura-kun... Yes, for the first time in my life, I slept during ss. I was careless. My academic performance definitely took a hit¡­

    ¡ª"No, no, I''m not talking about your studies. How did you feel?"

    Huh? Oh, right. I remember feeling gloomy all day. I made mistakes even at work. When I got home, I fell asleep with my headphones on. I couldn''t help it, I was so sleepy that I just drifted right off.

    ¡ª"The defendant, Ayase Saki, seems to be consciously trying to forget, but was suffering from significant sleep deprivation at the time."

    I gasped.

    ¡ª "This was because, since bing a third-year student, she had been unable to concentrate, her exam studies had not progressed, and she continued to spend more and more time studying. She stayed upte at night studying at her desk, but still couldn''t finish."

    Ah¡­

    ¡ª"It wouldn''t have been surprising if she fell asleep during ss any time before that. However, she didn''t until that particr day. So what was so special about that day?"

    Oh no, this is bad. I was starting toe to a conclusion that I don''t want to ept, and I don''t want to hear it. Don''t say it, don''t say it, don''t say it, don''t say it, don''t say it, don''t say it.

    ¡ª"The defendant found peace of mind by embracing Asamura Yuuta the night before!"

    Ah.

    Ahhh!

    ¡ª"Well, to put it simply, you were relieved and took a breath, and then your guard dropped!"

    With a scowl, the prosecutor pointed at me in the defendant''s seat.

    Don''t point at people. I want to bite that outstretched finger. Cornered, I red at the prosecutor with that thought in my head. Hold on¡­ I''m the prosecutor too.

    The defensewyer shrugged.

    ¡ª"Ah, yes. I agree."

    How dare they.

    ¡ª "You let your guard down, right? You were relieved, and then all the fatigue you had been holding in came out at once. That''s why you were feeling gloomy."

    Wait a sec. Why am I being hung out to dry by both the prosecution and the defense?

    The judge adjusted her sses.

    ¡ª"Hmm? So, what conclusion are we drawing?"

    The prosecutor and defensewyer both start speaking at the same time. In my mind''s courtroom, I heard the exact same words from both sides.

    ¡ª" "The conclusion is obvious." "

    ¡ª"For the defendant, Yuuta Asamura is like Linus''s nket![1] Only when wrapped in it can she sleep peacefully, and without it, she bes anxious and can''t sleep. The defendant has been in the same ss as Yuuta Asamura since bing a third-year student, and one could say their distance has be closer. Nevertheless, their interaction has decreasedpared to their second year. In the ongoing state ofcking her security nket, Asamura Yuuta , her sleep deprivation is causing an abnormalck of concentration in her studies. The defendant is suffering from a serious case of Yuuta Asamura deficiency!"

    [1: A Linus nket is any object, habit, or behavior that providesfort and security, named after the character in Peanuts who was attached to his blue nket. See: security nket.]

    A-an Asamura Yuuta deficiency!?

    As the prosecutor and defensewyer finished their statements, the 7-year-old Saki, the 13-year-old Saki, and the 17-year-old just-before-meeting-him Saki each had their own reactions. The 7-year-old Saki eximed, ''Wow!'' The 13-year-old Ayase Saki was surprised, saying, ''I can''t believe it.'' And the just-before-meeting-him 17-year-old Saki nodded deeply, remarking, ''I see.''

    No one raised any objections. Everyone''s expressions showed that they were convinced.

    Seriously?

    ...But, if it were really true, what would I do?

    Is myck of concentration really due to a seriousck of Asamura Yuuta? To be more direct, does that mean I need more hugs, kisses, and nights spent sleeping together? If I get enough of those, will I go back to how I was in second year?

    But, the next words the prosecutor uttered came as a shock.

    ¡ª"I rmend taking away the ''Linus'' security nket'' from Ayase Saki."

    ¡ª"And break up with Asamura Yuuta!"

    How did ite to that?!

    Ahhh!

    I instinctively covered my mouth with both hands. Huh? I''m not actually screaming in real life right now, am I?

    As I opened my eyes, I cautiously looked around the restaurant. Relief washed over me. Nobody was staring at me. It seemed that I only shouted in my mind. My heart pounding, I drank the remaining coffee I was holding.

    I''m terrified by the frightening conclusion that''d surfaced in my mind.

    Was I really considering what would happen if Asamura-kun were gone...?

    Beep!

    I was startled by a message notification. When I checked my phone, I had a LINE message from Maaya.

    [Hiya Saki~? What''s up?? BTW I''m always here if you need to chat you know~? Woof woof?]

    ...Oh Maaya.

    The message was apanied by aughing puppy stamp. I felt a moment offort. How''d she know? Her timing was too perfect.

    I felt a strong urge to ask for her advice. Maaya is the only female acquaintance of mine I feelfortable talking to.

    But she''s getting ready for entrance exams too, so I don''t want to bug her.

    What should I do?

    If I don''t somehow solve my Asamura-kun problem, there''s no way I could take the Tsukinomiya Women''s University entrance exam.

    Isn''t there someone who could listen to my concerns and give me advice without causing me emotional pain?

    ¡­Conveniently helpful people like that don''t exist. Unlike the stories, there aren''t any fairy godmothers who appeared before you, waving their magic wand when you needed them most.

    Suddenly, the face of a certain person popped into my head.

    I rummaged through my bag, wondering if I still had it. At the bottom, I found a folded piece of paper with a simple email address written on it. Yep, I still have it.

    I remember being handed it at the Tsukinomiya Women''s University''s open day. Professor Kudou had told me, "If you have any problems, please contact me."

    I mustered up my courage and sent off an email. Then, as I was getting up from my chair to go home, my phone beeped.

    It was the email notification sound.

    When I checked it was an email from Professor Kudou. I almost couldn''t believe my eyes.

    "It hasn''t even been five minutes¡­"

    I sat back down and opened the email.

    ¡ºI''ll be waiting in the room we were inst time.¡»

    ...Huh?

    Wait, what? Is she telling me toe? Like, right now?

    As I held my head in my hands, my phone beeped again.

    ¡ºIf you want, you can bring that Asamura-kun boy with you. I don''t mind.¡»

    "No way¡­"

    I quickly checked the email I''d sent. But no matter how many times I read it, there wasn''t a single mention of Asamura-kun''s name other than the fact that I wanted to talk about something.

    How did she know!?

    I ced the empty coffee cup on the tray and finally stood up from my seat.

    ***

    I got off the train and passed through the ticket gate.

    A damp wind clung to my body.

    It was still too early for the rainy season, but heavy, oppressive clouds threatened to release silver droplets at any moment. I hoped it didn''t rain before I got there.

    As I looked up at the gray sky, my eyes were pulled downward, as if sumbing to the oppressive weight of the looming clouds.

    The only thing I could rely on for a sense of stability was the solid asphalt beneath my feet. I kept my eyes down and hurriedly moved my feet.

    I finally arrived at the entrance of the university, where I''ve only visited once before.

    But today was a regr weekday.

    Unlike the open day, it wasn''t in "Wee mode" for outsiders. There weren''t any signs, and no one else was wearing a high school uniform like me. From the red-brick gate, tactile paving extended towards the back of the campus. A security guard stood a short distance in, eyeing everyone entering the campus.

    Is it really okay for me to go in?

    My phone buzzed in my pocket. I took it out¡ªyet another email from Professor Kudou. It said to show the email to the security guard if I was questioned.

    I instinctively looked left and right nervously. Am I being watched? There isn''t any reason to think so, but Professor Kudou was reading my every move so well it sent a chill down my spine.

    I gathered my courage and was about to take a step forward¡ªand stopped. A group of university students walked through the gate. I quickly moved to the side to avoid colliding with them. The group said their goodbyes and scattered in different directions. I breathed a sigh of relief.

    "Hey, you. Do you have some business here?"

    I was so startled I thought my heart might leap out of my mouth.

    I turned around to see two familiar faces¡­ a pair of women from the group I''d seen earlier. One was remarkably tall, while the other woman was petite and looked a bit like a small animal. They were both staring straight at me.

    "Uh, well¡­"

    "That uniform. I feel like I''ve seen it before," the tall woman said in a slightly husky voice.

    "It''s Suisei," the petite woman next to her pointed out.

    "Huh? We weren''t talking about pens."

    "No, no. Don''t be silly, Shizu-chan. We weren''t talking about oil-based and water-based pens. Look, it''s from Suisei High School. It''s a school on the other side of Tokyo where really smart kids go."

    While saying "That way," she pointed towards the station, but Suisei High was actually in the opposite direction.

    They made for an odd pair. The petite woman gave off a delicate and fragile vibe and the other woman, probably near abouts 170cm tall, towered over her.

    The tall woman nodded in understanding at the petite woman''s words.

    "So, do you have any business at our school? I don''t think we''ve had an open campus yet this year."

    "Um, no, that''s not it. Well, um, I was called here by Professor Kudou."

    As the hesitant words left my mouth, both their expressions. changed dramatically.

    "Ah¡ª"

    "Poor thing."

    Huh? Huh? Huh?

    "Got it. Okay, we''ll show you the way."

    "Huh? Oh, it''s okay. Um...I know where it is."

    "What a shame. You''ve already been ensnared."

    "Shizu-chan, don''t say it like that!"

    The pair of them went back and forth as they sandwiched me from both sides. What? Wait a sec.

    "Anyway, don''t worry about it. It''ll be easier if we go together."

    "Yeah, yeah. Don''t worry, it''s fine, it''s fine."

    "We have to guide Professor Kudou''s guinea pi¨C uh, I mean, our guest properly, right?"

    "Mmm-hmm."

    Wait, did they just call me a guinea pig!?

    "H-hey, don''t pull my hands so hard, please."

    They grabbed my arms firmly from both sides and led me into the campus.

    Professor Kudou''s room was the same as the ce I visitedst time. The odd pair brought me to the door, said their goodbyes, and left.

    While they were dragging me along, they told me they were both students of Professor Kudou''s. Despite all the fuss, I was able to get this far without being stopped and questioned thanks to them. So, I''m grateful. Not to mention that they''d both been on their way out the gate when they stopped to help me.

    Still, they said a lot of things that made me anxious. Things like, "If something happens, run away immediately" or "Make sure to secure an escape route and don''t let Professor Kudou stand between you and the door."

    Is Professor Kudou secretly an assassin or something?

    Standing in front of the door, I took several deep breaths. I''vee this far. I can''t turn back now.

    Knock, knock, knock.

    No response.

    Hmm?

    I tried turning the doorknob gently.

    It was open.

    ...Maybe she stepped away for a minute? I peeked my head in a little to take a look.

    "Um... is anyone here?"

    Still no response came, and I couldn''t see anyone through the gap I was peering through. Wait, hold on. Is that someone''s foot I can see on the other side of the sofa, between the legs of the desk and chair? They were barefoot. They were lying on the floor near the window, and I could see the hem of a white coat. Did someone copse?

    I hurriedly opened the door and went inside. I ran over to the desk and looked at their face¡ªProfessor Kudou.

    "Are you okay!?"

    "Mmm...?"

    She''d been lying on her side sleeping.

    She opened her eyes and let out a big yawn¡ªwait, a yawn?

    "Um, well¡­"

    "Saki-kun. You missed one train, didn''t you?"

    "Eh?"

    Professor Kudou slowly sat up and took her right hand out of her pocket. She was holding a smartphone. She ced the phone on the table, casually dusted off herb coat, and stretched her arms towards the ceiling.

    "Mmm."

    "Were you sleeping?"

    "Want me to say ''good morning''? Okay, good morning."

    So she really was sleeping.

    This person was surprisingly mischievous.

    "...yes, good morning."

    "Mm. Well, take a seat."

    She motioned for me to sit on the sofa. I remembered sitting on that very sofa when I came to the open day.

    "Let''s make some coffee. It''ll wake me up."

    "I''m fine thanks, I just had some."

    "Then, how about tea likest time? No, actually, I have something better. Gyokuro[2]."

    [2: Gyokuro is a prized Japanese green tea that has a sweet and delicate vor, a bright green color, and health benefits. It is grown under shade and brewed at a lower temperature, and is highly valued for its unique taste.]

    As she said that she pulled open a tall cab that looked like it was for storing cleaning supplies. It was packed with documents, but one shelf held teaware and tea leaves instead.

    ...How carefree.

    "Gyokuro is expensive, isn''t it?"

    "It''s in tea bags."

    "...so it''s cheap?"

    "It''s on the expensive side as far as tea bags go. Have you ever tried gyokuro?"

    "I have, but it seems like a waste to put such high-quality tea leaves in a tea bag..."

    "If you look at it from the perspective of getting the full experience of drinking luxury tea, I guess you could call it a waste. But the ingredients aren''t any different, and it''s convenient, so I use it."

    As she spoke Professor Kudou busily moved around the room. She boiled water in an electric kettle, warmed a teacup for tea, and brewed gyokuro using a tea bag.

    She lined up both the cups on the ss table between the sofas facing each other and rummaged through the cab again to take something else out. It looked like a bag of snacks. She tore it open and spread the contents out on the table. They were salted potato chips.

    "To go with the tea."

    "...Ah, yes. Thanks very much."

    Suddenly, I noticed something and stared at Professor Kudou''s feet as she sat crossed-legged in front of me.

    "Why are you barefoot?"

    "Because I was hot," She gave me a look like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

    "So, were you sleeping down there because it was hot?"

    "No, that''s another reason. I just did it out of curiosity."

    "Curiosity?"

    "Yeah, you know, when couples sleep together, they usually face each other, right?"

    "Really?"

    "You can''t kiss otherwise, can you?"

    K-kiss? Why''s she suddenly talking about that?

    "That means one person has their left side down, and the other has their right side down. I suddenly became curious about whether that might be rted to the lifespan and health tendencies of men and women."

    "U-uh¡­"

    I wondered what she meant. Sensing my puzzled expression, Professor Kudou began to exin in a reluctant tone.

    ording to her, the position you sleep in can have a significant impact on your health. Sleeping with your left side, where your heart is, can naturallypress your heart and put a strain on it. On the flip side, sleeping on your right side canpress your stomach and cause digestive problems.

    Is that really true? Is she pulling my leg?

    "But people say we toss and turn during the night, don''t they?"

    "That''s right. If you''re sleeping alone in a big bed or futon, that''s how it is. But what if a couple is sleeping in the same bed?"

    "Well... they would bump into each other."

    "Right?"

    "I guess."

    I see, so the possibility of turning over is limited in a case like that.

    "Do you get it? There might be a difference in the impact on the body between sleeping in a restricted environment and being able to freely turn over when you''re sleeping alone."

    "I understand what you''re saying, but¡­"

    Take a married couple sleeping in the same futon or bed for example.

    "For instance, if we take arge sample of couples who sleep on the same bed or futon, we may find that there is a tendency for one person to sleep on a particr side rather than it beingpletely random."

    "Are there any stats that show men are more likely to sleep on one side of the bed than the other?"

    Considering the probability of it being 50/50, there might be a difference in the ability to freely turn over in bed, but I figured it shouldn''t have any corrtion to gender.

    "I feel like men often sleep on their left side in bed."

    "What''s your basis for that?"

    "Sure. When facing each other, sleeping that way would mean their dominant right hand was free! Don''t you think that''s important for men?"

    I wonder if that''s true.

    After mulling over it for a while, I recalled that when I fell asleep with Asamura-kun I was still in his arms when I woke up. That meant neither of us could turn over at the time.

    ¡ªWhich side was I sleeping on?

    ¡ªNo, what am I thinking?

    It doesn''t matter which side I was on.

    Oblivious to my inner turmoil, Professor Kudou happily continued her exnation.

    "I don''t know if that''s a real tendency or not, but if it is, it could lead to the discovery that the cause of health differences previously believed to be due to gender differences is actually due to imbnces in married life."

    ...Do you always think about stuff like this normally?

    "I understand the logic, but... there''s not a whole lot of evidence to go by¡­"

    "Well, it''s just something I only thought of right now. I''m nning to fish through some research paperster."

    "So you''re going to fish through research papers, huh."

    I''m not sure if she''s passionate about research or just has too much free time.

    "I understand your thought process, but did you really have to sleep on the floor?"

    "I just wanted to lie down and think, and the floor felt cool andfortable."

    "And you fell asleep."

    "Yep. Then I cked out after like 5 minutes."

    Her excuse was kinda weak.

    "Besides, It''s your fault for beingte. You missed the train and then took more than five minutes to get from the school gate to here."

    "How''d you know I missed the train?"

    "Well, if I factored in your route from Suisei High School and the time you sent me the email, I could guesstimate where you were after school. And, since you didn''t arrive when I predicted you would, I just assumed you either missed the train or were pulled up by the guard at the gate."

    "And then you sent me another email."

    "Correct."

    And in the five minutes or so it took me to get there, she fell asleep.

    "Well... never mind. So, about the email you sent me¡­"

    Professor Kudou was grinning from ear to ear. "Alright, bring it on," her face seemed to say. She puffed out her chest arrogantly and switched over the leg she had crossed.

    "Alright, give it to me. Tell me all about Ayase Saki''s troubles."

    ***

    Iid it all on the table.

    About my rtionship with Asamura-kun, and the resultingck of concentration and decline in my grades. I knew that, ideally, we''re supposed to work things out together, but we couldn''t, so the stress from all our hidden frustrations kept piling up and was affecting my grades.

    Hearing that, Professor Kudou asked me to share more about my upbringing.

    I didn''t really want to talk about it, but I told her bits and pieces about my biological father and my Mom''s rtionship, and how it affected my way of thinking. I tried to cut some parts out that I thought were unrted, but it still took quite a while. I simply wasn''t used to opening up like that.

    Listening to the end, Professor Kudou closed her eyes, sped her hands in herp, and sat stock still as she processed everything in silence.

    She looked like a statue, so for a second I was worried she''d turned to stone¡ªif not for the asional flutter of her eyshes to confirm she was in fact still alive.

    "Hmm¡­"

    "U-um¡­"

    She slowly opened her eyes and looked up at the ceiling, mumbling something to herself. I couldn''t quite make it out.

    "So those are your concerns, Ayase Saki."

    "Yes."

    I sat up straight on the sofa. Professor Kudou stared at me intently, making me feel like she had X-ray vision or something. I feltpletely exposed.

    "Saki-kun."

    "Yes?"

    "My dream for the future is to be the vige elder in an RPG."

    "Come again?"

    What on earth was she talking about?

    "You know, like the retired old man in a block of ts, you''d see in a rakugo. When characters like Hattsan, Kuma-san, or Yotaroue to seek advice, he sometimes says helpful things, sometimes just pretends to know, and sometimes says meaningless things."[3]

    [3: Kuma-san, and Yotaro are characters in rakugo, a traditional form of Japaneseedic storytelling. Yattsan is known for his wit, Kumasan for his irreverent stories, and Yotaro is a determined apprentice rakugo performer.]

    "So he doesn''t always give useful advice..."

    Why would you ask him for advice at all then¡­?

    "Of course not! Elders and retirees are just people who have lived long lives and know a little about old things. That''s their only redeeming quality."

    "Is that really okay?"

    "If someone wants to know traditional names for their children to wish them a long life and goes to an expert in ancientnguages or history, it''s a hassle for the expert, isn''t it? It''s not like there are temple priests nearby like in the old days. That''s when the role of the elderes in, to teach you things like ''jugemu jugemu.''[4] And if you really need to know something specialized, it''s best to ask an expert. Elders have wisdom like being able to thinly slice a daikon radish to make it look like kamaboko[5] or make pickled daikon[5] look like tamagoyaki.[5] That''s the kind of wisdom thates with old age."

    [4: Jugemu Jugemu is the name of a well-known Japanese folktale that is often used as a nonsensical chant or song. The story involves a boy with an extremely long name and his attempts to get people to remember it. The name is often used in Japanese popr culture as a way of expressing absurdity or confusion.

    5: Kamaboko: A popr Japanese food item made from white fish paste that is formed into a loaf and then steamed.

    Daikon: Arge, white radish that is a staple of Japanese cuisine. It is often grated or sliced thinly and used as a garnish or condiment for various dishes.

    Tamagoyaki: A type of Japanese omelet that is made by rolling together thinyers of seasoned beaten egg.]

    What''s she going on about?

    Hmm. well, if you thinly slice daikon radish, could it look like kamaboko? Well, maybe. The texture ispletely different though. Daikon radish as tamagoyaki? That''s a bit of a stretch. The only thing they have inmon is the color yellow. Tamagoyaki has that fluffy texture that daikon radish just doesn''t have at all.

    "I see, so Saki-kun, I take it you''re not very good at Japanese?"

    "Uh, well¡­"

    "You should listen to the rakugo story ''Nagaya no Hanami.''[6] I like that story. Anyway, that''s not important. What I''m saying is that I like listening to young people''s concerns, but I can''t guarantee that I can give useful advice."

    [6: Nagaya no Hanami is a term that refers to a cherry blossom viewing party held in themunal areas of an apartmentplex in Japan. It is a popr way for city dwellers to enjoy the cherry blossoms.]

    "Can I go home now?"

    "Wait. Don''t leave yet. Didn''t I say it? If you want to know something specialized, ask an expert. In this case, the expert for your problem would be a clinical psychologist."

    "A clinical psychologist...so I should go to a psychiatric clinic then?"

    "I can''t say for sure, so if you think you can''t solve it on your own, I would rmend you ask an expert, honestly. That said, I can still give you my own thoughts on it."

    In a serious tone, Professor Kudou said, "There''s a condition called codependency."

    "Co...dependency?"

    ***

    Codependency©¤

    In romantic stories, codependency was often romanticized or portrayed in a way that appeared beautiful or desirable. In reality, it''s a problematic condition no different from other addictions like drugs or gambling.

    "Codependency is a state where one bes too dependent on a specific rtionship."

    "Too dependent on a rtionship?"

    I still didn''t quite get it. What did it mean to be dependent on a rtionship?

    "Originally, it was discovered in the rtionship between alcoholics and their families. Let''s say there''s a family member who''s dedicated to supporting the person drinking alcohol. In this case, if the aim is to support the person who can''t stop drinking, shouldn''t the main goal be to make them quit drinking?"

    "Yeah, I suppose so."

    "But what happens if they support them by ''providing money to drink alcohol''?"

    I tried to simte the scenario in my mind.

    If there was no money, they couldn''t buy alcohol. But if someone gave them money for alcohol, they could buy it. And then they wouldn''t be able to quit drinking.

    "I think it''s hard to call that support. And... it doesn''t make sense. Why would they act in a way that enables the person''s dependence?"

    "Let''s look at it step by step. It''s clear that alcoholics are dependent on alcohol, right?"

    "Well, yeah."

    "What''s difficult to understand is whates next. Let''s say the alcoholic relies excessively on their family members to buy alcohol. Take for example a husband who''s an alcoholic and his wife who''s his supporter, or vice versa¡ªit doesn''t matter which way."

    "...Okay."

    "Even if the supporter''s life is destroyed to the point of poverty in order to provide money for alcohol, the alcoholic will continue to rely on them for support to keep drinking. This can happen because as long as the supporter continues to provide, the alcoholic will continue to rely on them."

    "Because they''ll continue to rely on them, huh...?"

    "Yeah. You could say it makes them feel needed."

    "Ah, when you put it that way, I think I kind of understand."

    I could understand why it feels good to be needed by others.

    I''m not someone who generally likes being relied on, but it''s fun toe up with matching outfits for Asamura-kun, and I definitely feel like I''m someone he needs.

    "As long as the support is appropriate, it''s not a problem. A younger brother relying on his older brother, a junior relying on a senior, or whatever, it''s generally not a bad thing to take care of those who rely on you. It feels good to be needed, right?"

    "Is that true for the teacher who listens to my problems as well?"

    "Oh my. Hmm. Let''s say if I can earn respect by demonstrating my vast knowledge, then there''s no greater pleasure."

    She used a phrase that sounded kinda disingenuous on purpose, didn''t she?

    "Let''s get back on topic. When support crosses a certain threshold, it can be problematic. Even if someone is living in poverty, continuously providing money for alcohol, just to experience the gratification of being needed, signifies an indulgence in perpetuating that dependent rtionship."

    "Does that actually happen?"

    "It seems so. I''ve read in books that it does. As I mentioned earlier, my expertise is in ethics, and I''m just exining what I understand from that."

    "I see. Ask an expert for more details, right?"

    "That''s right. I can''t determine whether someone is in a dependent state or not. However, I think I understand the basic idea. To continue being relied on¡ªto keep oneself in that state, one can''t stop even if it destroys their life. It''s essentially no different from being addicted to alcohol, wouldn''t you say? You could say they''re dependent on maintaining that rtionship."

    "Dependence on maintaining the rtionship... Although the objects of dependence may be different, both parties rely on each other, and they are unable to break free from that state. Is that what codependency is?"

    "Correct. It''s more convenient for both parties. The more they demand money for alcohol, the more the other person provides it, so they won''t stop ever demanding it. On the other hand, the more the supporter provides money, the more the recipient bes unable to quit drinking, increasing their dependence on the supporter. As a result, the rtionship between the two continues and bes stronger."

    While listening, I found myself unconsciously hugging my body with my arms. It''s a spine-chilling story. It''s as if we''re both trapped in each other''s spider webs, unable to escape from the entanglement.

    "However, the problem lies in the excessiveness of dependency to maintain the rtionship. It''s about relying on each other at an inappropriate level. A husband relying on his wife, a wife relying on her husband¡ªthere''s nothing wrong with that in and of itself."

    I recalled my Mom once saying that she could rest when she wasn''t feeling well now because my Stepdad was there. The two of them relied on each other, but I''d never thought of their rtionship as being bad.

    "There is a saying that goes ''Too much of anything is as bad as too little.'' The problem lies in excessiveness. Just like alcohol, it''s best to have it in moderation."

    "I get what you''re saying."

    "With the word ''codependency'' bing more widely known, it''s often seen in romantic stories these days. Well, most of them are just ''fake codependence,'' though."

    "Fake... what do you mean?"

    "Well, some of their covers caught my eye so I gave them a read¡ª"

    "You read them."

    Once again, I''m sure if she''s passionate about research or just has too much free time. The third option was she''s just surprisingly into romance stories.

    "¡ªSo I gave them a read. The ones I read either had the situation resolved by taking advice from others or fell apart as they were."

    "You didn''t like them?"

    "They were interesting, at least. There was one in particr with a heroine I really liked. She had a delightfully broken personality¡ªwell, that''s not the point. The point is no one sought help from a psychiatrist, and they either solved their problems with a single piece of advice or watched themselves fall into ruin without seeking help. It made me want to tear my hair out."

    "If it''s a dependency, go to a professional is what you are saying."

    "Correct. Like I said before, it''s not a job for the vige elder. If it could be solved with one piece of advice, it wouldn''t be a social issue. But in young adult romance stories, it''s just used as a spice, I guess."

    "I see..."

    "In my opinion, if it''s at the ''just for fun'' stage, advice is fine. But if it goes beyond that, it''s time for a professional to step in. Now, in your case¡ª"

    I suddenly remembered, That''s right, we were talking about Asamura-kun and me.

    "Don''t you think it''s amon story for someone who wasn''t blessed with loving parents and is starved for affection to excessively seek their partner''s affection when they enter a romantic rtionship?"

    I carefully considered Professor Kudou''s words.

    Excessively seeking affection¡­

    "Excessive" meant more than normal.

    "Where does ''normal'' end and ''excessive'' begin?"

    "How would an amateur know that? It''s different for everyone. Even the appropriate amount of alcohol depends on the person."

    "That''s... true, but¡­"

    I held my head in my hands.

    Professor Kudou once said that because I didn''t get enough affection from my biological father I might have sought out a male who happened to be nearby to make up for that deficiency. If I felt like I didn''t get enough affection deep in my heart, it might''ve been possible.

    A serious Asamura Yuuta deficiency¡ªthe conclusion of Ayase Saki''s court of the mind.

    I see. I really need to consider whether I have enough or not.

    It should''ve been enough, but my hunger for it might be so intense that it feelscking. There''s always that possibility.

    "Do you think Ayase Saki is excessively seeking physical affection from Asamura Yuuta?"

    "...Are you asking me as a high school student?"

    "Of course not. Forget about the concept of ''being like a high school student'' for now. That''s just a statistical guideline. If there''s a difference in physique, even the correct dosage of medication will change. You know how medicine bottles say how many pills to take for children, and how many for people over 15? But what if you''re over 15 and your body hasn''t changed since you were a child? The factors that affect chemical reactions in the body are physical and chemicalws, not human age."

    "So, there''s a correct dosage for me?"

    "That''s what ites down to. It''s the same for mental health. Even if the psychological development of the vast majority of people follows a simr path, it doesn''t apply to individuals. Even when making social rules, we have to take statistical errors into ount. If someone remains underdeveloped in a certain aspect of their mind even as an adult, we have to treat that part like a child."

    I understood what Professor Kudou was trying to say. When you thought about how a child''s liver couldn''t handle the same amount of alcohol as an adult''s, it made sense.

    So, is the amount of physical affection I have with Asamura Yuuta too excessive for me?

    Because I''ve been seeking more than the rmended dose, I''d be dependent on Asamura Yuuta. And when I couldn''t get a "dose" of that, my mood was off, I became anxious, I couldn''t sleep and my concentration suffered¡­ Is that it?

    Wait, no¡ª

    The reverse could also be true, couldn''t it?

    The phenomenon started in my third year of high school. And as was pointed out during the trial in my head, maybe the cause was less physical affection since the start of third year, not excessive consumption, but simply ack of it.

    "I don''t know anymore..."

    Ayase Saki was in a state of confusion.

    "That''s why I''m telling you, if you''re really in trouble, rely on a professional. But first, a proper understanding of the current situation is necessary. And if it''s codependency, it''s pointless to work through it alone."

    It hit me¡ªOh, I see. Asamura-kun feels the same way too.

    "Is there a possibility that Asamura-kun is also in a codependent state? But, he doesn''t seem to¡­ want it as much as I do¡­ I mean, he''s a person who''s good at restraining himself," I said as I looked up at the woman in front of me with upturned eyes.

    Professor Kudou elegantly tilted the cup she was holding and took a sip of tea. Her long, slender legs were crossed, she wore herb coat like a cape, and lounged on the stylish sofa, looking like some Western noble or something.

    Her face was well-proportioned, with long eyshes. If I ignored her hair, which was disheveled because she''d been lying on the floor, I finally realized that this Professor was actually a very beautiful woman.

    She was drinking expensive Gyokuro tea from a regr teacup, though.

    She ced the empty cup on the saucer with a clink.

    "That''s exactly what''s suspicious."

    "Huh?"

    "Think about it. Why would a high school boy, when a beautiful girl like you is making moves on him, insist on such restrained behavior?"

    I was caught off guard by her question. M-me, beautiful?

    "Your average high school boy is no different from a horny monkey during puberty. Really, just a monkey."

    A m-monkey?

    "What does that even mean?"

    "It means that he''s able to avoid making advances because you''re the one making them. In my opinion, Asamura Yuuta isn''t the type to actively engage with strangers on his own."

    I tried to think about what made Asamura-kun¡ªAsamura-kun.

    "But he''s good at customer service."

    "That''s not a counter-argument. After all, even if people dislike him, they''re still just customers."

    Again, I was caught off guard.

    "There are two types of people who excel at customer service. The first type enjoys interacting with others, including the failures and mistakes, as part of the experience itself. The second type is able to make bold moves and statements because nothing bad happens if the rtionship-building attempt fails."

    "You''re saying Asamura-kun is the second type?"

    "From everything I''ve heard, it seems that way. When ites down to it, he probably doesn''t have many friends"

    "Uh¡­"

    Th-that might be true. Other than Maru-kun, who he talks about a lot, he doesn''t seem to have any close friends. And he doesn''t seem to be actively trying to make more. I''m the same way, so I haven''t really thought much about it.

    Thinking back, he never seemed to approach his beautiful Yomiuri-senpai proactively. It was mostly her teasing him. I never really gave it much thought until then because it suited me not to.

    "When you develop feelings for someone, it''s natural to want to make a move. However, making moves on someone directly might be stressful for him."

    "Making moves on me is stressful¡­"

    "Asamura Yuuta has a tendency to hold back from being assertive with someone he really cares about and doesn''t want to hurt. That''s why he doesn''t want to change the dynamic of you making moves on him. Even if that means you be dependent on him due to excessive exposure to him. If he takes the initiative, he bes responsible. He''ll feel the need to control the situation. He can go with the flow because he leaves it up to you. But for both of you right now, that''s more convenient. Isn''t this a fine example of codependency?"

    Hmm.

    I''ve never thought of it that way. It really took me by surprise.

    Still, I never thought that I, as someone seeking the strength to live independently, would fall into a state of codependency. I didn''t think it''s wrong to seek love, and I''m convinced that the bond I share with Asamura-kun is a happy one. But to think that there''s still a pitfall even when my desires are fulfilled... Why can''t human rtionships just work out smoothly?

    "What should I do?"

    "I''ve said it many times, but if you''re really in trouble, ask an expert. But before that¡­"

    Professor Kudou stood up from the sofa.

    She circled around the table and¡ªlike an assassin¡ªcame up behind me, cing her hand on the back of the sofa. I felt her presence behind me. She took something out of her pocket and held it in front of my face. She was holding something¡ªa hand mirror.

    She wasn''t just wearing ab coat, unnecessary for an ethics professor, but also carried a smartphone and a hand mirror in her pocket.

    She really is a strange person.

    Only my eyes were reflected in the small hand mirror.

    "Take a good look."

    Ayase Saki in the mirror stared back at me.

    "You have horrible bags under your eyes."

    Uh...

    She''s right. There were bags under my eyes that couldn''t be hidden with my light makeup.

    Seeing it like that made it obvious. I had them because I''ve been upte every night studying for midterms¡­

    "Sleep. First, get plenty of sleep. Everything else can wait."

    "Yes¡­"

    The Kudou assassin circled the table again and returned to being Professor Kudou. She looked at the empty cup, made a sad face, and then picked up a potato chip. Crunch.

    "Uhhh. These are definitely soggier than when they were first opened."

    After saying something so trivial, she continued speaking in a tone as if she''s still talking about her impression on potato chips.

    "Then, after waking up, talk to Asamura Yuuta. Reevaluate what the right distance is in your rtionship. If necessary, involve your parents too. And if it seems like you can''t solve it¡ª"

    "Ask an expert, right?"

    "That''s right. Well, everything starts with sleep, and then waking up."

    And with that, the conversation abruptly ended. It was typical of Professor Kudou not to add a "good luck" at the end.

    I stood up from the sofa.

    Looking out the window, I saw that it was already getting dark.

    "I wonder if it''s going to rain¡­"

    "Just in case, I''ll lend you an umbre."

    "No, it''s okay. I think I can make it home before it rains, and besides, it''ll be hard for me to return it."

    "Just leave it with Yomiuri-kun. You both work at the same ce, correct? Do you want to catch a cold here and make your situation even worse?"

    "Uh¡­ fine, I''ll borrow it then."

    As I left the university, I received a LINE message from my Mom.

    Apparently, my Stepdad had an urgent meetinge up and he wanted me to cook dinner.

    I shot back "Got it" and added the supermarket to my route home.

    Thankfully, it didn''t rain.

    By the time I arrived at our t, it was already getting dark. I went to my room and flopped down onto my bed, still in my uniform.

    As I stared at the ceiling and thought about everything that happened today, I drifted off to sleep without realizing it.

    When I woke up, it was already time for Asamura-kun to return home from work.

    In a panic, I rushed to the kitchen.

    It might''ve been because I''d slept like a baby, but the fog in my head cleared up a bit and I felt a lot better.

    ***

    "It''s almost been... a year, hasn''t it?"

    During dinner, I started the conversation like that.

    Asamura-kun immediately understood that I meant the time since my Mom and I moved in.

    We both reminisced about the time we first met.

    Then, he opened up to me. About how he''s had trouble concentrating since starting third year. About his grades dropping. About how he regrets not discussing it with me.

    "It''s been the same for me. I''ve been struggling too honestly," I said, after hearing him out.

    We are both afraid of adjusting to each other.

    I opened up to him too. I told him I mustered up the courage to go to Tsukinomiya Women''s University after school to get Professor Kudou''s advice about my recent problems.

    "I want you to listen to what I learned from talking to her, Asamura-kun. Then, I want us to work through it together. Can we do that?"

    I told him about the conversation I had with Professor Kudou.

    It was a long, long story, but Asamura-kun listened patiently and didn''t interrupt.

    When the story was over, we both fell silent.

    After mulling it over for a bit, Asamura-kun was the first to speak up.

    "That''s a tough pill to swallow¡­"

    "Huh?"

    "How did you put it again? ''Asamura Yuuta has a tendency to hold back from being assertive with someone he really cares about and doesn''t want to hurt''."

    "Ah, I-I''m sorry."

    I''d repeated what Professor Kudou had said to me verbatim, but in hindsight, it probably came across as pretty rude.

    "No, you don''t need to apologize. It''s true."

    "Really?"

    "I don''t feel confident that someone will keep liking me," Asamura-kun said, looking down.

    "Is that... because of your mother?"

    "Probably. I vaguely remember that she used to get along well with my dad when I was very young. But at some point, she startedining about every single thing he did."

    So that''s what happened¡­

    "But, honestly, I didn''t really notice my dad changing his attitude midway. So, what was my dad supposed to do, anyway? When I think about it, I have no idea how to approach someone I don''t want to hurt. In that case, maybe it''s just easier not to get too involved in deep rtionships at all."

    "That''s... but that''s such a waste, isn''t it? I mean, you get along well with Maru-kun, right? Or do you think that you''ll break up someday too?"

    "It might."

    Hearing his strained voice, my heart ached.

    "That''s not true¡­"

    "I think I''m afraid. Of being disliked. I don''t need friends or lovers if it means breaking up at some point. I think those are my true feelings. That''s why I want to keep my distance from others and not be assertive. But if that''s making your situation worse¡­ What should I do?"

    "Calm down, Asamura-kun."

    I reached out across the table and ced my hand on top of his, gently stroking it.

    "It''s not you who should be apologizing, it''s me."

    "Ayase-san?"

    "I feel the same way as you. I just act the opposite way. Because I don''t have confidence in my connection with others, I end up clinging to you."

    "I see."

    "I push too hard, you pull away. But even though we react differently, aren''t we both just neglecting to adjust to each other?"

    "Finding the right distance, huh... Somehow it doesn''t feel much different from when we went to Singapore."

    I shook my head.

    It''s not like that. I want to believe it''s not like that.

    "Looking back now, I feel like our rtionship was rtively stable during our second year. Plus, I don''t regret the fact that we confessed to each other."

    "Likewise."

    What he said just now made me feel very happy. My heart felt lighter.

    "You remember what we decided on our trip to Singapore at the end of February, right? To just act more normal with each other."

    Asamura-kun nodded.

    "Anyway, when we became third years, we ended up in the same ss. I was really happy about it, but on the day of the opening ceremony, I said that we should only act like regr ssmates at school. Do you remember?"

    That''s when it all started I think.

    "It was me who said that."

    I quietly shook my head.

    "No, I''m just as bad for going along with it. I just casually said "Okay" without thinking it through. Also, aren''t we supposed to be more than just ssmates? Isn''t it a bit strange for us to act like that now?"

    "Yeah... I guess. It might be a bit strange now you mention it."

    But then, what should we do? That''s the tricky part.

    If we took a step back and looked at the bigger picture, everything would make sense.

    Firstly, Asamura-kun and I had never discussed what a "Normal rtionship between ssmates" should even be. So we ended up acting really weird around each other at school.

    Not making eye contact.

    Not talking.

    Isn''t that how students who hate each other behave?

    It just wasn''t normal.

    "Like, we haven''t even said ''good morning'' or ''goodbye'' to each other for the past two months."

    "Ahhh, don''t remind me. I just realized how weird that is too."

    "Also, at home, even knowing Mom and Stepdad are around, we kiss, hug, and sleep together... Is that normal?"

    Asamura-kun finally slumped down on the desk. I understand how he feels. At that moment I wanted to bury my face in a pillow and il around.

    Asamura-kun suddenly lifted his head.

    I flinched and involuntarily tensed up.

    But he hadn''t meant to startle me.

    "I give up¡­" He muttered in a quiet voice

    "We really have been acting pretty strange, haven''t we?"

    "I think so. I didn''t notice it until now though."

    "Right. I didn''t notice it either. But then how do we fix our rtionship?"

    "I have an idea."

    As I talked about the past six months, a light bulb went off in my head.

    "Do you remember when I called you ''Nii-san''?"

    As the words left my mouth, Asamura-kun lowered his eyes slightly. I felt a small pang of pain in my heart seeing him react like that.

    "Ah,st year... summer, right?" He said with a pained expression.

    "Yeah... it was after we went to the pool, so it must have been summer."

    I''d deliberately called him that to make him seem more like a brother and to suppress my feelings for him.

    The result was¡ª

    "In the end, it had the opposite effect. I ended up bing more conscious of you."

    "Interesting. So I was like a smartphone to you."

    "Huh?"

    Seeing I was confused, Asamura-kun told me about an experiment using smartphones.

    Apparently, the closer a smartphone was within reach, the more our attention was drawn to it. The human brain uses a lot of power to not think about something in front of us.

    Did that mean my attempt to deliberately push away the person I had feelings for actually make me more conscious of them?

    "I think that''s what it means."

    "But if that''s true, then it means that the way we address each other has a big impact on how conscious we are of each other, doesn''t it?"

    Asamura-kun immediately nodded in agreement.

    "Alright, so, if we want to have the right distance, we need to choose what to call each other."

    "Yeah. When you call me ''nii-san'', my brain seems to trante it as ''someone I should never like.'' But at the time I already liked you. So it was painful."

    "Mm. I shouldn''t have called you that."

    I nodded.

    "I think there are two main problems we''re facing right now. The abnormal distance between us when we''re at school, and our intense closeness when we''re at home."

    "Both are problems, for sure."

    "I figured it wouldn''t hurt to first try and establish the right distance between us, so we can work out if we''re in a codependent rtionship or not."

    Asamura-kun nodded.

    "Hey, what do couples call each other?"

    "That... depends on the individuals, I guess. Well, I think using first names is prettymon."

    It''s just like him toe up with a rationale right away. And when he started exining his logic, the hesitant expression he had earlier disappeared.

    "I think calling someone by their first name shows that you recognize them as an independent individual with their own sense of self. Surnames refer to the family group you belong to, but names are used to identify individuals. Love isn''t about the family you belong to, it''s about the person you''re with."

    "Yeah, I agree."

    That''s how it was in modern Japan, at least. It wasn''t like you were marrying into the family. Ideally, it should be that way though.

    And I agreed with Asamura-kun''s take. I felt that way when I visited Asamura''s family home over New Year. Ah, everyone here is an ''Asamura''. So if I called out "Asamura-kun," they''d all turn around at once.

    There were way too many Asamuras''.

    But the Asamura I want to have a proper rtionship with is Asamura Yuuta.

    "So, to be more like a normal couple, it should be something like ''Yu¡­'' um, ''Yuuta-kun,'' not ''Asamura-kun.''

    "So I''d call you ''Saki-san'' then."

    He''d called me that a few times before, but my heart felt lighter and warmer the moment "Saki" fell from his lips. Just him saying my name made me feel so¡ª

    My previous mood disappeared to who-knows-where, and my cheeks loosened.

    Clearing my throat, I said, "We need to close the distance at school, so I think we should aim for that. What do you think?"

    "Yeah, I agree. I mean... there are guys at school who call girls by their first names, right?"

    "What, really? There are people who do that?"

    "There are... But I guess you didn''t notice?"

    Asamura''s words once again made me realize how little attention I paid to others'' words and actions. There''ve been times when I believed that as long as I could control myself, I didn''t need to care about what was happening around me.

    "I didn''t know... Alright, we have to find a chance to use each other''s first names. If we suddenly change what we call each other tomorrow, it''ll be weird."

    "I have an idea for that."

    It''s Asamura-kun''s turn.

    "What is it...?"

    "Reflecting on this situation, I realized I tried to solve everything by myself even when I couldn''t. I should rely more on others as you did with your university Professor," Asamura-kun said with a self-deprecating smile.

    "I think I''m the same way. If the note hadn''t been in my bag, I''m not sure I would have gone out of my way to go see her."

    "If it were me, I might not have even bothered to look for the note. But I realized it''s not okay to be like that. There''s someone I know who I could rely on in times like these. I''ll just ask him how to use a girl''s first name in a normal way."

    "Got it. I''ll leave that to you then. Now, the remaining issue is how we behave in this house¡­ We need to create a bit more distance, right? Otherwise, I''ll want to touch you more and more even at home. So¡ª"

    I took a deep breath.

    "Nii-san. I want to call you that again."

    "Really¡­? Why?"

    "Nii-san'' and ''Imouto'' are titles that reflect our positions, right? I think it''s useful to objectively define our roles. But, you see¡­"

    Now we get to the heart of the matter.

    "If that''s all it is, it feels like we''re denying the entirest year together. Just thinking about it stresses me out."

    "I feel the same way. When I remember how I felt back then, it was stressful in its own way. Alright then, what should we do?"

    "Okay, so, I came up with a way for us to address each other that''s more familiar than using our names, but not as intimate as ''brother.''

    I really hoped Asamura-kun would ept my proposal.

    "How about ''Yuuta-niisan''?"

    After considering my suggestion for a while, Asamura-kun slowly nodded.

    "If you want. But what should I do? Didn''t Professor Kudou say that my problem is I''m not assertive enough with someone I care about and don''t want to hurt? So basically I need to be more assertive in our rtionship¡­ Not that I don''t want to, though."

    "I get what you''re saying. But if I distance myself, Asamura... uh, I mean, Yuuta-niisan, I think you''ll be able to judge the right distance ande closer on your own. So, it''ll be alright."

    "I''m not confident¡­"

    "Practice makes perfect, right, Yuuta-niisan?"

    Asamura sighed and raised his head. He shrugged his shoulders as if to say, "Oh well."

    "Got it. Aya¡ªSaki."

    "Agh¡­"

    "Hm?"

    "N-nothing."

    He''d surprised me as I thought he''d call me "Saki-san," but he suddenly dropped the honorific all together.

    I couldn''t tell him that, so I gave him an awkward smile and yed it off.

    My heart was pounding.

    After that, we continued eating.

    We talked about what we wanted to be in the future.

    We couldn''t really imagine what kind of job we wanted in the future, but we concluded that we''d work hard towards getting into university first.

    To do that, we decided to aim for the ideal rtionship we originally had in mind, instead of the overlyfortable, excessively touchy one we had.

    My heart felt lighter, and the lingering haze in my head seemed to clear.

    From tomorrow on, I''d be a lover at school and a sister at home.

    My new life as a Stepsister was about to begin.

    Please take care of me, Yuuta-niisan.

 Chapter 109: June 7th (Monday) â€“ Asamura Yuuta

    <h4>Chapter 109: June 7th (Monday) ¨C Asamura Yuuta</h4>

    June 7th was a special day for the newly joined Asamura-Ayase family.

    It was more important than any national holiday, but there wasn''t any convenient calendar entry that set aside the day as particrly special.

    Yet, it was such a big event for us that our parents shuffled around their daily routines, especially for it.

    It was the one-year anniversary we all started living together.

    Exactly one year ago, Akiko-san, my Stepmom, and Ayase-san, my Stepsister, moved into the house where my old man and I lived.

    But, just because it''s an anniversary it''s not like anything changed. Aside from all four of us being together, it was a regr old morning.

    The first face I saw at the breakfast table was Ayase-san''s, that face already washed and her natural-looking makeup already applied, now fully ready for school.

    Akiko-san''s Japanese-style breakfast was just as delicious as it wasst Monday.

    I sat down at the table with the aroma of grilled fish in the air.

    Ayase-san was next to me, my old man across from me, and Akiko-san next to him¡ªthe fixed seating of our family of four. Yes, we simply existed in the natural habitat as a family.

    It wasn''t a situation that made me nervous or anxious, just rxed.

    I''ve been too conscious of Ayase-san''s presence ofte. I feel like my own existence is like a formless gas cloud automatically changing shape when she''s around. I''ve been tormented by a floating, weightless feeling as if I was swimming in the air and unable to keep my feet on the ground.

    But now, everything is okay.

    Even though I can feel Ayase-san''s presence beside me, I''m able to stay calm. My thoughts and vision are clear, and I can even see the grilled mackerel in front of me in vivid detail.

    "Can you pass the soy sauce¡ªSaki?"

    "Sure, here you go¡ªYuuta-niisan."

    There was a slight dy, butpared tost week, we could use each other''s first names much more smoothly.

    Saki has been calling me "Niisan" in front of our parents for a while now, and my calling her "Saki" was initially a bit awkward, but after several days I''m finally used to it.

    My old man didn''t snort, and Akiko-san''s smile clearly showed she found it endearing.

    "You two seemed to have warmed up to each otherpared tost year. I''m d you seem to be getting along well."

    "A lot can change in a year," Saki said casually as Akiko-san let out a sigh of relief.

    It''s not just that time had solved everything, but instead, we''d gone through a gradual and messy change to get to where we were at that point.

    Looking back, "A lot can change in a year" summed it up pretty well. At least, the simple summary was enough for our parents¡ªwho hadn''t known we were struggling to find the right distance between us until recently.

    "But if there''s anything that''s not quite right with the current setup, just let us know. We''ll do our best to create afortable environment for you."

    "...Are you talking about the midterm exams?"

    "Ah, well, that... Both of you seem to have had a tough time with them," my old man said hesitantly.

    He''s probably been trying to be considerate of the pressure we were under as students.

    "Don''t stress. I know the cause."

    "Really?"

    "Yeah, we couldn''t totally concentrate on our midterms because we were preupied with entrance exams and getting used to the new school. But we''re not going to use that as an excuse to ck off. We know the reason, so we can do better next time."

    I wasn''t lying. More urately, theck of concentration was due to my almost codependent rtionship with Ayase-san. But I can''t say that yet, nor did I need to anyway.

    "I''ve talked about it with Saki too."

    "Mm...don''t worry about us."

    "Alright. If you both say you''re okay, we trust you."

    "Hehe, see? I told you, didn''t I?"

    Akiko-san smiled proudly as she touched my old man''s slumped shoulder.

    What did she mean?

    As Ayase-san and I exchanged puzzled nces, Akiko-san mischievously spoke like a grade-schooler tattling on someone.

    "Taichi-san was worried that he might''ve done something strange and unwittingly caused some sort of stress for you two."

    "Ah, Akiko-san, did you really need to tell them that?"

    "It''s fine, there''s no need to hide it. Besides, it''s rted to the conversation we''ll haveter."

    "Well...yeah, you''re right. That''s true."

    What conversation we''re going to haveter?

    "The two of you seemed to be struggling, and we were worried that it might be because of us getting married. We''ve had many days when we weren''t home because of work, and even though we''ve recently taken on more household chores, it''s also true that you still have to spend time on housework and cooking. We thought maybe a normal family would provide a better environment for studying."

    "That''s not¡ª"

    "Not at all. Absolutely not."

    The two siblings'' denial ovepped.

    "You''re already being good to us. We don''t want to be too demanding and ask for more."

    "Hehe, see, Taichi-san? The two of them are strong and reliable. Everything''s fine."

    "Haha. Yeah, you''re right. I''m sorry for not trusting you two enough."

    With Ayase-san backing him up and Akiko ribbing him, my old man scratched the back of his head, looking embarrassed.

    Although he wasughing I could tell that it was a serious issue for him.

    With my birth mother, he thought that he was doing well, but before he realized it, the bond was already broken. He was just trying to work hard and provide for his family, he was med as if he was the only one at fault, and the rtionship fell apart. It was a memory he still held on to.

    That memory of that had somewhat faded since he remarried, but it still lingered as a murky residue deep in his heart.

    That''s why he''s sensitive to even the slightest difort or uneasiness of our family, including Saki and me, and worried about it.

    I think the fact that my old man could rx and look relieved with just a little adjustment to each other was proof that he''d gotten over his trauma and was living happily now.

    ...Wait, what was the main topic again?

    Akiko-san had said earlier, "Besides, it''s rted to the conversation we''ll haveter."

    "Um, I get that you were worried, but... what''s the conversation about?"

    "Oh, right, right. About that¡­"

    My old man leaned forward and eagerly exined, "Next weekend, we''re thinking of going on a trip over Saturday and Sunday."

    "Huh? All four of us?"

    "No. Um, sorry, I do want to go on a trip with all four of us, but this time¡­"

    "It''s just the two of you for your wedding anniversary, right?"

    Seeing my old man was struggling to get the words out, Ayase-san came in with the assist.

    Ah, now I get it.

    Our new family has been together for a year, but that also meant it was Akiko-san and my old man''s first wedding anniversary.

    "It''s a littlete, but I wanted to celebrate our anniversary. But Taichi-san was worried that it would be thoughtless to talk about a trip at a time when both of you were struggling with your studies."

    "Oh, so that''s what it is... I didn''t know you could be so considerate, Dad."

    "Yuuta, are you making fun of your father?"

    "No, I''m actually admiring his thick skin."

    "Wow, what a way to put it. Did you hear that, Akiko-san? Yuuta''s always like this!"

    "Hehehe."

    The yful teasing between the close father and son, and the exaggeratedints from the father made the mother burst outughing and the younger sister to shake her head with a wry smile. I loved that scene of us as a family. The thought came very naturally to me. I''m sure Ayase-san feels the same way as when I nced at her and our eyes met, she was smiling gently.

    And I knew our response to our parents'' proposal was the same: "It''s okay, go and enjoy your trip as a couple."

    When I think about it, the past year has been one of constant worry about us¡ªthe children. There haven''t been many chances for them to spend quality time together as a married couple. As a couple who both worked and had different schedules, I want them to enjoy their anniversary without any interruptions. That was the genuine feeling that Saki and I shared towards our parents.

    "Thanks, I''ll definitely let loose and have some fun then," Akiko-san said with a smile.

    Seeing the happy faces of our parents, both Saki and I were sure we''d chosen the right words to say.

    That''s until we heard Akiko-san''s next words.

    "You''ll be on your own over the weekend, so be careful with locking up. We''ll leave you some money to use as you please. You can eat out if you don''t have time to cook or cook at home. You can even use it as pocket money."

    I couldn''t tell whether the surprised "Huh?" came out of Ayase-san''s mouth or mine. Maybe it came from both of us at the same time. A weekend without our parents. We''ve had nights without them around before, but there were hardly any days when they wouldn''t return at all.

    I swallowed nervously.

    At school, we would be closer, and at home, we would maintain a bit more distance.

    For us¡ªwho''d taken the first step in our new life as stepsiblings and lovers¡ªthis might be our first real challenge.

 Chapter 110: Afterword

    <h4>Chapter 110: Afterword</h4>

    I am Mikawa Ghost, the original creator and author of the YouTube and light novel versions.

    This story follows two individuals who have unconsciously felt a longing for love since their upbringing, as they be stepsiblings,municate with their hearts, and grow together while falling in love. It has been a year since they first met. The scenery around them may look somewhat simr tost year''s, but it has definitely changed...

    This work is not a typical romance story but is called a love life novel, which means that it deeply focuses on the lives of Yuuta and Saki. As a year goes by, thendscape of life changes dramatically, and human rtionships also change subtly but surely. Naturally, the environment surrounding Yuuta and Saki is also changing little by little, and a different story awaits thempared tost year.

    As the volume number increases and the school year progresses, there are concerns about thepletion of the work. It''s true that as a "high school romance story," it''s steadily progressing and it wouldn''t be surprising to see an end in sight. However, this work is a love life novel. The lives of the two are what should be depicted, and it cannot be consideredplete until they fill in any gaps in their lives and reach a stage where no more growth or change is expected. Many more steps in life are needed for that.

    It may be a long, long story, but I hope that all readers will follow Yuuta and Saki''s lives to the very end.

    Now, for the acknowledgements. I would like to thank Hiten, the illustrator, voice actors Nakajima Yuki, Tenzaki Kouhei, Suzuki Ai, Hamano Daiki, Suzuki Minori, director Ochiai Y¨±suke and the entire YouTube version staff, editor O-san, manga artist Kanade Yumika, all rted parties, and of course, the readers. Thank you always.

    That''s all from Mikawa Ghost.

 Chapter 111: E-Book SS: Original story â€“ â€œI Guess Youâ€™re Right?â€

    <h4>Chapter 111: E-Book SS: Original story ¨C ¡°I Guess You¡¯re Right?¡±</h4>

    May 5th¡ª6 pm.

    It was a time of year when lingering sunlight remained.

    Although it''s thest day of Golden Week, the Asamura household was functioning as usual.

    As Ayase-san and I were third-years preparing for entrance exams, I went to prep school, and Ayase-san was studying at home. Akiko-san was off today and home, but my old man had to work.

    Unexpectedly, my old man came home with a souvenir.

    On his way home, he''d stopped by a traditional Japanese sweets shop.

    "Come to think of it, today''s Children''s Day."

    "It is indeed."

    Akiko-san carefully removed the wrapping paper from the candy''s box and examined its contents.

    "Oh, how unusual."

    "Is it... mochi? No, dango?" I asked while peering at the sweets in Akiko-san''s hand.

    They appeared to be skewered rice cakes that had been grilled with soy sauce.

    "These are Gohei-mochi. They''re a local dish from the Chubu region, like Aichi Prefecture," my old man exined.

    ording to him, they were sweets made of glutinous rice shaped into dumplings, skewered, and grilled with a miso or soy sauce ze. Although he never cooked, he asionally shared some culinary knowledge since he enjoyed eating.

    "I thought we could try something different. Aichi is famous for its miso, but this one is made with soy sauce. It might be more familiar to people in the Kanto region."

    "I wonder if it tastes like sweet and salty dango."

    My question was met with a reasonable response from my father, "You''ll understand once you try it." I suppose that''s true.

    "But if we eat this now, will we still have room for dinnerter?"

    "If we all share it, it''s just one skewer each. It''s not that much, so we should be fine."

    Then, ncing around the living room, he asked, "Is Saki-chan in her room?"

    "No, she''s out shopping for dinner."

    "If I had known, I would''ve offered to help carry the bags."

    I had juste home too and thought Ayase-san was studying in her room.

    "It''s just the nearby supermarket, and we only needed a little soy sauce, so don''t worry about it."

    Just after she spoke, we heard the door open and someone say, "I''m back."

    The door to the dining area opened and Ayase-san stepped in.

    "Huh? Everyone''s here?"

    "Wee back, Ayase-san."

    "Taichi-san brought us a souvenir. Let''s all have some tea together."

    As Akiko-san put away the soy sauce my old man had given her under the IH stove, she said, "Want some tea?"

    "Since it''s mochi, I think Japanese tea would be perfect."

    Akiko-san nodded in agreement to him, so I got some tea cups ready for everyone.

    Ayase-san stared intently at the mochi my old man had brought, probably wondering whether or not she could make it herself. It was likely a habit because she was in charge of cooking everyday.

    "Oh, right. They were selling these for half-price as recement items, so I got some for you, Stepdad."

    Ayase-san took out something that looked like a snack from the eco-bag she had used to carry the soy sauce.

    "Beef jerky, huh? That''s nice of you," my old man said as he took the bag with a half-price sticker on it.

    "Wouldn''t beer have been better than tea?"

    "No, you''re not allowed. We haven''t eaten dinner yet."

    "Too bad," my old man said,ughing as he took his seat.

    Ayase-san and I also sat down in our respective seats, and Akiko-san poured some tea from the teapot for us.

    "While we''re at it, I''ll have just a little bit¡­"

    Saying that, my old man opened the bag of beef jerky.

    We all drank tea and ate mochi, while also picking at the jerky.

    "Yum! This is delicious. Gohei-mochi... was it? Thanks."

    As we alternated between eating the Japanese sweets and the jerky, Akiko-san muttered something.

    "So, this is basically like a gyudon, isn''t it?"

    The three of us¡ªmy old man, Ayase-san, and I¡ªall tilted our heads, wondering what she meant.

    "Well, it''s rice and beef, right? And it''s sweet and salty, with soy sauce too."

    "...I guess you''re right?"

    "That''s just how it tastes to me! You''re right Mom!"

    So, that night the Asamura family''s dinner turned out to be gyudon. When wepared it, the weirdbination definitely tasted like gyudon.

 Chapter 112: Melonbooks Side Story: Letâ€™s Try Counting

    <h4>Chapter 112: Melonbooks Side Story: Let''s Try Counting</h4>

    "Asamura-kun, may I ask you something?"

    Ayase-san, who hade into the living room, addressed me as I was sitting on the sofa reading a book.

    "Sure."

    With that, Ayase-san gently plumped down beside me.

    "It''s rare to see you reading here."

    "Every now and then."

    It''s 5 pm. Akiko-san had gone off to work. My father should probably be home soon.

    I had been doing some prep for tomorrow''s ss until a little while ago, but I got stuck, so I came out to the living room to read a book and give my brain a little rest.

    "So, what did you want to ask?"

    "It''s not a big deal. Just something I came across while reading here."

    She said, showing me her textbook. It was a modern Japanese textbook.

    "Look, here. It says, ''Casually grab a few apples'', right?"

    "Right. So?"

    "How many is ''a few''?"

    "...You do ask tricky questions."

    "But I don''t understand. Why don''t they specify the exact number?"

    "Like five, six?"

    "Exactly. I mean, those are countable numbers."

    "Well, you could count them, yes..."

    Ayase-san had a personality that liked to think things through thoroughly. This sounds good if you call it seriousness, but it doesn''t go well with artistic expressions like literature.

    You could also say she wasn''t used to such expressions.

    "A novel doesn''t have to state the objective facts, you know."

    "Objective facts... like the number of apples here?"

    "Right. It doesn''t necessarily mean that the author hasn''t decided the number, but by writing in specific number, unwanted meaning might urs, or something like that."

    For instance, apples often appear as a symbol of ''sin''. Needless to say, it was the trigger for Adam and Eve''s expulsion from paradise. Whether the forbidden fruit was really an apple or not is up to the schrs, but in many works of fiction, it is treated as such.

    So, if you write that there are seven apples, you might identally imply ''Could this be a metaphor for the seven deadly sins?'' It''s not always the right answer in a novel to clearly state the numbers.

    "I see."

    "Also, it could be an expression of a subjective fact, ''a few''."

    Ayase-san tilted her head slightly.

    Was that a bit too difficult?

    "It''s just my personal opinion, but I think humans, at a nce, can only urately grasp up to two items. From three onwards, it gets dubious."

    "Really?"

    "Can you immediately tell if there are three or four items there? It''s hard for me. Of course, I know there are people who can look up at arge building and instantly count the number of windows there."

    "I feel I can count up to about four at a nce."

    "I''ve heard that crows can intuitively count up to four. So, I''m probably below a crow. I don''t have a very strong ability to grasp things instantaneously."

    "Well, I''m not sure if I could urately tell between six or seven."

    "I think that varies from person to person. So, when they say ''a few'', it could mean anywhere from three to six, depending on the situation. And when I say ''as a subjective fact'', it implies that the person making the statement isn''t consciously thinking about the exact number."

    "Even though they bought it themselves?"

    "It says ''casually grab'', right? So, to the character, the exact number might not matter. You can infer that from this context."

    "But it wasn''t ''a lot''. So, ''a few''. If it was seven or more, it would be like buying a mountain of apples, wouldn''t it?"

    "So, it''s written this way for a reason. Asamura-kun, you''re really familiar with reading, aren''t you?"

    I found myself being looked at with eyes of admiration.

    I squirmed ufortably on the sofa, feeling that I hadn''t done anything to deserve such praise.

    I could hear my old man''s voice saying, "I''m home". The door leading to the living room opened.

    "Oh, everyone''s here. I bought a few taiyaki, let''s eat."

    Saying so, he ced a brown paper bag, which seemed to contain taiyaki, on the dining table.

    "Well, I''ll make some tea then."

    I knew exactly what Ayase-san was going to say next.

    "Asamura-kun, how many is ''a few''?"

 Chapter 113: Fan Translator Message

    <h4>Chapter 113: Fan Trantor Message</h4>

    Gimai Seikatsu Volume 9

    Author: Mikawa Ghost

    Cover, Illustrations: Hiten

    Fan trantion by Fungus Trantions. Not for resale.

    Trantor: Fungus

    uracy checking: Yuko and Crizy

    Proofreaders: KP, NaCl and Shino

    Illustration coloring: Riveria

    Cover/Inserts: Fungus

    EPUB: Fungus

    If you have downloaded this fan trantion please support the author by purchasing the original Japanese light novel, or if and when an officially licensed version of this volume bes avable.

 Chapter 114: June 12th (Saturday) â€” Asamura Yuuta

    <h4>Chapter 114: June 12th (Saturday) ¡ª Asamura Yuuta</h4>

    My old man, dragging arge suitcase, stood side by side with Akiko-san at the front entrance.

    I could see the blue sky behind them from where I stood in the hallway. The rainy season would probably start in just under a week, but today, it was sunny and pleasant. If you listened close, you could hear sparrows chirping from the treetops below.

    "Um... So, Yuuta, we''ll be off now."

    "Take care of the house, okay?"

    My old man looked worried, while Akiko-san seemed rearing to go.

    "Yes, everything will be fine."

    I turned a forced smile towards Akiko-san and shot my old man an annoyed look, as if to say, "You don''t need to worry so much."

    "Are you absolutely sure? Don''t forget to lock up, alright? And don''t skimp on your meals just because it''s a hassle, you have to eat properly. It''s not cool to skip them just because it''s a pain, you hear?"

    "Yes, yes. Leave it to me."

    Ayase-san, standing beside me, chimed in too.

    "Don''t worry. I''ll cook, and lock the doors too. Yuuta-niisan and I will make sure to watch over the house while you''re away."

    Yuuta-niisan. Just hearing that got my heart racing a bit.

    "Yuuta-niisan" was a special way of addressing me that Ayase-san and I decided on about ten days ago, to use exclusively at home. We told our parents some vague reason like, "We''ve been living together for a year, so it''s a good time to change."

    It wasn''t technically a lie, but not the whole truth either. We were just supposed to be step-siblings, but our feelings for each other have grown beyond that. After an undefined rtionship over the summer, we confirmed our feelings for each other on Halloween. Since then, our rtionship had changed from just being step-brother and step-sister to also being lovers.

    On the flip side, though, there was my old man and Akiko-san''s rtionship to consider. They''d both been single parents for a fair while before remarrying and had finally created a family together. It wasn''t something Ayase-san nor I wanted to jeopardize. It''s not like we could be shameless enough to ignore the fact we were step-siblings, even if it was just by marriage.

    That was probably why, ever since we were put in the same ss at school, we''d struggled to gauge the proper distance between us. Without realizing it, we''d reached a point just shy of codependency. We couldn''t go on like that. We felt that something had to change, hence why we decided to reconsider our boundaries at home. So, at home, Ayase-san would call me "Yuuta-niisan." It''s a bit more intimate than "Asamura-kun," but by adding "niisan," it serves as a reminder of our roles. Ayase-san wanted to tone down the excessive disys of affection at home. As for me, I chose to close the gap a bit and call her "Saki," sans honorifics.

    But, even though we decided on it together, I''m still not used to Ayase-san calling me "Yuuta-niisan."

    "It sounds a bit awkward, doesn''t it?" Akiko-san pointed out, causing my blood to pump faster.

    "W-what does?"

    "You seem a bit uneasy whenever she calls you ''niisan'', Yuuta-kun."

    "It''s not like that, right, Yuuta-niisan? That''s right, isn''t it, Yuuta-niisan? You''re used to it now, aren''t you, Yuuta-niisan?"

    She was being a little too forceful. Repeating it over and over again feels kind of counterproductive. My old man was giving us a weird look, too.

    "Uh, well, yeah. I guess I''m used to it."

    I tried to just brush it off with a vague answer, and Akiko-san sighed, saying, "Well, it''s fine."

    "Anyway, you two don''t need to worry about Saki and me. It''s a rare chance for you to go on a trip alone together, so just enjoy yourselves."

    My old man and Akiko-san were about to go on a one-night, two-day trip, for the first anniversary of their remarriage.

    The first I''d heard of it was five days ago, on the anniversary of us all living together. Though, I''d since heard my old man''s feelings on it from Ayase-san¡ªvia Akiko-san. Apparently he''d intended to cancel this trip. Although they''d nned it, the fact that both of them had remarried and each brought along a minor from their previous marriages (Ayase-san and I) made him consider giving up on the trip. Us preparing for entrance exams might''ve been another reason. But that''s when Akiko-san had told him it would only make us kids feel bad if they canceled.

    "But still, leaving the two of you alone at home feels kind of irresponsible..."

    "It''s fine, Taichi-san. There''ve been times when both of us weren''t home, haven''t there? Isn''t that right, Saki?"

    Ayase-san gave her a sharp nod in response. Akiko-san smiled warmly when she saw her daughter''s face. She yfully smacked my still-reluctant old man on the butt to hurry him along.

    "C''mon, Taichi-san. If we don''t leave soon, we''ll get stuck in traffic."

    He finally started to wheel the suitcase towards the elevator. Even then, he nced back at us. Ayase-san and I waved until the two of them got onto the elevator. Once they were out of sight, we went back inside.

    "My old man''s such a worrywart."

    I locked the front door as I thought about the look on his face.

    For the next two days, it''ll just be Ayase-san and me. Alone.

    "Should we eat now? If we wait too long, it''ll be lunchtime already," Ayase-san said.

    "Sounds good."

    I took out my phone to check the time¡ªjust past 7:30.

    Cooking on weekends usually falls on Akiko-san and my old man. But since both of them were away, it was up to us to cook for ourselves. Today was Ayase-san''s turn, and tomorrow would be mine.

    We both headed to the dining room.

    "I''ll help with prep."

    "Nah, it''s mostly done, so just sit down at the table."

    I felt guilty about doing nothing, so I took care of the little tasks I could do. I wiped down the table, served up the rice, and got us drinks as per usual. I took out a pot of barley tea we''d been chilling in the fridge. When I poured it into a ss, beads of condensation quickly formed on the surface. It was already mid June, so it was warm even in the mornings. We had the air-con going.

    As I sat down at my seat, I snuck a nce at Ayase-san''s back while she cooked. She was wearing an off-shoulder white top under her apron, adorned with small ribbons on both upper arms. Instead offortable loungewear, it looked more like an outfit for going out, minus her essories¡ªlike a choker and earrings. Just like a year ago, she looked impable as always. That being said, our rtionship had changed a lot since then.

    "Alright, should we eat?"

    I quickly looked up, startled by Ayase-san''s voice. Everything was ready. The two of us put our hands together and said "itadakimasu" before digging in.

    Grilled salmon slices, rolled omelet, rice, and miso soup¡ªprobably the most standardbo we''ve had over the past year. It was the kind of breakfast you''d find at a ryokan[1]. I was curious about the ingredients peeking out from the miso soup, so I stuck my chopsticks in and stirred it lightly before speaking.

    [Ryokan: A traditional Japanese inn, often with tatami-matted rooms, onsen baths, and traditional meals.]

    "There''s cabbage in here."

    "Yep. Spring cabbage and new potatoes[2]. It''s miso soup with seasonal veggies. Is it weird?"

    [Shin-jaga, or "new potatoes", refers to young, early-harvest potatoes with thin skin and a sweeter, waxier texture. ]

    "Nah. I''m just not used to having cabbage, let alone potatoes, in miso soup."

    When I think of cabbage, for whatever reason I picture it shredded and served next to tonkatsu[3]. Or cut into bite-sized pieces and stir-fried with onions, carrots, and pork.

    [tonkatsu: Breaded and deep-fried pork cutlet.]

    "I figured it was normal to put it in miso soup too. Anyway, if it feels strange, you can think of it as stew."

    "You mean like, think of it as a miso-vored stew?"

    "Exactly."

    I swapped my mental image of the miso soup in front of me to Western soup and looked down at it again, and strangely enough, the weird feeling vanished. Ah okay, so this is what prejudice feels like.

    "By the way, is it cabbage season at the moment?"

    I got a nod in reply.

    Spring cabbage, as the name suggests, is cabbage sown in autumn and harvested in spring.

    "It''s more like early summer than spring now, but it''s still in season."

    "It''s around that time in the north, isn''t it? I don''t really know, honestly. But they had itbeled ''spring cabbage'' at the shop, so I''m sure it''s right. Same for the new potatoes. Besides, it''s fine if it''s off by a month or two, right?"

    I feel like if it''s off by two months, the season would have changed, but that''s fine I guess. What matters is whether it''s delicious or not.

    I lightly stirred the soup to even out the vor before taking a sip.

    "This miso soup... or should I say miso stew? Either way, it''s delicious. You can really taste the sweetness of the veggies."

    I picked up some cabbage and new potatoes with my chopsticks and took a bite. They were cooked just right, with the cabbage retaining its crunchiness and the potatoes maintaining their fluffiness. That meant the timing for cooking them had been spot on. And that subtle taste on my tongue was¡­

    "Ginger?"

    "Yeah, just a touch."

    "Wow, it''s refreshing."

    "Thanks for saying that."

    Maybe I''d overdone it with thepliments, as Ayase-san''s response was a bit indifferent as she quietly started eating too. Over the past year, I''d learnt that when Ayase-san acted like this it was likely down to her shyness.

    "So, Asa¡ªYuuta-niisan, what''re your ns today?"

    "It''s okay, you can call me Asamura now. Our parents aren''t around."

    "No. If I call you that, you''ll feel too much like a stranger. That''s the reason I decided to call you ''Yuuta-niisan'' in the first ce."

    So, for Ayase-san, this was like some magic spell she used to avoid getting too touchy with me at home.

    Abracadabra. kazam. Brothers and sisters shouldn''t hug each other and what not at home, off we go.

    But just keeping her away from me won''t solve anything. If I do that, she won''t see me as "special and close family." So, I have to get a little closer.

    "Uhm, my ns¡­ I have work in the afternoon. What about you, Saki?"

    Hearing me use her name, Saki''s face rxed and she smiled, her usual poker face crumbling. If changing the way I address her relieves her stress, I''ll dly do it... at least, I think I can.

    "I''m just going shopping today. We''re running out of detergent, and we need more veggies too. I also have homework to do, so I figured I''d get it done on Saturday."

    "I''m gonna be near the station for work anyway, so why don''t I buy what we need?"

    "Alright then, I''ll make a list of what we needter. If anythinges up, I''ll shoot you a message."

    "Got it."

    "..."

    Huh? She''s looking at me with such expectant eyes.

    "Got it, Saki."

    "Uh-huh. Thanks, Yuuta-niisan."

    Alright. I think this is probably the appropriate distance between me and Ayase-san right now. I feel like that worked.

    "What''s wrong?"

    "What do you mean?"

    "You have this look like you''ve just finished a task or something."

    "Do I?"

    "But you know, in times like these, you tend to forget the important stuff. You sure you''re okay?"

    "I think I''m okay... I hope."

    I was feeling a bit anxious now, if I''m honest.

    After that, we chatted about what had been going on in our lives over the past few days while eating the typical Japanese breakfast.

    We talked about how our throats were dry when we woke up in the morning, how summer was already here, and how swimming sses were starting. Speaking of, Ayase-san mentioned that she might need to buy a new swimsuit this year because the old one might not fit anymore. Midway, Ayase-san seemed to realize who she was talking to and hesitated. Her candidness was probably a remnant from when her only conversations at home were with Akiko-san. It goes to show how I''ve be someone she trusts and can befortable around. Though, even if I were her real brother, swimsuit sizes probably wouldn''t be on the list of conversation topics. Perhaps this was a manifestation of her uncertainty about our closeness.

    To avoid any awkwardness, I decided to change the topic. Anything would have done, but what came to my mind was¡­

    "How you feeling about the sports festival on Tuesday?"

    "Not too bad, I guess. But, I mean, at the very least I don''t want to hold everyone back. You feel that way too, don''t you Yuuta-niisan?"

    "Yeah, I''m pretty rubbish at basketball."

    "Oh really? Honestly, I never thought you''d choose basketball."

    Hearing her call me "you" threw me for a loop. Is it because she recently stopped calling me "Asamura-kun"? She asionally mixed in the pronoun "you" when addressing me now. Maybe "Yuuta-niisan" was too long for her, or perhaps she subconsciously didn''t want to address me as a brother. Regardless, my brain hadn''t adjusted to the unfamiliar phrasing yet.

    "Yoshida invited me."

    "Oh, you guys have been pretty closetely."

    "We have, yeah, since we were together on the school trip."

    "I saw you two practicing hard. Your shots were on point."

    I chose basketball, and Ayase-san chose volleyball, so we both practiced in the gym. Meaning, we could see each other''s progress.

    "You saw that? I just got lucky with that one shot."

    "But if you did it once, you can do it again."

    "To do that, I need a lot more practice."

    I''m not good at it, after all. Being more of an indoor person, I can''t keep up with sports club members like Yoshida. That said, my endurance might be at least above average. Working at a bookstore is pretty physically demanding. It was a relief that I wasn''tpletely hopeless at sports.

    "It probably suits you better than tennis though, right?"

    "Now that I think about it, Saki, you nailed both receiving and returning the ball at practice. You''ve got some skills, I must say."

    In basketball you only need to grab the ball, but in volleyball you need to return it, which seems more challenging to me. In fact, when I yed it in PE, I was hot garbage at receiving the ball.

    "I''m not good at it either. But if I''m going to do it, I don''t wanna weigh down my teammates," Ayase-san said with a wry smile.

    "Well then, let''s just give it our best shot."

    "Agreed."

    In truth, both of us were surprised by our individual choices. Me choosing basketball and Ayase-san choosing volleyball. Untilst year, we both chose tennis, a solo sport where we didn''t have to interact with other people. And I remember when Ayase-san used to skip or ck off in the PE sses meant for sports festival practice.

    To be fair, Narasaka-san, who imed to have practiced, once showcased a spectacr home run during tennis, so the jury''s out on howmitted she was to it. I digress. The point is, both of us used to say we absolutely despised team sports.

    And yet, both of us were participating in teampetitions this year.

    We shared a meal together in the morning light, asionally trading words between bites. Time seemed to flow slowly. The TV in the living room was off, and there was no news or music to disturb us.

    Every time she reached for the big sd bowl in the center of the table, Ayase-san''s hair would cascade down from her shoulders. It''s gotten longer, I thought. Her once-short hair had returned to its original length. Its brightly colored tips looked almost translucent as her hair caught the morning sunlight streaming in through the window.

    "What is it?"

    I quickly looked away after realizing I''d been staring. This was the first weekend I was spending alone with the step-sister who popped into my life a year ago. As Akiko-san rightly pointed out, there were definitely days when both of our parents didn''t return home untilte at night. In that sense, it was just like any other day really. But, I couldn''t remember a single time both of them had been gone for an entire day. It was just the two of us. Whatever Ayase-san and I did, there was no one to stop us or tell us off. Not that we nned to do anything in particr, mind you.

    "Thanks for the food," Ayase-san said.

    "Looks like you finished eating quickly while I was spacing out. Sorry."

    "It''s okay. It''s Saturday after all."

    Ayase-san unhurriedly put the kettle on, likely to make some tea or coffee to finish up the meal.

    "But I have work."

    "What time are you leaving?"

    "Like, 10. I start at 11."

    Time was ticking. After cleaning up after the meal, I washed and hung up my work uniform. By the time I packed it into my bag, it was already time to leave. Ayase-san handed me a bento, saying she''d made it for me to eat during my break. I''d just nned on grabbing something from the convenience store, so I was more than happy to ept it. I should make something for her when she works tomorrow, I thought to myself.

    I pedaled my bike towards the station. The noise of the bento box rattling around in the basket annoyed me, so I couldn''t ride as fast as I normally did. I hope Ayase-san''s handmade bento isn''t ruined.

    I walked into the bookstore where I work. I changed into my uniform and went to the office, where I saw an unfamiliar girl talking to the manager. But before I could wonder who she was, the girl looked at me and bowed.

    "Nice to meet you. Starting today, I''ll be working here. My name''s Kozono Erina."

    The girl bowing and introducing herself looked to be about one or two years younger than me. Most likely two, so maybe a first year at high school. The new school term had only started two months ago, and she still had a junior high schooler vibe about her.

    She was short. Among the girls I knew¡ªexcluding cousins¡ªthe shortest I''d ever met was Narasaka-san. But this girl looked even shorter than that. I felt like I''d have to bend my knees a bit just to make eye contact with her. That''s probably why she seemed even more like a small animal than Narasaka-san. The way her soft hair was tied up high on both sides of her head added to her childlike appearance. I wasn''t up with women''s hairstyles, but I''m pretty sure this was what they called "twin tails." The interesting part to me was that her hair was two different colors. It was mainly ck, with dyed pink strands mixed in.

    I had a hunch she might be a new part-timer, honestly. Yomiuri-senpai, who the store manager relied on most, said she''d be busy with job hunting and her graduation thesis. Seeing the drop in work hoursing, the manager mentioned he wanted to hire more student part-timers for weekends.

    "Good morning, Manager."

    "Uh-huh. Good morning, Asamura-kun."

    The manager greeted me back with that usual gentle smile of his. I guess he''ll introduce me.

    "That''s Yuuta," he said, nodding in my direction.

    I bowed my head slightly to her and nced at the girl. It looked like he understood the meaning behind my gaze.

    "I mentioned it before¡­"

    "About a new student part-timer, you mean?"

    "Yeah. She''ll be helping us out starting today. Umm... Kosono, no wait, Kozono... is that right?"

    "Yes, it''s Kozono. In Kanji it''s written as ''small garden''."

    "Garden¡­ Ah, isn''t that written as ''sono''?"[4]

    [The kanji for garden is "ˆ@" (sono), but when "Ð¡" (ko), meaning small/little, is added it changes to "zono", which is what Erina is exining here.]

    "Yes! Like ''ko-mado'' is small window, or ''ko-bune'' is small boat, ''ko-zono'' is ''small garden!''"

    "Got it. Kozono-san it is. I''m Asamura."

    "Asamura-senpai? I might be inexperienced, but please take care of me!"

    "Ah, no, same here."

    Wait. What did she mean by "please take care of me"?

    "I was only just telling her, but I''m thinking about leaving Kozono-san''s mentoring up to you, Asamura-kun."

    "Me, ah, wait, myself?"

    "Haha. You don''t have to force yourself, Asamura-kun. You''re always so polite. It''s okay to just say ''me.'' No one''s going to care, in this store at least."

    I''ve been working here since my first year of high school, so it''s been a full two years. That''s a long time for student part-timers, sure, but there are people like Yomiuri-senpai and others who have been here longer than I have. Plus, in terms of age, Ayase-san and I are the youngest. That''ll change though, with Kozono-san joining.

    "I think it''s easier to get advice from someone close to your own age."

    "Well, I''m not that great of a teacher¡ª"

    "But Ayase-san seems to rely on you, so why not give it a try? And you must''ve learnt alot from Yomiuri-san the year beforest, didn''t you? Just remember all that. I don''t expect you to do everything on your own, of course. I''m nning to ask Yomiuri-san to help as well, and I want you to get advice from her if you run into any problems."

    The manager continued, saying that Yomiuri-senpai would be starting her shift in the evening today, which might not give her enough time to mentor Kozono-san very well.

    When it was allid out like that for me, I couldn''t find a reason to refuse.

    When I started working at the bookstore in my first year of high school, it was Yomiuri-senpai who took on the role of training me. Now, apparently, it was my turn to train someone else. One good turn deserves another, I suppose. What goes aroundes around.

    I was told that for Kozono-san, not only was this her first time working in a bookstore, but her first actual job in general. That''s exactly how I started a few years ago. Knowing that my actions could shape her first impressions of working felt like a big responsibility to shoulder¡­ but I guess I''ve just gotta do it.

    "I''m not sure how well I can teach, but I''ll do my best."

    "Yes! Thank you so much!" She replied energetically, giving a little bow.

    Bright and polite¡ªthat was my first impression of her. Almost like sunshine. No, that''s not quite right. Narasaka-san always reminded me of a squirrel or a puppy. Kozono-san, on the other hand, seemed even smaller, kind of like¡­

    "A hamster¡­"

    "Pardon?"

    "Ah, no, just talking to myself."

    I was about to say that she was like an energetic golden hamster, but I quickly shut my trap. That was my first impression of this new small animal-like part timer.

    "Would it be best to start with showing her around the store, Manager?"

    "Yes, please."

    With his instructions in mind, I started by showing her theyout of the store. I handed her the provided uniform and guided her to the changing room. While she was changing, I did a quickp of the shelves, thinking about the order in which to show her everything.

    Since it was a Saturday, I''d asked for a slightly longer shift today, and the manager had given me the green light. I''m sure it''s fine to set aside time this time for Kozono-san''s training.

    After finishing myp, I saw that Kozono-san had just finished changing and hade out of the changing room. She''d correctly pinned a "training" badge to her chest.

    "Alright,e this way. I''ll start by showing you the back of the store."

    "The back¡­ that sounds kinda sketchy."

    "No, no, it''s nothing like that. By "the back" I mean, um, the ce where we keep our backup stock."

    "Oh, the storeroom! I misunderstood when you said ''back''."

    That misunderstanding was definitely on me.

    I took Kozono-san to the warehouse.

    "The books delivered by the distributor are stored here. A distributor acts as a middleman between publishers who produce the books and bookstores like ours."

    "So like, a wholesaler, right?"

    "Right, yeah."

    I briefly exined the role of the warehouse and then returned to the shelves.

    "The room where you and the manager were earlier is the office. During breaks, you can rest in the break room next door, the office, or even go outside for a little while. If you want coffee, tea, or water there''s a vending machine and a water cooler in the break room."

    "I don''t really like tea, it''s too bitter."

    "Then you might wanna use the vending machine. It has juice too. But if you go outside the store, it''s probably best to take off your apron and badge. If it''s your meal break, you have to change before heading out."

    After exining all that, I shot a nce at the store''s clock¡ªjust past 11:30. If we kept dawdling, lunchtime would sneak up on us.

    "Alright, let me give you a rough tour of the store."

    "Yes!"

    I took Kozono-san towards the store''s entrance.

    "Every store has what''s called a ''customer path''."

    "Ah, umm...?"

    "It means how people move around inside the building, the path they take."

    "Oh, that''s why we came back to the entrance."

    From talking to her, I picked up that Kozono-san was a smart girl.

    "I thought it''d be easier to remember if I showed you around following our store''s customer path. You don''t have to remember everything, but just try to get a rough idea."

    "Understood."

    What kind of people visit this store near Shibuya station? I told her that, while also exining how the books were arranged ording to customer demographics. We did one fullp. I remembered that, two years ago when I first started, Yomiuri-senpai had guided me just like I was doing now.

    It was her first job, so she must''ve been feeling nervous too, and there''s no way she''d remember everything I told her all at once. So, I didn''t expect her to remember everything I''ve shared. There''s a method behind the madness of how the shelves are arranged. As long as she got the gist of it, that was good enough.

    After that, I started teaching her the basic tasks and greetings. Lastly, I guided her to the cash register counter and briefly exined the cashier''s duties.

    Though, there was a bunch of stuff to remember about modern cash registers, so for a while, she''d start with tasks like standing next to the cashier and putting covers on books.

    As expected, when I went over stuff like how to handle credit card payments, Kozono-san looked totally lost.

    Well, this is probably the limit for the first day.

    We returned to the office. It was just about 12 pm.

    I should add, I also taught her how to punch the time card during breaks. Nowadays, somepanies manage entry and exit with IC cards, but our store still used paper time cards.[5]

    Insert the rectangr paper into the narrow hole of the machine. Push it in lightly, and the card slips in. There''s a click, and the current time is stamped on it, before it smoothlyes out again. Your actual working hows are calcted based on this stamped time.

    "It''s interesting, isn''t it?"

    "Well, I think IC cards would be more convenient, though."

    Even though payment at the front was bing electronic, employee management was still analog. Well, that will probably change little by little too.

    "With all that said, it''s time for our lunch break. You get a whole hour. You can go out to eat if you like, but what do you wanna do?"

    "I have a bento. Can I eat it in the break room?"

    "That''s fine."

    "...I wonder what I should drink," she muttered.

    Come to think of it, she did mention she doesn''t like tea.

    "You can buy something from the vending machine outside, or if you''re okay with in hot water, you can drink from the hot water dispenser."

    "Thank you."

    Kozono-san ran off towards the lockers where she had left her stuff.

    The bookstore was usually open during meal times, so someone had to work during that time. I don''t know how other stores manage, but here we staggered our lunch breaks ording to who''s avable. We usually do it like that, but today I thought it might be better to eat too. Taking a peak at the crowd inside the bookstore, I saw that customers from downtown were also heading out to have lunch, meaning there were fewer of them. I figured I should eat now. If I waited, Kozono-san would just be hanging around twiddling her thumbs after finishing her meal.

    I grabbed my lunch and headed back to the break room, but Kozono-san wasn''t there yet. I decided to just start eating without waiting for her.

    With some tea I made from the dispenser, I opened the bento Ayase-san had made for me.

    "Oh, a three-color bento, huh?"

    From the top, it was beautifully divided into three sections, like a g. The middle white part was rice, the right was orange, and the left was yellow. The orange was ked salmonyered over the rice. Clearly the grilled salmon we''d had for breakfast had been reused for lunch. She must''ve been thinking about what to put in the bento while she was making breakfast. The yellow part was scrambled eggs. I grabbed some with my chopsticks and tasted it; it had a dashi[6] vor, was slightly sweet, and simply delicious.

    There was a small Tupperware container that''d been stacked on top of the bento in the lunch bag. You could tell from the outside that it was filled with sd. It was packed with lettuce, onions, and shredded carrots. There was also a single cherry tomato. In the corner of the container was a tiny fish-shaped dressing bottle filled with an opaque liquid. Probably dressing. I drizzled it over the top and took a bite.

    After polishing that off, I started on the bento. I scooped up the scrambled egg and some rice underneath it with my chopsticks and ced it on my tongue. The slightly moist eggbined perfectly with the somewhat dry rice, making it neither too dry nor too wet when chewed.

    It was delicious. But also frustrating.

    Ayase-san will work tomorrow, and I''d love to make lunch for her, but I reckon something on this level is way beyond me.

    I heard the sound of the door opening and looked up. Kozono-san came in, holding her lunch bag.

    "Excuse me. Oh, you have a bento too, senpai?" she said, walking past me and moving to the seat across from me.

    As she sat down at the long rectangr table, Kozono-san nced at my bento.

    "It looks delicious. Did you make it, senpai?"

    "Uh¡­"

    What should I do? It feels wrong to lie.

    "My family made it for me."

    That was my response. It wasn''t a lie, at least. But just because something isn''t a lie doesn''t mean it''s the truth.

    "Really?"

    "What about you, Kozono-san?"

    I might''ve been a bit too transparent in trying to change the subject, but fortunately, Kozono-san didn''t pry any further.

    "My mama made it for me," she said, opening her small bento with a snap. Kozono-san immediately froze.

    The rice inside was covered with pink furikake[7].

    "Ugh, I told mama I''m in high school now, so should she stop using sakura denbu[7]..."

    It seemed like she was bummed about not being treated her age.

    But, despite herints, she put her hands together, said "itadakimasu," and got stuck in with a cheerful smile as she moved her chopsticks contentedly. Seeing her like this, I kind of understood why her parents would sprinkle pink furikake on her rice.

    The rest of our break went by without much chit-chat.

    I showed Kozono-san how to organize the shelves again, and before I knew it, it was time to clock out. Well, that''s probably how it is for the first day of a job.

    We both headed back to the office. No one was around. Given it was nearly evening, the store was getting crowded. No doubt the manager and everyone else were rushed off their feet.

    It''s not like saying goodbye before leaving was mandatory or anything, but¡­

    Just as I was wondering what to do, the door swung open, followed by the sound of humming.

    "Hmm, hmm, hmm~?. Goooood mornin''! Junior-kun. How''s it hanging!?"

    It was Yomiuri-senpai, her long hair gathered in a bundle at the back, and dressed in a suit.

    "Well, you''re in a good mood."

    "My interview went pretty well. Now you can praise me."

    "Good job."

    "That ain''t really praise, now is it?"

    "You did well."

    "C''mon Junior-kun, that''s so weak¡­ I''m happy with your kindness and support, but it wouldn''t hurt to hear ''You''re amazing'', ''You did so well'', or ''You''re a genius'' once in a while. Seems to me like you''re not giving me enough senpai service."

    "What the heck is ''Senpai service''...?"

    "I mean, it was real tough, y''know¡­ hm? Oh my, who''s this cute girl? Oh my, oh my, oh my."

    Her voice rising an octave, she walked towards Kozono-san, who was shrinking back as if trying to hide behind me. She pulled back a bit as the unidentified creature¡ªI mean unfamiliar senpai¡ªdescended on her.

    Perfectly understandable, honestly.

    "U-uh. Umm¡­?"

    Yomiuri-senpai circled around Kozono-san, spouting things like "cute" and "adorable."

    After fully appreciating the cuteness of her new junior, Yomiuri-senpai snapped back to her normal self and gave the confused newbie a warm smile.

    "Nice to meet you. I''m Yomiuri Shiori," she said with a bow of her head.

    She took off the sp that held her hair together at the back, giving it a little shake and letting her long ck hair cascade onto her shoulders like a fan.

    As she straightened herself up again, the middle aged man vibe she had just moments ago was nowhere to be found. A ssy traditional Japanese beauty with long ck hair stood there instead, looking ready to head off to uni at any moment.

    "N-nice to meet you, I''m Kozono Erina."

    "Are you, by chance, the new part-timer?"

    "Yes. Um, starting today I''ll be working here, and um¡­"

    "It''s all good, we''re both girls, so you don''t needa be so formal. Rx a bit."

    If you really don''t want her to be nervous, don''t gawk at the junior you only just met.

    "U-uh¡­"

    Kozono-san just looked confused. Clearly, she wanted an exnation about who this strange person was, who''d suddenly appeared and said whatever she damn well pleased.

    "This person is Yomiuri Shiori-senpai. She''s been a student part-timer here for a long time. I guess she''s a senpai to you, Kozono-san."

    "Don''t make it sound like I''m an old timer."

    "So then, you''re a veteran?"

    "Feel free to just call me ''senpai'', okay??" Yomiuri-senpai said, punctuating the end of her sentence by marking a heart symbol.

    "O-okay then. Um, Yomiuri-senpai!"

    "Yeees! Uh-huh. So cute, so very cute."

    "Really?"

    "First off, your innocence is just lovely! And that hair! The inner color looks so good on you."

    "Thank you."

    Was she talking about the inside of her hair being dyed a lighter color? I just had to ask.

    "So that''s called an inner color?"

    Yomiuri-senpai gave me a quick rundown. An inner color was a fashionable way of dyeing the underside of your hair a different color. Most Japanese people have ck hair, which tends to give a gloomy impression around the face. But by dyeing the inside a brighter color, it can brighten up theirplexion. That was the logic behind it, apparently.

    "I do it too," Yomiuri-senpai said, casually flipping her hair with one hand.

    "Huh? It just looks like a very natural ck to me, though."

    "Dear Junior-kun, you''re the type who doesn''t notice when things change in a disy window, aren''t you?"

    ¡­I remember Ayase-san saying something simr to me.

    "I tried adding a bit of brown around my ears before the interview."

    "Oh¡­ really?"

    That one had gonepletely over my head.

    "It brightens up the face, making facial expressions more visible to others. It''s important in interviews that the interviewer can clearly see your facial expressions. It''d be a waste if you were smiling, but they couldn''t see it."

    True enough.

    "But it''s a kind of fashion thing, right? Won''t strictpanies get mad?"

    "They might."

    "You''re okay with that?"

    "You see, Junior-kun," Yomiuri-senpai said with a surprisingly serious face. "I know how I look to others, and I''ve maintained it because it''s advantageous to me. But when ites to long-term rtionships, being two-faced just doesn''t cut it."

    "Ah, yeah, senpai, you''ve never been big on rigid things."

    Right, yeah. Yomiuri-senpai''s appearance as an elegant, long-haired, Japanese beauty was just for show. Kozono-san, who''d been listening into our conversation, chose that moment to chime in.

    "Aren''t you scared? What if you fail the interview?"

    "You too, huh, Erina-chan. Oh, can I use your first name?"

    Kozono-san nodded.

    "Yes."

    "Erina-chan, you had that hairstyle too when you went for the interview here, correct?"

    "Well, I thought¡­ even if I didn''t get it, I''d just look for another job."

    "Ditto."

    "But¡ªisn''t that different? I feel like proper employment is different from a part-time job."

    "If you''re trying to be sincere, don''t you think it''s more sincere not to show a fake side of you?"

    Kozono-san started to mull that over. She was apparently taking what Yomiuri-senpai said seriously, but the jury''s out on if Yomiuri-senpai herself had given it that much thought. She might''ve just forgotten she even had an interview and dyed her hair on a whim.

    "Mmm. Ah, well, I¡­ up until junior high I just hadpletely ck hair. I never even thought about changing my hair color or anything. But, once I was epted into high school and saw myself in the mirror wearing the school uniform, I felt like¡­ this isn''t really me. Once I felt that way, I couldn''t resist," she said, reflecting on her past.

    "Yep, yep. That hair color suits you. It''s perfect for the bright and energetic Erina-chan. Dontcha think, Asamura-kun?"

    "Yeah, I think it really suits her."

    "Thank you."

    She really is a genuinely sweet kid, I thought to myself as I watched Kozono-san bow with a delighted look on her face.

    And it made me realize that a person''s appearance is made up of various things all tangled up together. Yomiuri-senpai and Ayase-san were both the type to have a different inner and outer appearance. But, their perspectives on their appearances couldn''t be more different. Yomiuri-senpai doesn''t care if she''s seen as a quiet girl and leaves it at that, while Ayase-san doesn''t want to be seen that way and be underestimated. And then there are types like Kozono-san, who actively try to bridge the gap between appearance and inner self by changing their hair color.

    It''s probably meaningless to symbolically look at appearances and apply stereotypes to them. By the same token, I thought it might be rare for someone like me to not care about "how I''m seen." Well, that might be why I stand out when I''m standing next to Ayase-san. Maybe I should care a little more.

    "...Anyway, I can''t stay any longer. I have a curfew, so I have to head home now!"

    "Oh, curfew! What a nostalgic word. Mmhm. Well, in that case, hurry up and go!"

    "Yes. Um, Yomiuri-senpai, I look forward to working with you!"

    "You too. Take care on your way home."

    "I won''t be here tomorrow, but I''m sure someone else will probably help you."

    "Yes!"

    She bowed deep, her twin tails bouncing with the movement of her head. She spun around and quickly pitter pattered her way out of the office.

    "Ah, well then, I''m going home too."

    "Alrighty. Say hi to Saki-chan for me."

    I left the office, leaving behind a waving Yomiuri-senpai.

    Before getting on my bike, I checked my LINE and saw a notification from Ayase-san, asking me to buy groceries. It was mostly veggies¡ªpotatoes, cabbage, and other heavy stuff.

    While shopping, I thought ahead to tomorrow''s meal, my turn, and grabbed some extra stuff not on Ayase-san''s list.

    When I got home she was flipping through shcards in the living room. As I washed the bento in the sink, I told her, "It was delicious."

    "Really? d to hear it."

    "I''ll make one tomorrow, so if you''d like, you can take it with you."

    "...You are going to make a bento, Yuuta-niisan?"

    "Yeah, I am."

    "...Should I watch you make it?"

    "It defeats the purpose if I get your help. Don''t worry. I''ll look up the recipe and make it exactly as it says."

    Despite my insistence, Ayase-san looked like she was thinking, "Can he actually pull it off?"

    "If worstes to worst, I''ll make rice balls."

    "Ah, okay. If you say so."

    Does she think I can''t make anything more than rice balls? I was a bit shocked at first, but then I remembered the times I was on cooking duty and I messed up so much that Ayase-san had to step in and help. Like, for instance, when I overcooked the fish and more than half turned into an inedible charred mess. Or when the ingredients I put into the pot were too big and took forever to cook, leaving our stomachs growling. There was also the time I miscalcted the amount of vegetables needed for a stir-fry, and it was stir-fry for breakfast, lunch and dinner after that.

    "You don''t trust my cooking skills, huh¡­"

    "Hmm. Are you just eyeballing it when you cook?"

    "I try to measure everything ording to the recipe, both the amount and the time."

    I was met with a look that said, "You must be kidding." To be fair to her, it''s true that when a recipe says "to taste", I tend to use more rather than less.

    We chatted away like that as I washed the dishes, and Ayase-san came into the kitchen and began putting the groceries away in the fridge. More than likely she noticed the stuff I''d bought that she hadn''t asked for, so she probably had a good picture of what would be in her bento.

    "You''re gonna study now, right? I''ll make you some coffee."

    "Thanks. Should I grab your cup too, Saki?"

    "Yes please."

    We chit-chatted while brewing the coffee, and then, cup in hand, I retreated to my room. I had to study hard to make up for the time lost to work.

    I had a feeling I''d need to either quit or cut back on my job after summer, but for now, I wanted to save up as much money as possible. Truthfully, a high schooler''s part-time wage wouldn''t go very far towards paying for uni, but depending on which one I got into, I might need to start living on my own.

    I still have tomorrow, Sunday, so I''ll put off preparing for the lessons. I had already finished my homework.

    I pulled up my study schedule for entrance exams on myputer. I used spreadsheet software to list down all the subjects I needed to review for them. Nowadays, you can save files online, and there are apps for it too, meaning I could pull this spreadsheet up on my smartphone. Although, it was way easier to manage it on myputer.

    "Maybe I''ll study physics today..."

    I put a checkmark to track my progress, opened the textbook from my first year, and started reviewing the sections marked with sticky notes.

    Roughly speaking, my n was to review the first year material from April to June, the second year material from July to September, and of course, the third year material from October to December.

    The problem with that method was I might forget the stuff I reviewed at the start when I reached the end. My n to avoid that was to tackle some anticipated questions from the older stuff every now and then. If I made a mistake, I could just re-study the summarized part.

    I started my study session by reading through the textbook, referring to my old notes, and solving the example problems.

    ***

    "A new part-timer?"

    Sitting across from me, Ayase-san''s chopsticks stopped in mid air.

    I nodded and continued talking.

    "Remember, the manager mentioned it before. That Yomiuri-senpai can''t work as much because of her job hunting, so he wanted to hire another student."

    It was dinner time. As usual, we chatted about our day while eating. Today, however, aside from when I went to work, Ayase-san and I had spent the entire day at home together. That meant there was a limit to the interesting topics we could talk about. So, when my conversation repertoire ran out, I started talking about the new part-timer.

    "A girl?"

    "Yeah. She''s a first year high school student. Kozono Erina, I think."

    "Kozono? Oh, like ''kozo'' plus ''no'' for ''field'' in kanji?"

    "How do you write ''kozono'' in kanji anyway?"

    "I''m not sure. Wait, was I wrong?"

    "It''s ''small'' and ''garden''."

    Ayase-san used the tip of her chopstick to write kanji in mid-air, then stared at me with a face that said, "Aha!".

    "First of all, there''s no such word as ''kozo,'' is there?"

    "...No, apparently there is."

    The stuffed goya[8] she was about to put in her mouth stopped inches from it. She hesitated, before eventually biting into it. After silently chewing and swallowing, Ayase-san spoke.

    "What does ''kozo'' mean?"

    "It''s an old word, but apparently it was used to mean st year.''"

    I looked it up on my smartphone on the table then turned the screen towards her.

    ¡ºLast year: Kyo-ne-n. Synonym: Sakunen.¡»

    "Oh, you''re right. Wait, did you just look it up in the dictionary?"

    "Well, yeah."

    Isn''t this amon thing for novel readers? When you see a word you don''t know, you get curious, and as you search, you end up down the rabbit hole.

    "I guess that''s why your vocab is better than mine, Yuuta-niisan. Maybe I should start looking up words in the dictionary?"

    "Online dictionaries make it easy these days. I do rmend it. I think knowing more words is definitely an advantage for both modern and ssical literature."

    For me, it''s more like a hobby thing, though.

    I also took a bite of the stuffed goya. The outside was seared and crispy, and when I bit into it, the trapped juices from the ground meat slowly seeped out. The onions and the egg, used as a binder,bined with the bitterness of the goya. All those vors came together to strike a perfect bnce in my mouth.

    I used to dislike the bitterness of goya when I was a kid, but at some point, I started to find it delicious.

    "But anyway, I don''t think there''s ast name that writes ''field'' with st year''."

    "''Small'' and ''garden'' is moremon, right? I wonder why I didn''t think of that."

    I''m not sure why either¡­

    "So, I''m supposed to show the new girl the ropes. You''re working the same shift I did tomorrow, aren''t you, Saki?"

    Ayase-san nodded slightly.

    "You might be the one training her tomorrow then."

    "That''s... fine. But that means you''ll be spending all your shifts with her for a while..." She said, ncing up at me.

    "Ah, I don''t think it''ll be the entire time."

    I have my own job to do, too. But why was she ring at me like that?

    "I''m jealous."

    "Huh?"

    "Sorry. It''s just jealousy."

    Hearing that word, it finally clicked. Outside, we''re closer, but at home, we''re farther apart. When I''m outside, I always wanted to be close to Ayase-san. But now our work shifts were all over the ce, meaning we had less chances to talk. And at work, Kozono-san was physically closer to talk to me than Ayase-san. That''s how it must look to Ayase-san.

    "But, given the circumstances, it can''t be helped, can it?"

    Even as I said that, I could tell from her face that she was feeling a bit anxious.

    This is the first time I''ve seen Ayase-san being so openly jealous about me having a female coworker. I mean, Yomiuri-senpai is a female coworker, too. And there''d been jealousy-worthy stuff with her¡ªlike when we went to the movies and hung out at night. It wouldn''t have been strange for her to be jealous about that, but she never really showed it. On the outside, at least.

    Obviously, back then, we''d just be step-siblings, and there was no romance to speak of, so the circumstances were different now. But still, she seems a bit oversensitive.

    I mulled it over as I alternated between miso soup and rice,ing to the conclusion that it was just better to ask than to keep guessing. I think it''s better to clear things up.

    "You don''t have to worry so much, I''m not doing anything more than just interacting normally with a coworker."

    "I... know that."

    "So¡ª"

    Before I could ask why, Ayase-san sighed and said, "It might''ve had a bad influence on me."

    "Huh¡­? What did?"

    "A special feature."

    Special feature?

    When I tilted my head in confusion, Ayase-san started exining that she had watched TV while I was at work. She was fine with being alone while studying in her room, but apparently, she felt lonely while she was cooking or doing chores, so she put the living room TV on for background noise.

    "It''s called a wide show, I think? Something like that."

    "Ah... the one that airs in the afternoon?"

    "Wide" means wide-ranging. In Japanese, we call them "wide shows" because they cover a wide range of topics. It''s a term that probably doesn''t trante well in English-speaking countries. Seems they named it that because they wanted to cover a variety of topics without sticking to one genre.

    "They were doing a special feature on cheating."

    "Cheat¡ªWell, yeah, if they''re covering all sorts of topics, I guess that makes sense? It really is wide, huh."

    I feel like they didn''t really have to go down that route, though.

    "They were saying that the workce is amon ce for infidelity and cheating to start. Apparently, sixty percent of cheating is with coworkers!"

    Gotta wonder where they pulled those numbers from.

    "I think that''s probably what stuck in my head. I''ve always wondered if it''s easy to get close to coworkers at work, but we''ve always tried to keep a certain distance from each other. We even made sure not to be on the same shift¡­ And yet, here''s this girl who''s always close to you now."

    "We''re not... we''re not that close."

    "I know, but..."

    "So, when I brought up Kozono-san, you thought about that wide show''s special feature and worried about us getting too close?"

    "I think so. I''m sorry."

    "No, it''s better if you tell me when you''re worried. Well, I don''t really see my junior coworkers that way, and I don''t have any intentions like that in the first ce."

    "Okay. If you say so, Yuuta-niisan, I believe you."

    Ayase-san calmly exined the reason behind why she was feeling anxious. And, after we ate and each had our turn in the bath, she didn''t seem bothered by it anymore. I let out a sigh of relief, believing it was put to bed now.

    If you say so, Yuuta-niisan. If a brother says so, it''s different from when a lover does. If a brother gets all cozy with a coworker, it might be ufortable for his sister, but it doesn''t go much further than that. Generally, a brother isn''t a romantic interest for his sister.

    But, if it''s her lover Yuuta, it''d be more than just ufortable for Ayase-san. She started calling me Yuuta-niisan to make sure we didn''t go beyond just a brother-sister rtionship at home. But back then, I didn''t realize that in some situations, it might end up restraining Ayase-san''s feelings.

    Words hold power. They might merely influence one''s mood, but that mood can guide one''s actions.

    But at the time, I felt pretty good about being able to keep a decent distance¡ªnot being too clingy but also not avoiding her.

    The night with just the two of us ended without much happening.

    Or so I thought.

 Chapter 115: June 12th (Saturday) â€” Ayase Saki

    <h4>Chapter 115: June 12th (Saturday) ¡ª Ayase Saki</h4>

    On a sunny Saturday morning in June, I stood at the entrance of our t to see off my Mom and Stepdad, Taichi-san.

    They were setting out on a trip to celebrate their first wedding anniversary.

    Seeing Mom''s smile light up in the early summer sunlight as she stood next to him made me feel genuinely happy for her.

    She''d raised me all on her own after her previous marriage fell to pieces. And, she was the one person in the world I most wished happiness for. I truly believed she deserved it.

    When she told me she wanted to remarry a year ago, I didn''t oppose it, thinking that if she chose him, it must be the right choice. A year on, that thought surfaced again.

    She really did find a good match for her in my Stepdad. I can see that in the way he acts. He always says he trusts us kids, but as soon as they nned this trip together, he was a worried mess about leaving us at home by ourselves. It''d likely even look a little embarrassing from the outside.

    There was probably a small part of him that liked to show off, but he wasn''t nearly as prideful¡ªin a bad way¡ªas my biological father. My biological father always seemed so obsessed with maintaining his image as a man and husband, never wanting us to see him in an unttering light at home. That''s probably why he resented Mom after hispany failed and she became the family''s main breadwinner. He was just that kind of touchy guy, I guess.

    But my Stepdad was different. He''s the kind of strong person who''s okay with letting other people see his weak side. That might''ve been the most important thing for Mom. It''s something I could never copy myself, as I''d feel anxious if I didn''t have my armor on to protect myself from the society around me. Deep down, I think Mom isn''t so different from me, so it must be a blindingly beautiful thing in her eyes.

    "C''mon, Taichi-san. If we don''t leave soon, we''ll get stuck in traffic."

    At Mom''s urging, my Stepdad finally got a move on.

    Someone might think Mom was the more responsible one from listening to their conversation. But, in reality, my Mom can be a bit of a scatterbrain at unexpected times. It was just a one-night, two-day trip, but traveling with her might be more tiring than it appears to be.

    Good luck, Stepdad.

    After saying goodbye to them, Asamura-kun and I finally went back inside the t.

    ***

    Jolted by the sound of the rm, I looked up. The clock read 12 pm.

    I closed both the reference and exercise books in front of me and headed to the kitchen.

    Asamura-kun had already left for work, so I''d be having lunch on my lonesome. It hadn''t been long since breakfast, and I''d just been sat studying all morning, so I wasn''t really that hungry.

    "Leftovers from breakfast should be enough," I muttered to myself as I whipped up the meal.

    It''s not that I dislike cooking; I actually quite enjoy it. But, it kind of feels like a pain when I''m just cooking for myself. Cooking''s more fun when you have someone to share the food with.

    After finishing my food and washing the dishes, I nned to return to my studies¡ªwhen I suddenly froze.

    "It''s annoying me¡­"

    I was staring at the living room floor. When did west clean it? Once I started thinking about it, I couldn''t get it out of my head.

    We didn''t have a schedule for cleaning. Everyone cleaned their own rooms¡ªthat was a given. But the issue was themunal spaces. We had an unspoken rule that whoever noticed the mess first would clean it up (except when we did a big cleanup). Thankfully, neither Asamura-kun nor my Stepdad were messy people, so there were rarely things left on the floor. So, I''d often just give it a quick once over with the floor wiper. I couldn''t remember thest time I used a vacuum cleaner.

    "Can''t be helped. Guess I''ve gotta do it."

    Telling myself this was a break from studying, I decided to clean the kitchen and living room. Since a thorough cleaning would take more time than I had, I decided to just do some vacuuming. Otherwise, I might end up wasting the whole day cleaning.

    First, I started with some simple tidying up. I did say my family members weren''t the types to leave things on the floor, but you could still find some things scattered about if you looked closely enough. Like the remotes for the TV, streaming service, air-con, and ceiling light¡­ There were so many.

    ¡­It''d be easier if all of these werebined into one remote.

    Now that I think about it, wasn''t there a device that could control all household electronics at once? The voice operated one. Maybe I should ask Asamura-kun about it when I get the chance.

    I collected all the remotes and put them in a remote holder on the table. I thought it''d feel a bit lonely to clean in silence, so I decided to put on some random TV program as background noise before I got started. I thought about streaming a movie, but there wasn''t anything in particr I wanted to watch. Plus, if I put on something interesting I might get distracted. So, I just opted to turn on regr TV and let whatever was on run.

    I brought the vacuum cleaner over and was about to turn it on when I caught a glimpse of the show on TV.

    It looked like an afternoon program targeted at housewives. After the host said something, a caption popped up: ¡ºSpecial Feature on Affairs.¡»

    My eyes were drawn to the screen. I had never really watched daytime TV before, so I didn''t know they aired stuff like this.

    Some TV celeb with a weird bow tie and suitbo started talking with a serious look on his face.

    He started with a lead-in: The wife was at home, devotedly supporting her husband by doing household chores. And yet, the husband cheated on her. Why?

    With that, a reenactment video began to y. A woman, presumably a housewife, appeared on the screen with the caption¡ºAko[1], Full-time Housewife, 27 years old¡»

    [Ako (¤¢×Ó) ceholder name simr to "John" or "Jane Doe" in English]

    The video showed her busily doing the dishes,undry, and cleaning, then sighing at the dining table after finishing everything. She muttered that she wanted a little more of a break, but shook her head and stood up. In her imagination, her husband was shown at work, organizing documents and working on aputer. The husband returned home, and when the wife took his suit jacket, she noticed lipstick on it.

    Wait, would lipstick really end up there? Wouldn''t it be more usible if she smelled another woman''s perfume? But maybe that''s just nitpicking.

    Somementator or other gave his two cents, then the host turned to someone who was apparently an expert to get their take on it.

    The expert said about sixty percent of cheating happens at work.

    Huh? Do men and women really get that close at work? Just because they''re doing the same job?

    I found myself engrossed in the show, but then, shaking my head like the woman on TV, I stood up and turned the vacuum cleaner on. It was thetest cordless and quiet model, but it still made a fair bit of noise as the suction nozzle slid across the floor, as if licking it. It was enough to drown out the TV anyway.

    The program moved on to another reenactment, this time a mother with a kid¡ªNo, I refuse to watch, I told myself. But the captions on the screen still caught my eye from time to time.

    As I cleaned, I couldn''t help but imagine myself in the shoes of the woman in the program, who found out her husband was cheating.

    Asamura-kun had a part-time job. Part-time or not, it was still a job. So while I''m at home doing household chores, my beloved husband could being into more frequent contact with a female coworker, until eventually...

    I killed that train of thought, wondering what had gotten into me.

    I mean, Asamura-kun isn''t even my fianc¨¦ or anything, and it''s not like there''s someone at work he''s particrly close to¡­

    Well, that''s not entirely true. There''s Yomiuri-san, a woman who looks like a beautiful Japanese doll. And, besides her, there are a few other female student part-timers too. Well, they''re all older, and one of them is a grad student, so she''s probably like a decade older than him. But age doesn''t really matter in rtionships. Asamura-kun is the chill type, so he''s kind to everyone equally. That''s one of the things I like about him.

    So, why am I overthinking things then? There''s a saying that where there''s smoke, there''s fire. But if I start suspecting a fire before I even see the smoke, isn''t that just being emotionally unstable? This anxious feeling, like a fishbone stuck in my throat, must be a sign of my dependency on him. Probably. So adjusting our rtionship slowly should eventually settle things down¡­ I hope.

    Anyway, why did I decide not to work the same shifts as him anymore? No, I do remember. I wanted to make sure I had time to study, and we were taking turns cooking. That was the reason, but I thought we decided to be closer together outside the house, so why does it feel like this?

    Sigh.

    I found myself zoning out, the vacuum cleaner moving back and forth over the same spot on the floor. I switched it off and returned it to its docking station, then turned off the TV too. I should study. I am a student preparing for entrance exams, after all.

    I went back to my room and opened my study materials again. I was a bit behind on my study schedule because of the cleaning. I decided to quickly solve the problems up to the point I''d set for myself, then have a delicious snack. There should still be pudding in the fridge. Pudding¡­ it kind of sounds like "affair" in Japanese[2]. Men at work tend to get closer to other women than their wives, huh?

    No, it''s not like that.

    [Affair = furin (²»‚)]

    I put on my headphones and used the familiar beats of Lofi Hip Hop to drown out the distractions.

    Outside the window, a thin crescent moon hung in the darkening sky.

    ***

    When Asamura-kun got home, I was flipping through my vocabry shcards in the living room.

    I had a rough idea of when he''d be back, so I was waiting in a ce where I could tell as soon as he got home. Not that I''d ever admit it out loud, of course.

    As I got up from the couch, I heard him say, "It was delicious."

    Huh? I was only just about to start cooking dinner now. I tilted my head in confusion, until I spotted him washing something in the sink and realized he was talking about his bento.

    "Really? d to hear it."

    And I was genuinely pleased to hear it too, even if the bento hadn''t been anything special. It was just the leftover side dishes from breakfast.

    Asamura-kun interrupted my thoughts when he mentioned he''d make one for me tomorrow. It''d be his first time making one, wouldn''t it? I was thinking about helping him, but he shot that down, saying it was his turn.

    As I put the groceries he bought into the fridge, I noticed a few items I hadn''t asked for, so I could kind of guess what would be inside the bento.

    Just as Asamura-kun was done with the washing up and about to head to his room, I called out to him.

    "You''re gonna study now, right? I''ll make you some coffee."

    "Thanks. Should I grab your cup too, Saki?" he said, as he pulled some cups out of the cupboard.

    I checked the clock and saw we still had some time before dinner.

    "Yes please."

    I sat and watched him pour hot water into the dripper. Drip, drip, drip. A slightly acidic scent of mocha wafted through the room as it dripped down into the container.

    "Can you call me when dinner''s ready?"

    "Sure."

    Coffee in hand, Asamura-kun headed to his room. I watched him leave, then got back to preparing dinner.

    When it was all ready to go, I called out to him.

    He looked at the dishes lined up on the table andmented on how delicious they looked.

    We swapped stories about our day as we ate. That''s when he mentioned a new part-timer had started working at the bookstore.

    "A new part-timer?"

    In a rxed voice, Asamura-kun said Yomiuri-senpai couldn''t work as much because she was job hunting, so the manager nned to hire another student part-timer. Yeah, I think he did say something along those lines.

    "Yeah. She''s a first year high school student. Kozono Erina, I think."

    I wasn''t familiar with the name "Kozono," and mistakenly pictured it with strange kanji in my head. But I found out it meant ''a small garden'' after Asamura-kun exined it to me.

    "So, I''m supposed to show the new girl the ropes."

    Oh, that''s right, it was Asamura-kun who trained me when I started working there too. He''s surprisingly good at teaching, so it makes sense that he''d be the one doing it.

    "You''re working the same shift I did tomorrow, aren''t you, Saki?"

    Every time he used my name, Saki, my heart skipped a beat. I nodded, trying not to let my feelings show on my face.

    "You might be the one training her tomorrow then."

    "That''s... fine. But that means you''ll be spending all your shifts with her for a while..."

    A cute new girl. Wait, did he say she was cute? So, Asamura Yuuta will be taking care of this Kozono girl non-stop for a while?

    Or rather, my brother will be...

    "I''m jealous."

    Those words left my lips before I could catch them. Unfortunately, I guess I''d let slip how I was feeling to Asamura-kun.

    "Huh?"

    "Sorry. It''s just jealousy. But, given the circumstances, it can''t be helped, can it?"

    Besides, I''m "Saki," not "Ayase-san." Kozono is "Kozono-san," so it''s not like I should worry about it¡­

    So why am I feeling like this? Like clouds have covered the sun or something.

    The serious face of that TV celeb wearing a bow tie shed in my mind. A sound effect yed and arge banner dropped down behind him reading,¡º60% of affairs happen at work!¡»

    Women at work have more chances to get close to men than housewives stuck at home doing chores!

    No, no, stop that.

    "It might''ve had a bad influence on me," I blurted out.

    Asamura-kun looked confused. I told him about the wide show I''d watched while cleaning.

    When I mentioned the special feature on cheating, Asamura-kun shook his head, looking a bit ufortable.

    I told him how the show¡ªwith its uncertain sources¡ªsuggested workce intimacy could lead to infidelity. And watching it might''ve made me feel anxious when a girl showed up who''d be spending more time with him than I would. Probably.

    He just patiently listened to my concerns, as irrational as they were, and even said it was good we talked about it. He also said he didn''t look at juniors that way, and promised he didn''t have those kinds of intentions. My brother, Asamura Yuuta, promised.

    "If you say so, Yuuta-niisan, I believe you."

    Honestly, I was relieved.

    Asamura Yuuta and Ayase Saki are¡­ lovers. But also brother and sister. In my heart, I told myself over and over that we have to maintain an appropriate distance and make the right decisions.

    I took my turn in the bath after I finished eating. As I soaked in the tub, I tried to rid my mind of the disconcerting thought, "A younger female coworker is close to him at work." Stop thinking about it, just stop. Think about something else. Oh, like the sports festival thising Tuesday.

    ss Rep had invited me. But unlikest year, I chose volleyball, a team game. I''d always avoided it, thinking it wasn''t really my thing. In tennis, no matter how bad I yed, the only person who''d be embarrassed was me. In volleyball, though, a mistake could affect other people. I just couldn''t handle that.

    And yet, both ss Rep and Satou-san (I still can''t call her "Ryo-chin" like everyone else) never got angry or looked annoyed¡ªno matter how many mistakes I made.

    In volleyball, the goal is to make sure the ball doesn''t fall on your side of the court, and to return it to the opponent''s side within three touches. It might''ve been second nature for a pro to connect those touches, but it''s pretty tricky for newbies. That said, getting the hang of that and returning the ball made me really happy.

    If someone makes a mistake, someone else covers for it. And when we all try hard together to keep the ball in y, everyone is happy. That sense of collective joy was new to me. I found myself getting a little hooked on the depth and fun of team sports.

    I touched my arm and legs muscles as they soaked in the warm water. It might''ve just been my imagination, but they felt firmer, more toned, than usual. Is it because of my training? Or maybe it was the surprisingly physical work at the bookstore.

    "The bookstore..."

    I won''t be on the same shifts as Asamura-kun for a while. And all that time, Asamura Yuuta, or Yuuta-niisan I should say, will be with that junior girl. Closer to her than he is to me.

    As his sister, I shouldn''t be bothered by it. But as his lover... Maybe it''s natural to feel jealous.

    So, when ites to "Yuuta-niisan" and "Saki", how should I feel?

 Chapter 116: June 13th (Sunday) â€” Asamura Yuuta

    <h4>Chapter 116: June 13th (Sunday) ¡ª Asamura Yuuta</h4>

    It was Sunday, 7 am.

    I found it odd to be bustling around the kitchen at this ungodly hour, when normally I''d still be in bed.

    Yawn. I shook off the lingering drowsiness that clung to my mind. Making breakfast wasn''t the only reason I was in the kitchen on my morning off, but to make Ayase-san''s bento too.

    First things first, let''s start with the miso soup. The recipe said it took ten minutes to make, but I shouldn''t trust that too much. To be fair, it was probably urate for someone used to making it.

    "Cooking really is like chemistry, isn''t it?"

    I personally think it''s like a chemical experiment. One could understand the principles, but knowing and executing it properly were two different things. Like, for instance, if it said to slightly submerge thedle of miso, it''s hard to gauge what "slightly" means. There were times I identally dropped the entire scoop of miso into the pot. This time, though, I''ve managed to get through the first step. Now, it''s time for a taste test.

    "Yep, just as I thought¡­ maybe I''ll add a little more."

    I knew Ayase-san preferred her miso soup a tad richer than the recipe I was using. But adding miso by eyeballing it was still a challenge for me. My method was to first follow the recipe, then adjust the vor by adding a touch more miso as needed.

    Today''s miso soup ingredient was tofu. I took it out of the fridge, diced it up, and added it to the pot. I heated it up without letting it boil, then switched off the stove.

    Now onto the bento.

    I opened the fridge and took out the ingredients I bought on my way home from work, including a pack of sausages.

    I unlocked my smartphone and pulled up a recipe I''d found the day before. I''d searched for ¡ºBento¡» and ¡ºMicrowave¡» and looked at the top results. It''s not that I particrly wanted to use a microwave, but if I included ¡ºEasy¡»in the search words, I''d often end up with recipes that are "easy for advanced cooks."

    The recipe I''d found was for "Diced German Potatoes."

    "Guess I''ll start with the potatoes first."

    I fetched a few from where they were wrapped in newspaper in a cool, dark spot. After rinsing them off and peeling them, I cut them into roughly one centimeter cubes. The pictures always showed them as perfect cubes, but when slicing a round potato, some pieces inevitably ended up rounded.

    But, I couldn''t get too caught up in that.

    Just because the recipe says one centimeter cubes, it doesn''t mean the dimensions have to be precise. That might seem obvious, but beginners tend to get hung up on those kinds of details. Although, it''s essential to maintain uniform size so that the heat spreads evenly throughout.

    I put them in a heat-resistant container and zapped them in the microwave. That''s why it was listed as a microwave recipe online.

    While they were heating up, I sliced the sausages to roughly the same size as the potatoes. Combined, it''d make German potatoes. So simple!

    Personally, I felt they were good enough to eat as is, but the recipe rmended adding seasoning to the mix. Fair enough. Apparently consomm¨¦ or salt and pepper were the seasonings of choice. I wondered if ck pepper was okay since I preferred the taste.

    Well, I''m making this for Ayase-san, not me. I was a bit scared, so I opted to y it safe and just follow the recipe for now. I could experiment when I was just cooking it for myself.

    When I was just cooking it for myself. I''d really just thought that. I used to think doing household chores was such a hassle. I won''t lie, I''d prefer to spend this time reading. And if Ayase-san wasn''t around, I''d probably still be living off convenience store bentos and takeout. Still, I don''t find doing stuff like this as annoying as I used to.

    The microwave beeped.

    I did a little taste test and, finding no issues, I began packing the food into Ayase-san''s bento.

    Recipes are truly marvelous things. Incidentally, Ayase-san''s bento box was smaller than mine, to the point where I wondered if it was big enough to fit everything.

    I filled half the box with rice and the remainder with German potatoes. I put sd in a small container and filled the tiny fish-shaped bottle with dressing, the same as she did for me yesterday. Then, I put everything into a lunch bag.

    Ayase-san had left both the lunch bag and the box on the table the night before, saying, "Use these."

    I probably should have prepared everything myself, honestly, but I was grateful for her help all the same. Since it was my first time, I didn''t know where everything was kept.

    The lunch bag she gave me was a different color from mine. Mine was red, while hers was pink... Pink?

    "Good morning, Yuuta-niisan," Ayase-san''s voice rang out as she entered the dining room.

    "Good morning, Saki."

    "Oh, you''ve already finished making the bento? That was quick."

    "I haven''t made breakfast yet, though. How do fried eggs sound?"

    "Sounds perfect."

    The bento''s sd was already made and on the table, and the rice was cooked, so all I had to do was serve it in a bowl. I''d reheat the miso soupter. I took out two eggs from the fridge and threw them in a pan. By the time I had ted them, Ayase-san had already wiped the table down, and served herself rice and miso soup.

    "I feel like you had to do a lot."

    "You always help me too, Yuuta-niisan. Anyway, let''s eat?"

    I took my seat at her urging, said "Itadakimasu," and got stuck in.

    "I can''t wait to try the bento."

    "Don''t expect too much. But I mean, everything I made should at least be edible."

    Ayase-san took a sip of the miso soup. I get nervous every time this momentes around. Her miso soup is delicious. Letting someone like Ayase-san, who makes such tasty miso soup, drink something a cooking amateur like me made always makes me feel like I''mmitting a crime.

    "Mmm, this is delicious," she said, her eyes narrowing in satisfaction.

    I unconsciously patted my chest in relief.

    There''s a chance she was just being polite, though.

    "I guess I should''ve made something more Japanese for breakfast. Ah, should I grab some seaweed?"

    "Please. But personally, fried eggs with miso soup feels very Japanese to me. Besides¡­" she said as he picked up the sauce bottle. Doesn''t she usually use salt and pepper? I thought as I watched her drizzle soy sauce on her fried egg.

    "...See? If you put soy sauce on it, it bes a proper Japanese dish."

    I shot her a wry smile.

    "By that logic, pouring soy sauce over anything would make it Japanese."

    "Exactly my point."

    "You sure about that?"

    "I''ve always believed the essence of a country''s cuisine lies in its fermented foods."

    "Ah."

    Japan''s fermented foods include miso, soy sauce, and natto[1]. While they might be off-putting for the uninitiated, their strong, acquired tastes make them deeply nostalgic for those who grew up with them. Well, to be fair, even some Japanese people still can''t stand natto.

    [Natto is a Japanese dish made from fermented soybeans known for its strong vor and sticky texture.]

    Some even say the air after stepping off a ne at a Japanese airport smelled like soy sauce.

    "Besides, I like Western food too, so you don''t always have to make Japanese food for me."

    Basically you''re saying don''t worry about it.

    "Hate to say it, but your bento today can hardly be called Japanese food either¡­ Oh right, about the lunch bag."

    "There a problem with the one I got out?"

    "No problem, I just thought it was pretty unusual for you to have something pink."

    Ayase-san nodded with an, "Ah," and then went to exin. As she did so, she tore open the pack of seaweed. She picked up a piece with her chopsticks, then put it on her rice, rolling it up like a sushi roll. She brought it to her mouth and munched away thoughtfully.

    "You eat it just like that, without seasoning?"

    She swallowed and gave me a curious look.

    "Huh? The seaweed has its own vor, doesn''t it?"

    She said it like it was a no-brainer. Sure, it has its own taste: Seaweed.

    "Really? I always put soy sauce on it."

    "Doesn''t it get too salty?"

    "Doesn''t your mouth get too dry?"

    After that little back and forth, I remembered we had a simr argument in the past. About how Ayase-san just used salt and pepper to season her fried eggs, while I used soy sauce[2]. I said I don''t like it because my mouth feels too dry with just salt and pepper.

    [These kinds of things aremon arguments around the dinner table in Japan. Ketchup or wostcher sauce are also brought up as the superior seasoning.]

    Apparently, Ayase-san remembered that convo too. By chance, fried eggs were on the menu today as well.

    "I see. So you''d prefer your rice to be a bit moist, Yuuta-niisan."

    "I see what you''re getting at. Also, Saki, have you always eaten seaweed straight up, without adding any voring?"

    "Yep. Adding anything else would mask the natural taste. That''s a waste, isn''t it?"

    "It''s not something I''ve really paid attention to before."

    I thought about how the little things we do day to day can go unnoticed. I need to pay more attention, or I might miss Ayase-san''s preferences.

    Note to self: Ayase-san likes her fried eggs with salt and pepper and eats seaweed as is.

    "Anyway, back to the lunch bag. It''s an old one Mom bought as part of a set. She got them cheap because they were sold in pairs."

    "Ah, I see."

    So that''s why they''re the same type. She must have bought them before she remarried, hence why Ayase-san just had red and pink.

    "I usually use the red one, and the pink was a backup..."

    Now that she mentions it, the red one does suit her better.

    "So, the pink one was meant for me?"

    "You would''ve preferred it? I don''t really care if it suits me or not, but then people might think you prefer that color, so I figured red would be the safer choice. You don''t have many pink things, do you, Asamura-kun?"

    "If you''re asking whether I like pink, it''s not my favorite, but I don''t care either way like you."

    It''s never crossed my mind to judge people based on the color of their possessions. People should just choose whatever colors they like.

    "Did I overstep? I mean, I don''t know if there''ll be a next time, but maybe I should buy a new lunch bag?"

    "If you tell me where they sell them, I can buy one myself. Or, if we have some free time, we could go together."

    Ayase-san shed me a smile, but it faded just as quickly, and she pursed her lips.

    "Free time, huh? I wonder when we''ll have some."

    "Being an entrance exam student is tough, huh?"

    "I just want it to be over already, but I also don''t want the exams toe up too quickly."

    Ditto.

    I''ve signed up for more sses at cram school[3], and although I''ve started to recover from the drop in grades earlier in the spring, I still don''t feel I''ve acquired the academic skills I need.

    [Cram schools, known as "juku" (ÛÓ) in Japan, are private institutions that provide extra tutoring and exam preparation for students. They help students excel in subjects andpetitive entrance exams, focusing on intensive study in small sses. However, they can be expensive and contribute to a culture of academic pressure.]

    I''m running out of time. Maybe I should cut back my hours at work.

    "Hm?"

    A notification shing up on the smartphone I''d left on the table caught my eye. When I tapped on the screen, I saw the forecast: rain in the afternoon.

    "Rain and lightning in the afternoon..."

    Ayase-san looked out the window when I mentioned it to her, and I did the same.

    An early summer breeze flowed in through the half-open window. The visible stretch of sky outside was clear blue, without a single cloud in sight.

    "Rain¡­ doesn''t seem like it''s going to, though?"

    "Forecast says it will. It could be a sudden shower or maybe even torrential rain. It says the probability of rain in the evening is ny percent. I think you should take an umbre when you head off to work."

    "That''s a pretty high probability. Got it. I''ll take an umbre."

    "Be careful on your way home. It says there might be lightning too."

    "Really? Ah, um¡­ got it."

    For a split second, Ayase-san pulled a face as she nodded. But the serious look vanished just as quickly.

    I mentally raised an eyebrow.

    ***

    "Wait a sec, Ayase-san."

    I stopped her just as she was about to step out the front door.

    "What?"

    "I''ll go with you."

    "Yuu¡ª"

    Ayase-san, pausing with the door half-open, turned back and seemed to hesitate. Then she opened the door fully and stepped outside into the apartment building''s hallway.

    "...What, Asamura-kun?"

    "You don''t have to be so strict about using different names¡ª"

    Ayase-san''s eyebrows began to droop with each word.

    "Ah, no, I''m not ming you or anything."

    Inside the t, she calls me "Yuuta-niisan," and outside, "Asamura-kun." I got that she was trying to differentiate, but surely it''s confusing to do that based on what side of the front entrance her feet were on?

    I followed Ayase-san out the door, locked it, and then stood beside her.

    "Look, since it''s supposed to rain today, I can''t ride my bike. So I figured we might as well leave together."

    Ayase-san was heading to work, and I was on my way to cram school.

    "Maybe I''m a little too inflexible," she muttered as we waited for the elevator toe up.

    "Don''t get down on yourself. It''s prettymon, I think."

    She looked at me doubtfully, so I decided to give an example.

    "Changing how you refer to things inside and outside of the house ismon. During yourst year of junior high, did you have mock interviews for entrance exams?"

    "I did. I took exams for high schools that had interviews."

    "Weren''t you taught to refer to your parents as ''father'' and ''mother,'' instead of ''dad'' and ''mom,'' for those?"

    The elevator arrived with a ding, and we stepped inside. I waited for the doors to close before continuing.

    "It took some getting used to, didn''t it?"

    "Yeah, maybe," Ayase-san murmured. "But for me, Mom''s been telling me that since the end of elementary school. Sometimes there were phone calls from her work, and I was supposed to say ''I''ll hand it to my mother,'' not ''I''ll get my Mom.''"

    "Fair enough. But at first, you probably just said it the way you always did, right?"

    "Probably."

    "Now you can naturally switch between the two, right? So, it''s just a matter of getting used to it."

    "You might be right. Yeah, maybe."

    We got off the elevator. As we left the apartment building, I looked up at the sky. The clear blue morning sky was gone, reced by an oppressive leaden gray. I could smell rain on the wind.

    "This... definitely looks like it''s gonna rain."

    I looked up at the sky, then at Ayase-san next to me. She didn''t have an umbre in her hand.

    "Do you have an umbre?"

    "A foldable one, yeah."

    "Ah, okay then."

    "How ''bout you, Asamura-kun?"

    "I have a foldable one in my bag too. It''s not very reliable if there''s a sudden downpour, but well, even if I had a big one, I''d still get soaked anyway."

    "I think I''d take shelter from the rain and before going home if that happens."

    We set off, walking side by side.

    "But... this feels kinda new."

    Ayase-san responded with a small, "Huh?" before turning her face towards me.

    "We''ve gone home together after work heaps of times, but we haven''t really walked beside each other from home to the station much, have we?"

    She nodded.

    "Thest time might''ve been for our school trip."

    "Ah¡­ yeah, I remember."

    Back then, it was just about dawn with almost no one around. We could only go out at times when no one from school would see us, so we basically avoided being together outside. But, in order to be "closer together outside," I figured we should start leaving the house at the same time, which I''d been spacing out on purpose until now.

    I just want to get a little closer to Ayase-san on my end.

    We''re not holding hands or having a fun conversation. But I get it. I walk a tad slower to keep pace with Ayase-san, and she probably speeds up a bit for me. It''s clear we''re both thinking about each other, even in these small ways. It''s these moments, when we''re subtly conscious of each other, that feelfortable for us right now.

    The sky overhead was gray. In stories, an overcast sky often implies future anxieties, but real-life events happen regardless of the weather.

    I tried mumbling that observation to Ayase-san.

    "Isn''t that kinda obvious...? The sky doesn''t clear up or get cloudy for our sake, does it?"

    "In the world of stories, it''s different. Like, a darkening sky might mean the protagonist is in for some bad luck, while a clear sky after the rain might symbolize the end of bad times. And rustling branches behind a woman who''s waiting can express her anxious feelings that the person she''s waiting for might note."

    That''s what they call "indirect expression."

    "Really? I mean, now that you mention it, I''ve seen scenes like that in dramas and such, but I just thought it was windy or something."

    "Well, it''s all about getting the audience to feel a certain way, like uneasy or optimistic. But interpreting those cues can also be fun."

    "That''s actually a thing?"

    "Yeah. Though, even under a cloudy sky, enjoyable moments happen in real life."

    After an, "I see," Ayase-san seemed to lose herself in thought.

    "The weather does affect my mood sometimes," she started saying.

    It wasn''t the case right now, she exined, but the weather being gloomy could bring her down.

    "When it''s dark outside, I''d feel down. I''d curl up on my bed, rest my chin on my knees, and spend the whole day in a daze. My eyes would also look like a dead fish."

    "That sounds... pretty rough..."

    "Oh, that was back in the day. Don''t tell Mom. She''ll just worry."

    "Got it."

    It was probably around the time her father moved out.

    Feeling a bit worried, I nced at Ayase-san.

    "Are you okay now?"

    "I''m totally fine. Whenever I feel down, there''s someone by my side to lift me up. You said it yourself, right? That lots of good things can happen even under a cloudy sky."

    "I did say that."

    "I think we''re very alike. Yet, you always say things I wouldn''t think of, Asamura-kun."

    "The same goes for you."

    Ayase-san''s approach of facing the world head-on was almost blinding to me, as someone who''d be adept at navigating through life''s rough waves with a go-with-the-flow attitude.

    "That''s why, just walking beside you, Asamura-kun, makes me feel like I''m under a cloudless sky," she said, her face breaking into a radiant smile. It reminded me of a sunny day in the middle of the rainy season.

    But then, she quickly looked away¡ª

    "¡ªJust kidding. That was kinda poetic, wasn''t it? So unlike me."

    Ayase-san scratched her forehead with her pointer finger, looking embarrassed. I thought it was cute and told her as much, making her blush even harder.

    We exited the alley and stepped out onto the main street. Shibuya on a Sunday was overflowing with noise and people. As we got closer to the station, the streets were jam-packed, making it a challenge to walk without bumping into someone.

    A young couple was strolling together, arm in arm, in the midst of the crowd. Junior highschoolers by the looks. I mean, if you''re that close, it almost seems like you could move as one creature¡ªwait, aren''t they hot? It''s June, and even with the sky being overcast, it was still near on thirty degrees Celsius. As I watched them with those odd things running through my head, someone who looked like a sryman passed by the couple. He clicked his tongue loudly in annoyance, despite not actually bumping into them. The young couple, seemingly intimidated, quickly scuttled off to the side of the street.

    "They seemed so close, it was nice."

    "If you want an arm to hold onto, you can have mine anytime, you know?"

    Ayase-san thought about my offer for a second before gently shaking her head.

    "Just the fact that we left the house together today is enough for now."

    Seeing me act like a stranger to her at school, Ayase-san had felt a distance between us. That led her to seek out excessive physical affection at home, and also caused us to lose sleep. The thing is, the distance between the two of us outside the house was just too great. That''s the tricky part.

    What''s the appropriate distance between us, not just as lovers but also as step siblings...? Maybe I need to be a bit more assertive when we''re outside? How close is "close" in this context? How close should I be to avoid nurturing Ayase-san''s anxiety?

    Enough for now. I hope she truly means it when she says that.

    I snuck a nce at her face out of the corner of my eye. She looked calm.

    "What?"

    "Nothing, uh, Ayase-san."

    I got a, "You''re weird," before she immediately turned to face straight ahead again.

    What face would she make if I whispered, "Nothing, Saki," right next to her ear? I was a little curious to find out.

    I had thought that with our parents gone, we''d have more alone time together. After dinner, I half-expected her to ask for another hug, but nothing like that happened. We simply went to our rooms and slept

    Looking around, I couldn''t help but notice all sorts of couples on the street, each with their ownfort level for PDAs[4]. It didn''t even seem to make much difference if couples were simr in age and pairings. Some walked with their arms tightly intertwined, bodies pressed closely together, while others just linked their pinkies. Every couple was different.

    [PDA = public disy of affection.]

    Meanwhile, Ayase-san and I walked just close enough for our shoulders to barely brush against each other. A perfectly bnced distance¡ªclose, but not too close.

    This was the first time we had walked side by side amidst the midday bustle, and it felt surprisinglyfortable, at least to me.

    "By the time I get back from work, our parents will have returned, won''t they?"

    "Yeah, they will."

    While it''s a bit sad that our alone time will be over, these two days have been peaceful.

    The traffic light at the Scramble Crossing[5] changed. Ayase-san headed off to the bookstore, and I headed to cram school.

    [The Scramble Crossing in Shibuya, Tokyo, is a famous intersection outside Shibuya Station where pedestrians can cross in all directions, creating a busy and iconic scene.]

    ***

    I stretched in my seat and got up.

    History isn''t exactly my strong suit, and just keeping up with the lecture had taken all my mental energy. Maybe because I was so focused on not missing a thing, my body was all stiff now.

    2.40 pm. There''s a 10-minute break now, and then one more ss after that.

    I walked down the hallway and headed to the break room. Maybe a can of coffee would help me refresh.

    I gave the can I snagged from the vending machine a light shake and headed into the second break room on the same floor. It was a small space, with just four round tables and chairs scattered around. Surprisingly, no one else was in there.

    I set my can down on the nearest table and did a few squats.

    "Maybe I should exercise more¡­" I muttered, stretching out my stiff body. I''ve always been more of an indoor person, and I never really cared much for sports. I only ever watch events like the Olympics.

    That''s why I kept my distance from sports festivals, where athletic people shine.

    Yet, for whatever reason, I''d decided to try basketball. Still, I can''t make a basket.

    I mean, if I could master in a few days of practice for a sports festival what athletic club members took years to learn, I''d have been recruited to the basketball club a long time ago.

    "Like this, right?"

    Taking advantage of the empty break room, I pretended to throw an imaginary ball towards a hoop. There was a famous line from a basketball manga[6] that went something like, "The left hand is only for support." Supposedly, if you push the ball with both hands, it''s harder to bnce the power between the two, causing control issues.

    Makes sense. Doing two things at once probably throws off one''s bnce. It''s probably easier to control if you just focus on one thing.

    [He''s talking about m Dunk, a popr Japanese manga and anime series about a high school delinquent who joins a basketball team and transforms into a skilled yer. It''s celebrated for its impact on basketball''s poprity in Japan and its engaging characters and storylines.]

    I tried "shooting" the air ball a few more times.

    In my mind, the ball always went straight through the. But in reality, it''s never that easy, is it?

    "ying basketball?"

    I jumped at the sudden voice.

    Spinning around, I saw a tall girl standing at the door of the break room.

    "Ah, Fujinami-san."

    She was dressed casually in an oversized T-shirt that hid the lines of her body, and jeans. With her cap pulled low over her eyes, her tall frame could easily be mistaken for a guy''s.

    "I saw you through the window."

    "You can see in from the hallway?"

    The thought of being seen made my face heat up, but I knew she wasn''t the teasing type.

    "I didn''t expect to see you ying basketball, Asamura-san."

    "I got roped into it for the sports festival."

    She had a look of understanding on her face.

    "Well, you did seem a bit awkward."

    "You could tell?"

    "I''m tall, so people always tell me to choose basketball for the sports festival. I''m actually pretty good at dribbling and shooting. Well, for an amateur, anyway."

    This time it was my turn to nod in understanding.

    Given her height, it made sense she''d be the first pick for basketball. It wouldn''t be the least bit surprising if she was recruited by the basketball team either. But since the first time I met her was at a golf driving range, it threw me off a bit.

    "You were good at basketball?"

    "Surprised?"

    "Yeah. I always thought you''d prefer solo sports."

    "Well, I thought you''d say that. But actually, whenever I got the ball, I just dribbled it and took the shot myself."

    Ah, okay, so even in basketball, which was supposed to be a team sport, she''d still end up ying solo. I couldn''t hold back a wry smile.

    "That means you made it work somehow right?"

    "People seemed to like it that way."

    Her ssmates apparently told her not to worry about being too considerate.

    "It wouldn''t be a problem if everyone around me was a basketball club member, but in our sports festival, club members weren''t allowed to participate in their respective sports. So, in junior high sports festivals, everyone was inexperienced. Even if I thought a team member was open near the goal and passed them the ball, they wouldn''t receive it."

    "They wouldn''t catch it?"

    "People were afraid of Fujinami-san''s fast and scary passes. They''d say, ''Don''t throw it to me!''"

    "Ah, I see."

    For someone not in the basketball club, it''d be terrifying to have the power of a basketball yer''s throw flying right at you.

    "So, I just kept getting passed the ball, and I couldn''t pass it to anyone else."

    "Which means you had to run with it on your own."

    I could picture her being passed the ball from every which way and charging forward each time.

    "Well, I actually preferred it that way."

    "If it''s a win-win situation for both parties, it''s fine, isn''t it?"

    "Maybe. But when you''re running around like that, you start to wonder if it''s really okay."

    "I guess it depends on whether you y a team sport to enjoy teamwork or choose to y as a team to win."

    "It''s a school-sponsored sports festival. I feel like doing that is an issue if it''s seen as part of education to foster cooperation."

    "Then we shouldn''t include solo sports in the festival."

    "Oh. I hadn''t thought of it that way. Still, it''s not all about winning in a school sports festival."

    "I mean, it''s not like we''re ying basketball just for fun. The point is to win, especially since it''s a tournament format. That said, doing whatever it takes to win might go against the school''s educational philosophy."

    "That''s a bit much, don''t you think?"

    "Think of it this way: if the ss chose to use you as their main attacker, then that''s a strategy in its own right, isn''t it?"

    Fujinami-san looked convinced.

    "That''s a good way to put it. Makes me feel better too."

    After talking for a bit, my conversation with Fujinami-san ended when it was time for ss to start. But afterwards, I found myself reflecting on my own change of heart¡ªwanting to participate in team sports even though I wasn''t being begged to like Fujinami-san was. So basically, I think I want to get better at teaming up with others¡ªwithin reasonable limits, of course. Maybe I''m just itching to practice doing things with someone else.

    ***

    When ss wrapped up and I stepped outside, sure enough, it started to rain just like the forecast said. I opened my folding umbre and held it above my head.

    "The forecasts you don''t want to be urate are the ones that always are..." I mumbled, staring up at the dark clouds covering the sky and the silver raindrops pouring down.

    The world follows Murphy''s Law. Bread always falls from the table andnds butter-side down, and the rain falls hardest when you least want it to.

    The trip home was hilly, making it hard to walk back when it rained. And to add to that, the umbre obstructing my view, and the thick rainclouds darkening the sky made it seem muchter than 6 pm, when it should''ve still been bright out.

    The apartment building I knew so well, visible beyond the winding alley, looked very different. Its colors had changed because of the rain. And under the bright street lights, the paving stones transformed from a pale to deep green as I stepped on them.

    "I''m home," I called out as I opened the front door of our t. Before stepping on the floor, I peeled off my soaked clothes and socks. I headed straight to the bathroom, tossed them in theundry basket, then swapped tofy clothes. I wasn''t soaked enough to need a shower.

    Neither Ayase-san nor my parents were home yet.

    I could tell by the sound of the rain pelting the windows that it was getting a bit stronger.

    "Should I heat up the bath?" I thought aloud.

    I started preparing dinner. As I hadn''t been shopping, I''d need to cook with the ingredients on hand. And obviously, it had to be a recipe I could actually make. Given it''s a rainy day, something warm might be nice.

    "...Curry, maybe?"

    That might be good.

    Spicy curry is perfect for seasons that drain your appetite. Plus, pouring warm curry over warm rice should be perfect for warming up a cold body. Just imagining it brings to mind that stimting aroma. My stomach growled. Ayase-san doesn''t like spicy food as much as I do. Since the spiciness can be raisedter, I''ll make it sweet to suit her taste for now.

    I searched for a recipe on my smartphone. This time, I specifically searched for ¡ºquick curry.¡»

    Apparently, you can make curry without even using a stove. All you need to do is chop the vegetables and meat, then heat it up in the microwave. Should I give it a try?

    It said to mix just the onions and vegetable oil and heat them up first. Then, add the remaining ingredients. Next came adding water and heating it up slowly. Easy peasy.

    As easy as it sounds, you couldn''t be careless. The time it takes to make it would definitely be longer than what it said in the recipe, and that''s precisely what made a beginner a beginner. Furthermore, for beginners, recipes feel like ancient spell books written in some arcanenguage. Like, for example, when they say how to chop the vegetables. "Slice the carrots into half-moons." Half-moons? What does that even mean? Ayase-san would probably burst outughing if she found out I was stumbling over basics like that.

    After cutting all the vegetables and meat up, I added water and curry roux before zapping it in the microwave.

    At my house, we always have both sweet and spicy curry roux on hand. This time, I used just the sweet roux. I did just as the recipe said, so it should turn out as normal sweet curry.

    I gave it a little taste test after it finished heating up. Seems like normal sweet curry to me.

    Recipes are truly marvelous. This should suit Ayase-san''s taste perfectly. I felt my cheeks rx as I pictured her smiling.

    I realized I was smiling too, which gave me a curious feeling. The curry wasn''t exactly to my taste, meaning if I made it for myself, I wouldn''t be satisfied with it. Yet, I was happy.

    It''s weird when you think about it, but also makes sense. If you''re making something for someone else, you should cater to their preferences. But, alwayspromising could be stressful.

    Regardless of if it''s for a loved one, plucking your own feathers to weave cloth would make you thinner day by day. That would just worry the other person, defeating the purpose.

    "Maybe it''s a good thing that we could findmon ground..."

    It''s probably too sentimental for me to be moved just because I can make something that fits Ayase-san''s preference for sweet things.

    It had grownpletely dark outside, with just the sound of the rain filling the kitchen. Could this rain be the reason why I''m getting emotional over such trivial things?

    I snuck a nce at the clock.

    A robotic voice announced that the bath was ready. At the same time, I heard the front door open and Ayase-san''s voice saying, "I''m home."

    "Wee back. How''d you go with the rain?"

    She didn''te in from the entrance right away, so I assumed she was probably soaked.

    "Drenched..." a faint voice replied through the door.

    "The bath''s ready," I called out a bit louder so she could hear me.

    "..."

    She''d apparently replied to me, but I didn''t hear her.

    There was no sign of hering to the kitchen, even after waiting for a bit. I assumed she''d either gone to her room to change or to the bathroom.

    I decided to finish making dinner so it''d be ready to eat by the time she got out of the bath.

    I went back to the kitchen to prepare the sd and side dishes.

    "It smells so good!" Were the first words out of Ayase-san''s mouth when she came in from her bath.

    "You made curry, huh?"

    "I thought it might warm you up."

    "Yeah. I''d be grateful."

    When I asked her how bad the rain was, Ayase-san stared out the window and bit her lip. She said she''d unfortunatelye home when the rain was at its heaviest.

    "The rain might get even heavierter on though."

    "Yeah, it probably will¡­ But, do you think our parents will be okay?"

    Our parents were traveling by car for their trip, so driving in the rain was far from ideal.

    Despite appearances, they were actually pretty careful. I trusted them to drive safely, but I still couldn''t help feeling a bit worried.

    "I think they should be on their way back by no¡ª"

    With almost perfect timing, Ayase-san''s smartphone vibrated.

    "Looks like it''s from Mom," she said, ncing at me for permission. When I motioned for her to check it, she peeked at the message and let out a small, almost voiceless, "Huh?"

    "What''s wrong?"

    I figured the news wouldn''t be serious. If it had been, I would''ve gotten a message too.

    "They''re stuck in traffic. Apparently, they''re not moving at all. They said they might be prettyte, and depending on what happens, they might give up and stay another night."

    I looked up the traffic info myself. I knew where they were heading, so I searched the relevant routes for any updates.

    "Ah¡­ looks like there''s been an ident, so there''s a traffic jam."

    "It''s Monday tomorrow, will they be okay?"

    "My old man mentioned he had a day off saved up. I don''t know about Akiko-san, though."

    "Mom doesn''t start work until night time anyway. So I guess it''s fine even if theye backte."

    "He probably took the day off anticipating something like this might happen,"

    I suddenly realized our parents wouldn''t be home again tonight. Not that it really matters. It was the same deal asst night.

    After dinner, we''d figure out who''d have a bath first, then go back to our rooms to study. We''d maintain afortable distance, not being too clingy nor too distant.

    "The bath¡­"

    "Huh?"

    "Why the confused face?"

    "Ah, sorry. I was spacing out."

    "As I was saying, since I''ve already taken my bath, you can go in whenever you want, Yuuta-niisan."

    "Oh, gotcha."

    Since Ayase-san had already taken her bath, I could go in whenever I wanted today. It''d been a while since I had that freedom, so I felt a bit lost when given the choice.

    "Oh, by the way, I worked with Kozono-san today."

    "Hm? Ah, so you did end up working with her."

    The lightning fast change in topic made my head spin, but I quickly caught on that she was talking about the new part-timer, Kozono Erina. She''d been on the same shift as Ayase-san, as I''d thought she would be.

    "Guess I''m also helping to train her now. They asked me to teach her a few things."

    "It''s your first time having a junior, isn''t it? She seemed to catch on quick, so she shouldn''t be too much of a handful, right?"

    "Yeah¡­ that''s true."

    Her reply was a bit hesitant, as if something was stuck in her back teeth.

    Ayase-san tends to be like this when asked about her first impressions of someone. Ayase Saki hates putting people into boxes, so she struggles to summarize her feelings about someone in just a few words. I get that, but I also felt like there was more to it.

    "Did something happen?"

    "It''s not that something happened. She''s energetic and honest, so I think she''s a good person. But¡­ Sorry, I dunno how to put it into words."

    "I actually had the impression she might be simr to Narasaka-san."

    Maaya Narasaka-san is probably Ayase-san''s closest friend.

    It was surprising to see Ayase-san look so shocked.

    "Maaya? No, I don''t think so. They''repletely different."

    "Really?"

    "They might beplete opposites."

    I was even more surprised by that answer.

    Opposites? My impression of both Narasaka-san and Kozono-san was that they were both friendly and energetic girls.

    "Maaya won''te to you."

    "Come to you?"

    "Yeah. She''s like a sunflower, I guess. Konozo-san is like, um¡­ the sun?"

    I didn''t understand at all.

    But, there was clearly a fundamental difference between the two in Ayase-san''s mind. It felt weird for two people to have such different impressions of the same person. But hey, Ayase-san and I are different people ourselves, so I guess we''re bound to have different takes on things.

    The sound of rain pelting the windows grew louder.

    "There''s not even a typhoon and it''s raining this hard."

    The water was flowing down the window as if it was being poured from a bucket.

    "...I''ll clean up. It was delicious. Thanks for the food."

    "Just leave it in the sink, and I''ll take care of it."

    "Okay, thanks."

    After putting the dirty dishes in the sink, Ayase-san retreated to her room.

    Yep, same as yesterday, we''re heading back to our rooms after eating, maintaining afortable distance.

    Our parents still weren''t home yet.

    "Guess I''ll study too¡­"

    I went to my room after washing the dishes.

    About an hour of concentrated study went by. When I looked up, feeling tired, it was already 11 pm.

    I got up, thinking it was about time for a bath. When I opened my door with a change of clothes in hand, I noticed the light was on in the living room. I heard the TV and, curious, peeked in to see Ayase-san sitting on the couch.

    "Watching the news?"

    "Yeah. Weather news. They say it''s a torrential downpour."

    When I stepped closer to the TV and looked closely, I saw that the northern part of Kanto was lit up bright red on the screen.

    "You think our parents are caught in this? Have they messaged you since?"

    "They said they''re taking it easy at a service area."

    It didn''t seem as serious as I thought. They probably took the day off tomorrow, so apparently they didn''t want to push themselves.

    The wind was still howling unabated outside, and every now and then, there was a bright sh. Apparently, we were getting some lightning now too.

    "Oh no. Has it turned into a full-blown storm?"

    "Yes..."

    Ayase-san, sitting on the couch hugging her knees, was staring intently at the TV screen.

    "I think they''ll be alright. Don''t worry."

    "About our parents? Nah, I''m not worried about them."

    But her gaze was still firmly fixed on the screen.

    "I can make you something to drink if you like."

    "I''ll be up all night if I have coffee now. Besides, you were about to take a bath, weren''t you? Don''t worry about me. I can make it myself."

    As she finished her sentence and stood up from the couch, it happened.

    A sh of lightning turned the window white. BOOM! A deafening sound struck our eardrums.

    Everything went dark, and Ayase-san screamed. It was the first time I''d heard her cry out like that.

    "Ayase-san!"

    I held her shoulder as she crouched down, and asked if she was okay.

    A second sh of lightning pierced the pitch ck room, followed by a thunderous roar. The room was illuminated for a split second before fading back into darkness. I couldn''t help shrinking back myself. Ayase-san clung to me as the thunderps came one after the other.

    "The lights..."

    "Calm down. It''s okay. It''s just a ckout."

    In the darkness, we relied solely on the feel of each other''s bodies forfort. The rumbling of thunder continued close by, but surely being inside a building would protect us from being struck by lightning.

    Looking out the window, the lights were out in all the other buildings. More than likely there''d been a power grid failure, affecting the whole area.

    I couldn''t see Ayase-san''s face with it buried in my chest as she clung to me, but I could feel her body trembling.

    "It might be a while before the lightse back on, so it might be safer to sit."

    "O-okay," she replied, lifting her head.

    Just the intermittent shes of lightning made it hard to see, but her quivering voice gave away how scared she was.

    Taking her hand, I gently guided her to the couch, then sat down beside her.

    "Look outside. Everything''s pitch-ck."

    "A ckout..."

    "Could be a problem with the power nt, substation, or maybe the lines. Given the extent of this, I doubt it''ll be fixed quickly."

    "T-the lightning is really intense, huh?"

    The TV screen had also gonepletely dark.

    Ayase-san leaned against me for a while, as quiet as a mouse. Maybe it was because she had just taken a bath, but a gentle, pleasant scent brushed past my nose. Feeling her weight leaning against me, she seemed lighter than expected. I was worried I''d break her if I held her too tightly.

    It was the first time I''d seen Ayase-san freak out like this. I was more concerned about how to reassure her than about the lightning or ckout. But I knew that panicking would only make things worse.

    I tried to keep my voice as calm as I possibly could.

    "Is it the lightning you''re afraid of? Or the ckout?"

    "...Both."

    It was news to me that she was afraid of both darkness and lightning.

    "I''m really sorry. I''m clinging to you like a kid."

    "Everyone has stuff they''re afraid of."

    Hoping talking would take her mind off it, I kept the conversation going while letting Ayase-san cling to me.

    I gave her a gentle squeeze with the arm I''d wrapped around her back.

    "I''m not going anywhere. I''ll stay right here with you."

    So there''s nothing to be afraid of. That''s what I tried to convey to her.

    Her trembling slowly subsided as my warmth reached her.

    "Is there anything you''re afraid of, Asamura-kun?"

    "Well, yeah. There are some things."

    I noted that she''d returned to using myst name, but chose not to point it out.

    "Like what?"

    "Like, graveyards at night. They''re pretty scary, just like anyone else would think."

    "Do you believe in ghosts and stuff?"

    "No¡­ But don''t you feel like something might appear in ces where everyone thinks it will? Like, because everyone thinks it, it might actually show up?"

    "What''re you saying?" She chuckled, and I finally rxed a bit.

    Outside, the sound of thunder gradually faded away. The shes and booms began to spread out, the noise became fainter, and the wind began to die down.

    "Was what I said that funny?" I replied with a deliberately clueless tone, making Ayase-san giggle and her body shake withughter again.

    She let go with the hand that''d been clutching me, and pressed it against my chest. She tilted her face up slightly. Our eyes met.

    "So, ording to you, ghosts and spirits appear because of the living?"

    "Yep, that''s about right."

    A question mark formed in her eyes, so I exined.

    "Don''t you think there are more graves than just the ones in graveyards?"

    "What do you mean?"

    "I mean, humans have been walking thend in Japan for thousands of years, right?"

    "Well, sure. The Jomon period began over 10,000 years ago andsted for about that long."

    "So then, there must be people who died and are buried in ces other than graveyards. If ghosts and spirits appear in ces where the dead sleep, it wouldn''t be strange for them to appear anywhere in Japan."

    The fearful look Ayase-san had just moments ago vanished. She scrunched up her brows, deep in thought.

    "That''s... true, I guess."

    "Think about it. There might even be someone buried underneath the building we''re in right now."

    "Wh-what are you saying?"

    "But we don''t usually think about it, do we? So it''s kinda strange we''re only scared of graveyards."

    "If that''s true, then isn''t it weird for you to be scared too, Asamura-kun?"

    "A lot of people are scared of them, though. I used to be as a kid. I mean, if so many people are scared, it feels like something spooky is bound to happen."

    The rain falls hardest when you least want it to. Maybe I did believe in ghosts after all. One called Murphy, that is.

    "...It seems like strange logic to me."

    Ayase-san did catch on that I was twisting the narrative mid-way. Well, either way, the chatter was just a distraction, so the logic doesn''t really matter.

    "It''s okay to say something''s scary if it is. You don''t have to pretend. At least... not in front of me."

    "...Yeah. Thanks."

    The room was slowly getting muggy as the air-con had stopped. With the chatter from the TV and hum of the air-con gone, I realized how quiet a house could be. asionally the wind up and rain picked up, rattling the windows, but that was about it.

    The lights were still off. We knew we could get a candle''s worth of light from our phones, but just chose to huddle together on the dark living room couch. It brought back memories of a night two months ago when we fell asleep in each other''s arms. The warmth of each other''s bodies was soforting that we couldn''t resist the pull of sleep.

    Ayase-san wasn''t trembling anymore.

    "The reason I''m scared of the dark is probably because of that incident..."

    She stopped speaking after herst two words. I waited patiently for her to continue, not wanting to rush her. After a pause, Ayase-san began recounting a memory from her past.

    "I think¡­ It was winter in my third or fourth year of elementary school."

    Back then, her mother, biological father, and her all slept together in their small apartment. Though, her parents'' rtionship was slowly going downhill.

    She suddenly woke up in the middle of the night.

    "The futon was cold, and Mom, who always slept beside me, was gone. Both Mom and Dad were gone, and I felt left alone in the darkness."

    She let out a sigh as she remembered how, as a child, she couldn''t understand why she was left behind like that. It felt as if she had been thrown into the dark abyss all alone.

    She was struck by an irrational fear that her parents had either died or abandoned her, and she was suddenly the only person left in the world.

    "Maybe the fairy tales I read back then had an influence too. It was a story from some northern country or other, I think¡­ The sun gets taken below the horizon, leading to a long, perpetual night. A girl is left behind in the never-ending darkness, and it''s so cold that even time seems to freeze. As her heart turns to ice, she loses her humanity and bes a winter monster or something."

    In Ayase-san''s young head, she believed she had be a monster in the darkness too. Thrown into the darkness, never to see her parents again¡­

    "By that stage, the rtionship between my parents had already grown cold. I had this vague feeling that things would never go back to the way they were. I even thought maybe it was my fault."

    "Your fault...?"

    "The way Dad looked resentfully at Mom... I felt he looked at me the same way..."

    You''ll look down on me like your mother does one day, won''t you? Yet neither she nor her Mom had ever looked at her biological father in that way.

    In hindsight, Ayase-san surmised that her parents probably just went outside. Whenever they had an argument at night, they''d take it to her biological father''s car so as to not wake up their daughter in the small apartment.

    She didn''t know which one suggested taking it outside. It was more in line with her Mom''s personality, so it was likely her, but she wanted to believe her biological father must''ve gone along with it because he didn''t want their daughter to see them argue.

    But there was no way a kid who''d just turned ten wouldprehend all that. So, she burst into tears.

    Her Mom came running when she heard her daughter sobbing, but Ayase-san just clung to her, crying almost the entire night. Since then, she hadn''t been able to sleep inplete darkness, and always kept a nightlight on.

    Ayase-san finally opened up and told me all that.

    "Don''t you think it''s embarrassing for a high schooler to be afraid of the dark?"

    "Not at all... So, you''re scared of lightning because it might cause a ckout?"

    "That''s part of it. When ckouts happen, it''s often because of lightning, right? Plus, I think the loud noise is scary. You can''t control natural phenomena¡­"

    "Everyone has something they''re afraid of. It''s just that not everyone talks about it."

    I, for one, have a fear of heights, which is why I hated the ne ride during our school trip.

    "Being able to admit what scares you is actually quitemendable."

    "Even though I panicked and clung to you?"

    "If it were me, I''d probably stubbornly deny being scared, even if I was terrified."

    "That would''ve been kinda cute."

    I''m not sure what to think about the "cute" part.

    "Well, luckily for you, I''m not afraid of either the dark or lightning. So, you can always rely on me in times like this."

    "Yeah. Thanks."

    When I replied with a yful, "You''re wee," Ayase-san smiled faintly, before burying her face in my chest again.

    "...I was really happy earlier," she whispered softly.

    "Huh?"

    "The thing you said. That you wouldn''t go anywhere. That you''d stay with me."

    "Oh, right¡­"

    It was embarrassing to hear my own words repeated back to me.

    "Itforted me."

    "Well, I''m d. It looks like the rain is letting up, so hopefully the poweres back on soon," I said, unlocking my smartphone.

    With practice ease, I pulled up the Lofi Hip Hop stream I''ve listened to more times than I can count. The sound, reminiscent of an old vinyl record, filled the space around us. It had a nostalgic feel to it, a kind of scratchiness that''s different from the rity of modern music.

    "Let''s forget about the ckout. Don''t you think it feels kind of stylish and elegant listening to the rain and this music?"

    Ayase-san chuckled quietly in the dark.

    "That''s a bit pretentious, isn''t it?"

    "They say even dogs be poets on rainy days."

    "Who''s ''they?''"

    Now, where had I heard that? I felt like I''d read it somewhere. But it was too hard to figure out, so I decided to bluff my way through it instead.

    "Asamura Yuuta," I said with a straight face.

    Sheughed silently, her face buried in my chest. Her shoulders shook with amusement. I guess my attempt at being an impromptu poet had failed. And just as sheughed, I remembered the original phrase: "When in love, even dogs be poets." Alright, that''s quite different. Now I felt even more embarrassed, so I decided to just stay silent and go with it.

    We felt the warmth of other bodies pressed together. We lost ourselves in silence, listening to the music and the faint sound of rain. The seconds ticked away, and it felt like our body heat had melded together into one.

    Suddenly, Ayase-san looked up at me. Her lips moved, as if to say something¡ª

    ¡ªAnd the ceiling lights flicked on. The air-con made a single cough-like noise, and started blowing air as it tried to lower the temperature in the room.

    Lights blinked on in the buildings outside too. Clearly, the ckout was over.

    A LINE notification chimed. Not from my phone, but from Ayase-san''s.

    "It says ''The rain has stopped, so we''re heading home now,'' and, ''We''lle as soon as possible.'' They might be able to get home before morning."

    "That''s good."

    "It''s a shame. Our stylish and elegant moment is over."

    "Another time, then."

    "Yeah. Well then, goodnight, Yuuta... niisan."

    "Goodnight, Saki."

    And just like that, the two days without our parents, for me and Ayase Saki, came to an end.

 Chapter 117: June 13th (Sunday) â€” Ayase Saki

    <h4>Chapter 117: June 13th (Sunday) ¡ª Ayase Saki</h4>

    Yuuta-niisan, Yuuta-niisan, Yuuta-niisan.

    I chanted that three times in my heart before opening the door. It''s be my routine ofte.

    "Good morning, Yuuta-niisan."

    See, that wasn''t so hard.

    I could see Asamura-kun''s top half from where I was across the dining room.

    "Good morning, Saki."

    Good morning, Saki.

    My heart still raced a little every time he used my first name instead of myst. Still, I''ve gradually gotten used to it, andtely, I think I''ve been able to respond without getting too flustered.

    It was the second day without our parents.

    I often worry I might forget that we''re siblings when we''re alone together. Because, despite Asamura-kun and I also being lovers, we can''t behave like regr couples do. Feelings like that tend to surface more when we''re aware we''re alone. But, given that we''re siblings, we can''t act like regr couples either.

    ¡­Well, that also raises the question of what regr couples even do.

    Umm, hold holds? Hug? Kiss? Maybe even more than that¡ª

    ¡ªYuuta-niisan, Yuuta-niisan Yuuta-niisan. I repeated it in my head like some kind of spell to keep the wild fantasies at bay.

    I made it through yesterday without a hitch. Today started off well too. I''ve got a good rhythm going, it seems.

    "Oh, you''ve already finished making the bento? That was quick," I said after seeing the lunch bag he''d set on the table.

    Now, what''s inside, I wonder?

    There was something in the groceries that hadn''t been on the list I gave him. Sausages. The coarse ones with some seasoning in them. Asamura-kun seems to like spicy food, but they weren''tbeled as spicy. It''s doubtful they were for my Stepdad, Taichi-san, so likely they were in my bento.

    I wanna try cute octopus-shaped sausages made by Asamura-kun!

    No, no, I shouldn''t expect too much. They might just be in there as whole sausages. It''s his first time making a bento, after all. Still, I never expected him to make a bento for me, so I''m really happy.

    We sat down at the same table and ate the same breakfast as him. Rice, miso soup, and fried eggs. Asamura-kun''s cooking repertoire may be limited, but everything tasted good. The miso soup, in particr, was just the right richness for me.

    "Mmm, this is delicious."

    He visibly rxed as I said that. You don''t need to be that tense, Asamura-kun; you always put a lot of care into the things you make.

    We chatted about this and that as we ate. Asamura-kun snuck a quick nce at his smartphone.

    "Rain and lightning in the afternoon..." he muttered.

    I nearly choked on my rice.

    I couldn''t help ncing through the window behind him. The sky was blue, and the weather was nice.

    "Rain¡­ doesn''t seem like it''s going to, though?"

    But ording to Asamura-kun, there was a ny percent chance of rain in the evening. That means... there''s a pretty high chance of a thunderstorm.

    "Be careful on your way home. It says there might be lightning too."

    "Really? Ah, um¡­ got it."

    Did my face give it away? I didn''t want him to know I was anxious.

    I can handle rain. It just gets you wet. Lightning was a different story. The deafening booms close by make me feel like I''m being yelled at. And lightning brings¡­ ckouts. Which means darkness.

    Not wanting to sour the mood after a delightful meal, I forcibly changed the subject.

    ***

    With breakfast done, it was time for me to head to work, and Asamura-kun to cram school.

    His sses startedter, and since he cycles, he would usually leave an hour after me.

    But, just as I opened the front door of our t, I heard him call out to me.

    "I''ll go with you."

    "Yuu¡ª"

    I started to say "Yuuta-niisan," but realized I was already halfway out the door. Normally, I''d mentally repeat, from here on, it''s Asamura-kun, three times before closing the door. But since my hand was already on the doorknob, I was stumped about how to address him.

    First things first, I should step outside fully before turning around to face him.

    "...What, Asamura-kun?"

    "You don''t have to be so strict about using different names¡ª"

    I knew he was right. I''m too inflexible.

    "Look, since it''s supposed to rain today, I can''t ride my bike. So I figured we might as well leave together."

    Ah, I see. That makes sense.

    The impending rain this evening wasn''t the only reason, obviously.

    I don''t like being scrutinized for acting like a couple, but on the other hand, I also don''t like being treated like aplete stranger by Asamura-kun. I can tell Asamura-kun knows that and tries to be considerate when we''re outside, where our sibling roles don''t apply.

    Today, we just so happened to be going in the same direction. Unless someone we knew saw us leave the apartment building together, we could simply im we ran into each other by chance.

    After all, we''ve shopped together at the local supermarket before.

    Honestly though, I often think I can be a bit of a pain.

    How do normal couples figure out the right distance between them? I''d like to ask someone, but I''ve never heard any of my acquaintances¡ªespecially boys¡ªdiscuss their rtionships. Well¡­ to be fair, I don''t actually have many acquaintances to begin with. For female friends my age, I''ve got Maaya. But she doesn''t really count. She''s friendly to everyone, but she doesn''t seem to have a boyfriend.

    Lately, I''ve been chatting with people like Ryouko Satou-san and ss Rep, but those conversations are... different.

    I looked up at the sky as I stepped out of the apartment building. It was covered in dark clouds. It''s going to rain, no doubt about it.

    "By the time I get back from work, our parents will have returned, won''t they?"

    They said they''d be back by nighttime.

    My alone time with Asamura-kun wasing to an end. At least for now, let''s just enjoy walking beside each other to the station. We set off in that direction.

    It soon came time to part ways. We gave each other a small wave as we headed off to our respective destinations. Not too long ago, I wouldn''t have been able to resist looking back at him as we parted. But today, I managed to resist and reached the bookstore without any such urge. Maybe changing the way I address him made a difference. I clenched my fist once, holding onto that tiny bit of satisfaction.

    I quickly changed into my uniform and opened the door to the office.

    There was a girl.

    She was petite, with a cute swirl of hair on her head. A girl I hadn''t seen before.

    Who could she be? Someone rted to the store?

    I figured as much by the fact she was dressed in the same uniform as mine¡ªnot a school one, but the cored shirt and apron issued by the bookstore.

    Could she be¡­ a part-timer? She must be the new hire.

    The girl tucked something into her apron pocket and looked up. As I thought, it was my first time seeing her. Oh right, she must be what''s-her-name-san that Asamura-kun mentioned yesterday. The one who just joined.

    Our eyes met. She smiled at me.

    "Saki-senpai! You''re Ayase Saki-senpai, right? Nice to work with you today!"

    "Uh, ah, yes."

    "Wow~, you really are beautiful!" she said,ing closer.

    I flinched as her sparkling eyes fixed on me.

    "Your hair is so bright and pretty! How many times did you bleach it? Which salon do you go to? It suits you so well, you look adorable... I mean, actually, you look like a model. You''re stunning!"

    The barrage of words left me dumbstruck.

    Wh-what¡­ What''s happening?

    Wait.

    Did I even introduce myself? How does she know my name? I haven''t even told her yet. And she just used my first name out of nowhere.

    "Wow, wow, wow! You really are sooo beautiful!"

    Wait, too close, too close, too close!

    "U-umm¡­"

    As I stood there, looking bewildered, the girl''s expression turned to one of realization, and she quickly bobbed her head in apology.

    "Ah, I''m so sorry! I heard from the store manager that, ''The senpai helping you today is a beautifuldy.'' And then, well, I saw you, and you really are beautiful, so I thought... I wanted to be friends with you."

    A beautifuldy... is she talking about me? It''s nice to be called that, but the one in this store who better fits the description of "beautiful" is probably Yomiuri Shiori-san.

    Besides, the girl in front of me was extremely cute herself.

    She was quite short, probably shorter than Maaya. Her youthful face was entuated by twin tails with red[1] inner highlights, which added a nice touch to her ck hair. Her round eyesbined with everything else made her look just like a doll.

    [Saki uses ³à (red) to describe the color of Erina''s highlights, whereas Yuuta uses the loan word ¥Ô¥ó¥¯(pink). Not sure why they see it as a different color.]

    Her face still held hints of a junior high schooler''s innocence, but both her hairstyle and clothes were trendy. She definitely had a good sense of style. She seemed to have a different taste in fashion than I do. Now that I think about it, Asamura-kun didn''t mention anything about her appearance.

    "Um¡­ you''re the new part-timer?"

    "Yes. Um, nice to meet you, I''m Kozono. Kozono Erina."

    "Kozono-san."

    Kozono Erina.

    So she''s the newbie Asamura-kun was talking about. She''s in her first year of high school, I believe.

    Oh, so the manager and maybe Asamura-kun must''ve mentioned my name to her.

    I shot a quick nce at Kozono-san. Uh, I should really act like a proper senpai here.

    "Nice to meet you, I''m Ayase Saki. Pleased to work with you."

    As I bowed, Kozono-san rushed to follow suit.

    "Same here! I look forward to working with you too!"

    She doesn''t seem like a bad person, I thought. But I wonder if we''ll get along. She seemed overly familiar, and even if neither of us had any ws,patibility is still a thing. I was a little worried. I mean, I''ve probably never met a girl quite like her before.

    I took Kozono-san to the shelves, even though my shift hadn''t started yet.

    The manager had assigned me to train her. Honestly, I don''t think I''m experienced enough to train a new person, but I couldn''t exactly say no when asked to do it.

    Anyway, if the manager believed I could handle it, I should trust his judgment.

    For now, I''ll just pass on what I learned from Asamura-kun, Yomiuri-senpai, and the like. I don''t mean in a bad way. It''s more like passing down knowledge and experience. The best way to learn is by following good examples. In my opinion, that role model was Yomiuri Shiori-senpai, a favorite of the manager''s. Asamura-kun was a close second.

    Anyway, we made our way to the bookshelf near the store entrance where books were arranged in a stack.

    Kozono-san pulled a small notepad and pen from her apron pocket.

    Wow, she''s well-prepared.

    Come to think of it, whenever Asamura-kun had to remember something, he''d use his phone as a substitute for taking notes.

    That''s when it hit me. The thing she put in her apron when I entered the office earlier was this notebook. Maybe she was reviewing what she learned yesterday. When I asked as much, Kozono-san smiled shyly.

    "You saw that, huh? How embarrassing."

    Maybe she''s the type who doesn''t want others to see her hard work? Like a swan that appears graceful on the water''s surface but is frantically paddling underneath. I can fully understand the feeling of having a side of yourself you want to show and another you''d rather hide.

    "Um, have you been told about theyout of the shelves and stuff? How much did the person who taught you yesterday exin?"

    "Oh you mean Asamura-senpai! He seemed super smart!"

    "Huh? Ah, yeah, that Asamura-san guy told you."

    Is "smart" really the first adjective thates to mind for Asamura-kun? What about "kind" or something like that? Well, it''s not wrong per se, so it''s fine.

    "Um, I was told about where everything is kept. Also, about the customer path."

    "Ah, you mean the way customers move around? So you did get a brief exnation. We might go over some stuff you already know, but please bear with me, and let''s double-check."

    That''s his way of teaching. Give a vague overview of everything to begin with, then go into detailter. It was originally Yomiuri-senpai''s method.

    Does that mean I can go into the nitty-gritty details now?

    "So, this disy you see right when you enter, is the new release section. You probably recognize a bunch of the books here."

    "Yes. He said that since it''s the first spot customers see when they enter the bookstore, that''s where the bestsellers go," Kozono-san said as she nodded along.

    "Exactly. Essentially, it''s the bestsellers'' shelf. There are actually two types of books put here. The right side has featured new releases, and the left side has trending titles."

    I raised one finger left and the other right to punctuate each point, forming a kind of peace sign.

    "New releases are literally newly published books that are getting attention right now¡ªthis section only selects books by well-known authors. It''s impossible to put out all the new releases."

    I watched her scribble down some notes and nod along, before continuing.

    "Trending books are just those that are popr in the industry or among readers. These days, some get popr because of social media. Like, business or self-help books can be trendy every now and then. So, they''re not necessarily new releases. New releases are recent publications. Trending books are currently popr ones."

    "Oh, I see. I understand," Kozono-san murmured and continued jotting things down.

    Such a diligent girl. I waited for her pen to stop moving, then pointed at a book with a white cover in a corner of the disy. Apparently she recognized it.

    "Ah, I see that one in train ads every morning!"

    The book, about human rtionships, had a band around it that boasted, "Over one million sold in the series!" I''ve rung it up at the register a few times myself.

    "Books like this are popr, but they''re not necessarily new releases."

    "Really? It looks new, though."

    That''s because it''s been reprinted recently.

    "To find out the release date of a book, you look at the ''colophon''."

    I picked up the book and flipped to thest page.

    "This is the colophon. Look at the date next to ''first edition.'' That''s the date when this book was first published."

    "Wow, ten years ago! Wait, is this a secondhand bookshop too?"

    "No, it''s not."

    I couldn''t hold back a wry smile.

    Beneath the first edition date, the reprints are also listed. The date of the reprint is the date the current copy was issued. Books, when they get popr and sell out, are reprinted. The date of these reprints is listed ordingly.

    "Heh, so this book has been popr all this time, has it?"

    "It has been, yes. Of course, some books might not sell for ages, but then they''ll suddenly gain attention and be popr."

    "Huh, why''s that?"

    "Well, do you know that right now, there''s this historical figure''s autobiography that''s getting a lot of attention again?"

    I said the name of the person.

    "That sounds familiar..."

    His portrait was chosen to appear on the new banknotes.

    "In cases like that, it sells even if it isn''t a new release. ''Cause it''s a topic of conversation."

    "Now that you mention it, it''s surprising how even old things can sell like that!"

    I felt like facepalming at her innocentment.

    I mean, sure, in today''s world where new things are constantly emerging, the old can get washed away in the relentless flow of the time. But that doesn''t mean old things have no value. It might be because I love history, but I believe that if something is good, it remains good even if it''s old. At least, that''s what I think. I wonder if the younger generation feel the same way too.

    ...Wait, hold on a sec. I''m only two years older than Kozono-san, so who''s to say other first-year high school students don''t feel the same way?

    But my thoughts were wandering.

    "So, basically, we have books here that customers would likely be interested in. It provides a reason for them toe into the bookstore."

    "A reason¡­ Oh, ''cause it''s at the start of the ''customer path''?"

    "Yeah, that''s right."

    "It''s just as Asamura-senpai told me! Once you understand the concept of the ''customer path'', you''ll eventually get theyout of the shelves. It was a bit difficult though," Kozono-san said proudly, holding up her notebook.

    She''s a quick learner.

    And, no surprise, Asamura-kun''s teaching method was effective. I feel like I tend to go too much into detail.

    But knowing how a bookstore as a retail store tries to attract customers should be a plus in the long run. Yeah, it shouldn''t be a waste. It shouldn''t.

    Still, I''d like to avoid ovepping with what Asamura-kun taught. Learning the same thing from different people is a waste of valuable training time. It''s best avoided for the sake of both of us and the store.

    "Kozono-san."

    "You can call me Erina. Eri is fine too. Or even Eri-Eri!"

    "Um, Eri... Kozono-san¡ª"

    It felt kind of awkward to suddenly use someone''s first name when I don''t know them well, so I just stuck to using herst name.

    "¡ªCan I ask what you learned yesterday?"

    "Well, you see..."

    While we were talking, a man tried to step around us to exit the store. He was holding a shopping bag, indicating he was a customer. Oops, we shouldn''t be blocking the entrance like that. Especially if it inconveniences a customer.

    I stepped aside and bowed.

    "Thank you very much."

    The man nodded in acknowledgment and left, and Kozono-san followed up with a bow of her own.

    "Thank you very much!"

    Her voice was so friendly and easy to understand, with just the right amount of warmth. It was probably better suited for customer service than my emotionless greetings. Plus, it sounded so natural.

    I nced at her. Kozono-san had a genuine smile on her face. Personally, I tried to maintain a soft expression, but I wasn''t really smiling. It''s not like I''m against showing friendliness, I''m just not good at putting on a fake smile. I''ve practiced lifting the corners of my mouth many times, but I just couldn''t get it to look natural.

    Is it her innate personality that allows her to smile so naturally? Or maybe she''s just trying really hard to be liked?

    Argh, I almost let out a sound of realization. I get it now. Kozono-san''s way of getting up close and personal might be her way of trying to connect with people. I was a bit surprised at first, but maybe she''s just naturally suited for customer service.

    "Um, Saki-senpai? Is something wrong?"

    Oops. I got lost in thought.

    "No, it''s nothing. So, can you tell me what Asamura-san taught you? It''s not very efficient if we cover the same topics."

    "Understood! Let''s see..." Kozono-san started saying as she flipped through her notebook.

    The rest of the training went smoothly.

    As the lunchtime crowds began to thin, Kozono-san and I decided to take our lunch break together.

    The other staff kindly suggested that we eat together since we were close in age. With no reason to refuse, we both ended up eating in the office.

    I said "Itadakimasu" and opened my bento box. I silently thanked Asamura-kun¡ªwho''d made it for me¡ªin my heart.

    Lifting the lid revealed white, brown, and yellow: rice, sausages, and small cubes... probably potatoes.

    Next, I reached for the Tupperware container. Sd. The colors were a vibrant green, white, orange, and red. Shredded lettuce, thinly sliced onions, julienned carrots, and cherry tomatoes. It''s the exact same that I made yesterday. We do share recipes, so it''s only natural. It''s funny to feel our family bond in moments like this.

    I drizzled dressing over the sd from the same tiny fish-shaped bottle that both Asamura-kun and I have. Though they were disposable, it felt special because they matched.

    After letting a cherry tomato burst in my mouth, I ended my vegetable warm-up. Now, onto the main dish.

    Sausages and potatoes cozily nestled against each other inside the bento. I started with a slightly rounded potato. Delicious. It tasted of consomm¨¦. Did he remember me mentioning that powdered consomm¨¦ was handy?

    He said not to get my hopes up, but it turned out great. Even the bite-sized sausages tasted good cold. While some meats can taste off when they cool and the fat solidifies, for some reason, sausages don''t suffer the same fate.

    I noticed that neither the sausages nor the potatoes had any grill marks, so they must''ve been microwaved.

    He must''ve looked it up and did what he could manage. He really tried his best.

    "Um..."

    A voice brought me back to reality. Kozono-san, sitting across from me, was leaning forward.

    "Is that a homemade bento?"

    Her shining eyes were fixed on my chopsticks.

    "Uh..."

    I couldn''t exactly say that Asamura-kun, whom she met yesterday, made it for me. Her bombarding me with questions would be tedious.

    How about saying my boyfriend made it? Wait, no. That would imply that we lived in the same house. Living together, in other words. While we do technically live together, siblings sharing a house isn''t actually "living together," is it? People don''t say that, do they?

    "My family made it for me."

    It wasn''t a lie, but not the whole truth either. I figured it was a decent excuse, but the moment I said it, Kozono-san looked like she''d been bewitched by a fox[2]¡ªno, seriously, that''s the perfect way to describe it.

    [Bewitched by a fox (kitsune ni bakasareta you ni) originates from Japanese folklore, where kitsune (fox-like creatures) are known for tricking and deceiving humans. It''s used metaphorically to describe situations where someone''s behavior changes unexpectedly, as if influenced by a kitsune''s enchantment. The equivalent English saying would be, "Looked like they''d seen a ghost."]

    "Hmmm."

    "What?"

    "Hmm, hmm, hmm?. Maybe I''m reading too much into it."

    She tilted her head and started humming. What does she mean?

    "Did I say something strange?"

    "Well, you see, I ate lunch with Asamura-senpai yesterday, and his bento looked homemade too, so I asked him the same thing. Then, he was like, ''My family made it for me.''"

    I quite literally broke out into a cold sweat.

    I made him lunch yesterday. Asamura-kun must''ve been at a loss for how to answer too, and gave the same response I did.

    "H-heh¡­ oh really?

    "If it were me, I''d probably say ''Mama''... no, not that! Ahem, I''d specifically say, ''My mother'' or, ''My father,'' or whoever made it for me."

    I thought so too. I almost said the same thing.

    "Oh, by the way, my mother made this."

    Kozono-san tilted her bento to show me. Her box, smaller than mine, was filled with colorful side dishes. The character-themed toothpicks stuck in it made it look cute.

    "So I wondered why both Asamura-senpai and you used the phrase, ''my family''... But maybe I''m the weird one?"

    "Oh, ha-ha-ha."

    Then it hit me. My eyes darted to my bento. The sd in the container. He probably used mine as a reference, so theposition of the vegetables was identical. But that wasn''t the only simrity. Although they''remonce, the containers were the same design. Even our lunch bags were the same, just in different colors.

    I quietly moved my lunch bag off the table to the seat beside me.

    "Yeah, I think saying ''my family made it'' is pretty normal."

    "Is it really? Ah, but I do think it sounds a bit more mature and quite nice."

    "I''m not so sure about that."

    "Whaaat? Really?"

    Sheughed as if someone had pulled the rug out from under her. Her smile was just as genuine as the one she gave to the customer earlier.

    "Speaking of family, do you have any siblings, Saki-san?"

    "Uhm..."

    Thinking about exining it all over again was a big headache. And, I wasn''t sure how Kozono-san would react to my response. Since I don''t know, I''d rather just avoid the topic entirely.

    While I grappled with how to answer, Kozono-san directed her gaze upward and started muttering.

    "Wait, I''ll guess. I think you''re an older sister, Saki-senpai, because you seem really responsible and cool. Hmm, but, just maybe you''re actually a younger sister? You have an older brother or sister! And every day you act all sweet, calling him ''Onii-chan~'' and stuff! That kind of thing is what they call ''gap moe''[3], isn''t it? That''s why I said ''just maybe''."

    [Refers to the appeal thates from a character disying a stark contrast between their usual personality or appearance and an unexpected or contradictory one. This contrast can make the character more endearing or charming to fans.]

    What on earth is she going on about?

    "I''m¡­ not sure how to answer that."

    "Oh? Are you an only child?"

    "Do you... really wanna know?"

    "Not particrly."

    What?

    "I don''t wanna know that specifically, just more about you, Saki-senpai."

    What the...

    "I just can''t help but admire cool people who stand all tall and dignified, y''know. Given how I am," she said, patting the top of her head with her palm.

    Does she mean because she''s small?

    "I think you''re cute, though."

    "Wow! Thank you so much! But I still admire cool and dignified people."

    With a beaming smile, Kozono-san returned to her lunch. She seemed content.

    I, meanwhile, was sweating bullets internally.

    What''s this girl''s deal?

    At first, I thought she was a bit like Maaya¡ªfriendly and approachable. But she''s different. Maaya, despite appearances, is good at reading the room. She''s definitely friendly, but she''s good at gauging what distance to keep just by talking a little. Take, for instance, the sports festivalst year. Maaya didn''t say anything to me when I skipped practice for it.

    She''s nosy, but she really pays attention to people, discerning whether they wantpany or to be left alone.

    Kozono-san, in contrast, is quick to close the distance. Shees at you with such intensity you''d think her life depended on bing friends. It feels like she''s not paying attention to the other person.

    I don''t think she means any harm, though. I remember the lingering animosity directed at me and Mom after the divorce. But this feels different.

    She probably wanted to get to know me better and tried to expand the conversation. But I ended up forcibly shutting it down. I feel bad about it, but¡ª

    "Um... Did I upset you?"

    My head snapped up in surprise. Kozono-san, with a character-themed toothpick in her mouth, looked genuinely apologetic.

    "Did I mess up by asking about your family?"

    She''s surprisingly perceptive in some ways.

    "It''s not that... It''s just... I''m not very good at talking about that kinda stuff. I mean, hearing about me probably isn''t all that interesting anyway."

    "Hm... Okay, I get it. I''ll drop it!"

    "Thanks. Sorry."

    "No worries!"

    After that, we both ate our lunch mostly in silence, each of us engrossed in our phones until lunch break ended. Though our conversation was stilted, a part of me felt relieved that we didn''t bridge the distance between us.

    I closed the English listening video I was watching, got ready, and turned to Kozono-san.

    "Should we get back to work soon?"

    "Understood, Ayase-san."

    I felt a sudden sense that something was off in the way she addressed me, but before I could pinpoint it, the hectic afternoon shift started.

    ***

    I clocked out on my time card and finished my shift for the day.

    I knew it''d started to rain because every customer who came into the store had an umbre. I was the one who''d set up the umbre bag stand at the entrance.

    As soon as I stepped out of the building, I was buffeted by strong wind and rain blowing sideways.

    I hurriedly opened my umbre¡ªonly to panic when the wind almost whisked it away. Not good. I quickly ducked back inside the building to take shelter. Raining cats and dogs would be an understatement.

    Looking up at the sky, I pondered my next move.

    The only umbre I had with me was a small foldable one, which didn''t seem likely to withstand such strong wind and rain.

    I''d underestimated the forecast: ny percent chance of rain with the possibility of thunderstorms. My bad.

    People passing by on the street were gripping their umbres firmly from the base to avoid having them blown away.

    Some were still asionally caught off guard by strong gusts of wind, their umbres flipping inside out.

    "This is... I''m gonna get wet no matter what, aren''t I?"

    Even if I''d brought a bigger umbre, it probably wouldn''t have made a difference. Heck, with how little I weigh, I might''ve just been dragged away by the umbre. There''s always a silver lining, I suppose.

    The rain showed no signs of letting up.

    I clutched the sports bag I had slung over my shoulder tightly against me. I gripped the base of my umbre, braced myself, and stepped out into the rain. I managed to stagger forward, despite feeling like my umbre was about to fly away¡ªand me with it.

    The noise of the rain hitting my umbre was so loud that even when I reached the bustling Shibuya main street, I couldn''t hear any of the popr music. The rain had muted the usual hubbub of the city.

    I began to hear faint sounds of thunder in the clouds above. Not a full-blown thunderp yet, but enough to make me feel a little anxious and get my feet moving faster.

    Soon, I saw the familiar apartment building up ahead. Ah, I''m almost home. I ducked under the overhang by the entrance, snapped my umbre shut, and finally let out a sigh of relief.

    "Haah..."

    Only my head and upper body had been somewhat shielded by the umbre. The rain had soaked into my shoes, and the squelching sound whenever I took a step was unbearable.

    I rolled up the folded umbre and took the elevator up.

    Finally managing to open the front door of our t, I called out, "I''m home," in a faint voice.

    I set down my bag in the hallway, took off my shoes, then my socks, and stood there barefoot. I wanted to change into dry clothes ASAP.

    I sensed someone behind the door and immediately froze. I was drenched from head to toe, and my clothes were clinging tightly to my body. My immediate thought was that I didn''t want Asamura-kun to see me in such a sorry state. What should I do? As I was mulling it over, Asamura-kun, without opening the door, asked about the rain and mentioned that the bath was ready.

    And, as if saying all he needed to, he walked away from the door.

    "Thank you."

    I wasn''t sure if the tiny voice I managed to squeak out even reached the other side of the door.

    I was careful not to drip water from my hair onto the floor, though I knew I''d have to wipe up my wet footprintster. I also needed to stuff newspaper or some dry cloth into my shoes to help them dry faster.

    Thinking about the hassle of cleaning up was discouraging. But a hot bath was waiting for me!

    Back when it was just me and Mom, she''d already be at work when I got home from school, so this was a new kind of luxury.

    It''s just what I wanted, so I''m happy he thought ahead for me. I felt my spirits lift a bit as I made my way to the bathroom.

    ***

    "Haaa..."

    A sigh of relief escaped my lips.

    My chilled body began to thaw in the hot water, the heating seeping into my every pore and warming me from the inside out.

    I closed my eyes and let myself drift, the faint sound of the rain reaching my ears even in the bathroom.

    Seems like it''s getting heavier. There was thunder too. I just pray there''s no ckout while I''m in the bath.

    Though I''d managed to take a moment to rx, the storm made me so anxious that I washed up and soaked quicker than usual.

    Dinner was already made when I stepped out of the bath. A delicious aroma wafted into my nose just by opening the door to the dining room.

    I was grateful for Asamura-kun''s thoughtfulness in choosing curry to warm me up.

    I nced out the window. Huh? The rain seems to have let up a bit. Maybe I came home when it was raining the hardest. That''s kind of frustrating.

    It was already dark outside though, so I couldn''t actually tell the true state of the weather.

    I wonder if Mom and my Stepdad are okay.

    No sooner had I said that thought aloud, than my smartphone buzzed. A LINE notification popped up, and I could tell it was from Mom. She said they were stuck in a traffic jam and couldn''t move.

    Asamura-kun checked on his phone too, and it seemed that the storm had caused an ident and the subsequent traffic.

    But, they won''t be back until tomorrow¡ª

    Tomorrow is Monday, but will that be alright? Well, Mom starts work at night, so that should be fine. When I voiced my concern, Asamura-kun reassured me that my Stepdad, Taichi-san, had wisely taken paid leave tomorrow. So, I could rx.

    Wait. Does that mean it''s just me and Asamura-kun alone again tonight?

    Well, that doesn''t mean anything will be different, right? Right, we''ll just take a bath, study, and go to bed.

    Ah, actually, I''ve already taken my bath.

    So, the usual ritual of discussing who''d have one first wasn''t needed tonight. When I told him that, Asamura-kun looked a bit lost.

    "As I was saying, since I''ve already taken my bath¡­."

    So Asamura-kun can¡ª

    No, that''s wrong.

    "You can go in whenever you want, Yuuta-niisan."

    That was close. I''dpletely forgotten our usual routine when I came home soaking wet. Um, right, the person in front of me is Yuuta-niisan, Yuuta-niisan, Yuuta-niisan.

    "And every day you act all sweet, calling him ''Onii-chan~'' and stuff!"

    Why am I remembering that right now!? I won''t say it, okay? Why do I have to act sweet anyway?

    "Oh, by the way, I worked with Kozono-san today."

    "Hm? Ah, so you did end up working with her."

    Asamura-kun seemed confused by my sudden change of subject (though in my mind it was rted), but soon picked up that I was talking about the new part-time girl.

    I told him I''d been assigned to train Kozono-san. Asamura-kunplimented her, saying she catches on quickly.

    "Yeah... That''s true," I replied hesitantly.

    I guess because I was kind of vague, Asamura-kun looked worried and asked if something had happened.

    "It''s not that something happened. She''s energetic and honest, so I think she''s a good person. But¡­ Sorry, I dunno how to put it into words."

    Asamura-kun responded to that by saying, "I actually had the impression she might be simr to Narasaka-san."

    Implying that they might get along.

    At first, I felt the same, but¡ª

    Maaya is like a sunflower. She always turns her head to follow the movement of the sun. No, I''m not saying something embarrassing like I''m the sun or anything. What I mean is, she watches her counterpart and responds ordingly. That''s why she has such a diverse group of friends.

    She''s friends with someone like me, socially awkward and high-maintenance¡ªthough it''s a bit weird to say that about myself. And, she''s also friends with outgoing, social butterflies. She has serious friends and not-so-serious ones. Maaya can interact with all these different personalities, adapting her behavior to each one.

    As for Kozono-san¡­

    Asamura-kun was right in saying she was an excellent new part-timer. She''s polite and a quick learner. There''s no doubt she''s a great asset at work.

    But her focus might not be others.

    I recalled a moment when we were eating lunch in the office. Oh, right, when I said, "Should we get back to work soon?" she replied, "Understood, Ayase-san." Until then she called me "Saki-senpai." I''m sure of it.

    Why did she change how she addresses me? I don''t know, and it bothers me.

    ***

    After dinner, I locked myself in my room to study for entrance exams.

    I wore headphones to block out the noise, but my concentration was broken when my smartphone''s screen lit up. A LINE notification. I checked it to find a message in the group chat I was in with Maaya and Satou-san.

    We''d created this group to stay in touch during our school trip, when we shared the same room. It was the only LINE group chat I was in, aside from one for my family. Usually, we just message each other directly, so I don''t really see the need to have group chats to be honest.

    Anyway, this group chat hardly ever received any messages.

    Maaya:[It shed! It really shed! Oh no, it''s close!]

    Saki:[Go to sleep.]

    I shot back a short reply. Seriously, why is she messaging me for something like this? I wondered, but [Read] immediately popped up next to my message and another reply came quickly after.

    Ryouko:[I''m scared. You''re not scared, Ayase-san? That''s amazing.]

    It was from Satou Ryouko-san.

    "Ah."

    It finally clicked. So that''s what Maaya is trying to do.

    This must be Maaya''s way of showing concern, knowing that Satou-san is a scaredy-cat. She probably thought she''d be scared on her own. Instead of sending a direct message, which might make Satou-san feel like she''s being fussed over, she used the group chat. Knowing you''re not the only one who''s scared can lessen your anxiety.

    Well, usually.

    Saki:[Is everyone ok?]

    Maaya:[I''m locked in my room, sting music through my headphones! Shutting out the light and sound!]

    Ryouko:[I totally get it.... Maybe I should listen to music too.]

    Maaya: [You should~! It''ll make you feel better~]

    Ryouko:[Ok.]

    The messages stopped for a second.

    Ryouko:[Thanks guys. Really ??]

    Reading Satou-san''s sweet message with that smiling cat sticker made me feel warm inside. Maaya really is good at being thoughtful.

    "I''m not scared? Not true at all."

    Truth is, I''m terrified of thunderstorms. And the ckouts that oftene with them. Apparently, not even Maaya realized I was scared as well. I left my room and made my way to the living room, flicking on the TV to check the weather report. On the Weather News channel, a female announcer was standing in front of a map scattered with thunderstorm icons. Captions were running in one corner.

    "Watching the news?"

    The voice made my heart leap. It was Asamura-kun. I was so absorbed in staring at the screen that I didn''t notice him entering the room. The weather forecast was showing the transition of rainfall now.

    "I think they''ll be alright. Don''t worry," Asamura-kun said after a brief exchange.

    "About our parents? Nah, I''m not worried about them."

    Mom isn''t scared of storms, and right now, she has my Stepdad Taichi-san by her side. So she''d feel more at ease with him than with me.

    I snuck a nce at Asamura-kun over my shoulder. It looked like he was about to take a bath.

    He probably came to check on me when he saw the light in the living room. I didn''t want to keep him from his bath any longer. Plus, staring at the TV and stressing out wouldn''t exactly make the clouds simply disappear.

    "I can make you something to drink if you like."

    "I''ll be up all night if I have coffee now. Besides, you were about to take a bath, weren''t you? Don''t worry about me. I can make it myself."

    I stood up just as thest word left my lips.

    sh. An enormous p of thunder shook my body, making me scream.

    The lights went out.

    Thrown into darkness, I instantly panicked. I crouched down, covering my ears with both hands. It was better to close my eyes so I couldn''t see by my own choice, rather than open them and see nothing. That way, it was my fault that I couldn''t see.

    "Ayase-san!"

    A voice shouted as if it was near my ear, but I barely heard it.

    He gently held my shoulder. I looked up, opening my eyes, only to be blinded by another sh. Unable to bear it, I clung to Asamura-kun in front of me.

    No more! I can''t take it!

    I clenched the cloth I''d grabbed, closing my eyes tight as if determined never to open them again.

    The booming sound of lightning made my heart constrict with fear. The sudden darkness was terrifying.

    Asamura-kun tried to reassure me by saying it was only a ckout, but that did little to make me feel less frightened.

    He said it was probably safer to sit down, so I let him lead me by the hand to the couch. Asamura-kun took a seat beside me.

    "Look outside. Everything''s pitch-ck."

    I reluctantly opened my eyes to see. Beyond the rectangr frame of the window, lightning shed, and I could barely make out the shape of it. All the lights in the other buildings were out. Definitely looked like a widespread power outage.

    I was still clinging to him. My hand, which had crawled to his chest, was gripping so hard it was creating creases on his shirt. Letting go was out of the question. I felt like if I didn''t hold onto something, I''d be left behind in this darkness.

    Asamura-kun wrapped an arm around my back, gently stroking me with his palm. Although I felt embarrassed, being consoled like a little kid, the warmth from Asamura-kun''s hand on my back wasforting. Slowly but surely, my overwhelming anxiety began to ease. But I couldn''t bring myself to ask him to stop.

    "Is it the lightning you''re afraid of? Or the ckout?"

    "...Both," I whispered, leaning into Asamura-kun''s chest.

    I told him I was sorry for clinging to him like a kid.

    Asamura-kun whispered back to me in a warm voice, saying that everyone has things they''re scared of. His embrace tightened ever so slightly, and I let out a relieved sigh, feelingforted.

    "I''m not going anywhere. I''ll stay right here with you," he whispered soft but clear in my ear.

    His gentle, yet firm reassurance melted away my stubborn anxiety, like calming down a kid who''d been crying.

    "Is there anything you''re afraid of, Asamura-kun?"

    I wondered how Asamura-kun could be so calm even when suddenly thrown into the darkness. Maybe he''s not scared of anything.

    Surprisingly, though, he admitted that he did have ordinary fears. But he said he was unfazed by darkness or ghosts, so maybe he has a slightly different view on things than most people.

    Probably to calm me down, Asamura-kun spouted some weird logic and continued chatting to me.

    As I started to calm down a bit, something dawned on me.

    When I freaked out, Asamura-kun had shouted, "Ayase-san!" He was so frantic that the promise to use my name at home had flown out the window. But maybe that was for the best. His familiar tone might''ve been what reached me.

    With the air-con off, all I could hear was the wind and rain. The sound of thunder was slowly fading away, but the electricity was still out.

    To distract myself from the storm, I began recounting a childhood memory. The reason why I became afraid of the dark.

    I felt embarrassed, admitting to such a childlike fear. I didn''t often share my fears with others, but for whatever reason, I wanted Asamura-kun to know. I wanted him to know because it was him.

    He listened to me stammer my way through my story until the end.

    He said it wasmendable for someone to open up about their fears.

    Is that really true?

    "Even though I panicked and clung to you?"

    Asamura-kun joked that he might''ve acted stubborn and pretended not to be scared if it were him.

    The image of a stubborn young Asamura-kun insisting, "I''m not scared" popped into my mind, and I couldn''t help blurting, "That would''ve been kinda cute."

    He seemed a little embarrassed to be called cute, though.

    "Well, luckily for you, I''m not afraid of either the dark or lightning. So, you can always rely on me in times like this."

    Yeah. Thanks.

    I was really happy earlier.

    "The thing you said. That you wouldn''t go anywhere. That you''d stay with me."

    He replied with a yful, "Well, I''m d," and a hint of embarrassment.

    Asamura-kun pulled his smartphone out of his pocket and put it on the coffee table in front of the couch.

    With practiced movements, he pulled up Lofi Hip Hop. The scratchy sound echoed softly in my ears, drowning out the noise of the wind and rain.

    [Maybe I should listen to music too.]

    [You should~! It''ll make you feel better~]

    My chat with Satou-san and Maaya earlier popped into my head. Yeah, you were right, you two. I''m not as scared anymore.

    "Let''s forget about the ckout. Don''t you think it feels kind of stylish and elegant listening to the rain and this music?"

    My lips naturally curled into a smile at his slightly pretentious way of speaking. And I almost burst outughing listening to Asamura Yuuta the poet, only able to suppress myughter by burying my face in his chest. No, stop, stop, it''s too funny.

    I lost myself in the warmth of his chest and the arms holding me. All I could hear was the muffled sound of music ying.

    Closing my eyes, I felt like I could forget that I was in our t in the middle of a ckout, a storm raging outside. I could almost see a garden of hydrangeas blossoming in the rain behind my closed eyelids.

    My heartbeat slowly synchronized with the steady rhythm of Asamura-kun''s. I let go of the shirt I was holding and ced my hand atop his on the couch. Intertwining our fingers, I lifted my head and whispered to him ever so faintly, "Hey¡­"

    Just then, the ceiling light flicked on.

    I heard the hum of the air-con, and noticed that lights in the buildings outside were also turning on one by one.

    The ckout was over. It felt like I was waking up from a dream.

    A message came in from Mom on LINE. She said the rain had stopped and she''d hurry home as soon as possible. I didn''t know how soon, "As soon as possible" would be, but if she was already close by, it might not take long.

    "It''s a shame. Our stylish and elegant moment is over."

    My fear of the dark hadn''t disappeared. If I''d been alone, it would''ve been neither stylish nor elegant. But I was so grateful for Asamura-kun''spanionship that I just had to tell him.

    "Another time, then," he said.

    Another time. Like this, with just the two of us.

    Yeah, maybe. But not in a thunderstorm. Not inplete darkness. I''d like at least some light. Like on Halloween.

    But¡ªsomeday. A day when I can finish what came after that "Hey..."

    "Yeah. Well then, goodnight."

    ¡­Because I couldn''t say it. Not yet.

    "Yuuta... niisan," I said, as if seeking confirmation.

    "Goodnight, Saki," he dutifully replied.

    Yeah, when I get used to being called "Saki." When it feels strange to be called "Ayase-san," I''ll try again.

    And just like that, the two days without our parents, for me and Asamura Yuuta, came to an end.

 Chapter 118: June 14th (Monday) â€” Asamura Yuuta

    <h4>Chapter 118: June 14th (Monday) ¡ª Asamura Yuuta</h4>

    The living room was bathed in white light. With the rain now gone, the following early morning was bright.

    Sunlight from a newly risen sun shone through the room''sce curtains. Or maybe my mood has improved, and that''s why I see it this way?

    If your heart can be affected by the weather, then the opposite is also true. The world can look a whole lot different depending on your mood.

    But it''s way too poetic and kind of embarrassing to put that into words, even just in my head.

    Still, I feel like I''ve gotten to know Ayase Saki a little better thanks to the time we spent togetherst night.

    The way her expression softened every time our eyes met over breakfast warmed something deep inside me.

    As we finished eating and were getting ready, my old man and Akiko-san emerged from their bedroom.

    Apparently, they''d returned early this morning while we were still asleep.

    "Good morning. And, we''re back. Anything happen, you two?"

    "Wee back. Nope, just the usual."

    Well, saying nothing happened would be a lie.

    "There was the ckout, I guess."

    "Huh? Really? Were you okay?"

    "Yes. It was only out for a little while. Nothing in particr happened, and the power came back on quickly," Ayase-san said.

    Akiko-san smiled as she stood next to my old man.

    "See, Taichi-san? Told you so."

    He gave her a wry smile and swiftly adjusted the rim of his sses with his finger.

    "Listen, Akiko-san. No matter what anyone says, if you''re worried, you''re worried. It''s not something you can just stop with logic. I, of course, thought everything was fine too."

    Seeing how proud my old man looked, I had to use all the strength in my abs not to burst outughing.

    "Yes, yes."

    Akiko-san waved off my old man''s dramatics.

    Ayase-san giggled, her shoulders shaking. I couldn''t hold back anymore and cracked up too.

    "C''mon you two, hurry up and go, or you''ll bete."

    At Akiko-san''s urging, we said our goodbyes and left the t.

    We began walking to school. The rain had stopped, and the sky was blue, as ifst night''s thunderstorm had been nothing but a dream. Even the puddles shining brilliantly on the ground reflected the clear sky.

    Ayase-san walked beside me, our steps in sync.

    It''s interesting, if you think about it. My pace was slower than usual. Meaning, if you factor in movement efficiency per unit of time, my performance had dropped. If I prioritized efficiency, I should''ve taken my bicycle now that the rain had stopped. Yet, I enjoyed my current pace.

    Again, it''s all about perspective.

    This isn''t just about getting to school; I want to cherish the time I spend with her. Wanting to stay closer to her outside. I started doing just that yesterday.

    I decided to abandon my bike for a while, especially with the rainy season upon us. From now on, we''ll leave the house together.

    We stopped at a red light. This exact spot pulled up a memory from a year ago. Ayase-san didn''t notice arge vehicle running the light, and I barely managed to pull her away in time. Just the thought of what could''ve happened sends shivers down my spine to this day.

    It seems she cottoned onto what I was thinking, nodding.

    "Yes, I''ll be careful."

    The light turned green. After checking both ways repeatedly, we safely crossed the intersection.

    I took a deep breath and looked up at the sky.

    It''s so clear, without a single cloud.

    "With weather like this, there shouldn''t be any issues for tomorrow''s tournament. The forecast says it''ll be sunny then too."

    Ayase-san nodded in agreement.

    The school grounds themselves might still be wet, making it tough for students doing outdoor sports to practice. Those of us practicing in the gymnasium will feel for them, of course, but we have to focus on our own final preparations.

    I passed through the school gate. I changed my shoes at the shoe lockers, made my way down the corridor, and climbed the stairs to the third floor. Ayase-san and I were together the entire time. Even after reaching the top floor of the school building, we walked side by side to our ssroom. It''d be weird to split up at this point since we''re in the same ss. Ayase-san and I stayed close but not too close. We didn''t hold hands or anything; we simply walked shoulder to shoulder.

    We opened the door and stepped into the ssroom. We made eye contact for a second, nodded, then headed to our respective seats.

    I''d just put my bag down and taken a seat when Yoshida slinked over to me. He sat down sideways in the empty seat in front of me and leaned in close.

    "Oh man, you''re full of surprises, aren''t ya Asamura-san?"

    I felt a shiver down my spine when he called me "Asamura-san" instead of the usual "Asamura."

    "Uh¡­ Did I miss something here?"

    Yoshida''s eyes narrowed.

    "Dude, tell me I''m not seeing things. Didn''t you juste in with Ayase?"

    I figured this woulde up. That''s why I haven''te to school with her until now.

    Apparently, when a high school boy and girle to school together, it raises certain expectations.

    "We''re ssmates, so it''s normal for us to chat, is it not?"

    "How long has this been going on? I don''t remember you and Ayase ever having much inmon?"

    Fair question. It''d been two months since the semester began. Showing up all of a sudden with someone you''ve never even made eye contact with was bound to raise eyebrows. You need some event to change rtionships. In novels, rtionships between characters don''t just change without some sort of episode or event.

    In reality, though, nothing so dramatic was needed. Like, for instance¡ª

    "We just happened to chat while walking to school today, alright?"

    It wasn''t exactly a lie. I just left out the part about leaving the same house together, that''s all.

    "''Just happened to,'' eh? Since when were you the chatty type with someone you barely know?"

    "Well, she''s not exactly a stranger. Last year, I went out with Ayase-san and some people from her ss."

    That wasn''t a lie either.

    "Where''d you guys go? Wait, don''t tell me you pulled off the legendary mixed-gender karaoke? Your Mom won''t allow it, young man!"

    I don''t remember Yoshida ever giving birth to me.

    "Summer public pool."

    "You mean thend of dreams, you bastard?"

    "I just think it''s a regr public ce..."

    "Gotcha. And you two became close after that?"

    "As you can see, more or less."

    I deliberately kept my answer vague.

    Yoshida leaned in closer.

    "I''m rooting for you, Asamura."

    "Rooting for what?"

    "So, when you gonna confess?"

    "Confess¡­"

    Why do people always try to turn a guy-girl rtionship into a romantic one¡­ Well, to be fair, we already are in one. I''ve already confessed my feelings to her.

    "You and Makihara-san are close too, aren''t you, Yoshida? So it''s normal to have close friends of the opposite sex."

    "Man, that''s exactly why I thought maybe you liked her."

    "What¡­? I knew you two were close, but you like Makihara-san in that way, Yoshida?"

    "Wha-! Y-yo, Asamura! Keep your voice down."

    Yoshida looked around nervously, but I hadn''t been speaking loudly. I''d asked him in a reasonably quiet voice. Do unto others as you''d have them do unto you. Fairness in rtionships often means maintaining a bnce.

    Just then, the bell for ss to start rang.

    As Yoshida got up to leave, he whispered something in my ear.

    "I need your advice on somethingter."

    With that, he returned to his seat. What could he want to discuss? I never thought of myself as someone to go to for advice, especially about romance¡ªan area I''mpletely hopeless in.

    I tilted my head in confusion.

    I didn''t find out what Yoshida needed advice about until PE that afternoon.

    ***

    The basketball thrown by my team circled the ring and bounced off again.

    We were in PE ss, split into two teams for a practice game in preparation for the sports festival.

    I was under the hoop and caught the ball as it fell. I had an opponent sticking close to my back, so it''d be difficult to turn around towards the hoop. Now, should I forcefully turn and shoot, or¡ª

    "Asamura!"

    A teammate called out my name. A ssmate who''d backed away to the three-point line was signaling to me. Yoshida.

    The floor squeaked as I stepped and passed the ball straight at Yoshida''s chest. Heunched the ball. It sailed through the air in a gentle arch and was swallowed by the hoop.

    Cheers erupted from both friends and foes.

    "Nice pass, Asamura!"

    I replied, "Nice shot."

    It''s funny how I feel happy even though it wasn''t my shot that went in. Ah, I get it now, so this is what team sports are all about.

    I wiped the sweat off my forehead with the back of my hand and took a quick breather.

    I was reminded of the conversation I had with Fujinami-san at cram school recently. I have to focus on ying as a team. But when things go well, it feels really rewarding. It''s not easy, but I''m d I gave it a shot.

    The whistle blew, signaling a break.

    I was leaning against the wall of the gym when I heard, "Asamura!" I looked up.

    Yoshida wasing towards me with an unusually serious look in his eyes.

    "Can I talk to you for a sec?"

    "Sure."

    "I wanna confess."

    "Geez, let a guy mentally prepare first."

    "Yeah, fair enough. Springing this kinda talk on you¡­ Wait, no! I don''t mean to you!"

    Yoshida was the kind of guy who''d y along with my jokes.

    "I know. You mean to Makihara-san, right?"

    He nodded.

    "So, how''s wanting to confess and asking me for help at all rted?"

    "Tomorrow''s the sports festival, yeah?"

    "Yeah, it is."

    "Well I wanna impress her, so I want you to pass me the ball as much as possible. Please, man!"

    Yoshida sped his hands together in front of his face.

    "I don''t mind passing the ball, but what does showing off and confessing have to do with each other?"

    "When they''re more into you, your odds of a sessful confession go up."

    "Personally, I think a confession''s sess is down to the rapport built up until then, and nothing to do with the mood in the moment."

    If you show a better side of yourself than normal to get a "yes," won''t they like you less once you go back to your regr self, and then you''re basically dating with them thinking less of you?

    As I told him my honest thoughts, Yoshida massaged between his eyebrows with a finger.

    "Asamura, man, do you seriously overthink stuff like this every day? I mean, sure, you''ve got a point. Heck, you might even have a hundred points. But you just don''t get the innocent heart of a high school boy!"

    "Your past actions speak for themselves, Yoshida. You two are close, right?"

    "Uh... w-well, yeah."

    They invited each other to eat in the cafeteria and sat next to each other. They''ve even been openly together in front of the whole school. Of course, there''s the chance she''ll say, "I only see you as a good friend," but¡­ there''s not much point in overthinking that part.

    "Roger. I''ll pass to you as much as possible."

    I don''t really care if I stand out or not. I don''t have any special skills anyway. I can be a team yer, though. And as demonstrated earlier, Yoshida is pretty good atnding shots.

    Yoshida''s face lit up.

    "Thanks, Asamura. Alright, I''ll do my best tomorrow!"

    His intense sincerity was so blinding I had to look away.

    Across the gym, I spotted Ayase-san talking to our ssmates.

    ***

    "It looked like you were trying hard," Ayase-san said while I was breaking apart the grilled horse mackerel with my chopsticks at dinner.

    Thement came out of nowhere, but I could kind of guess what she was referring to.

    "During PE?"

    "Yeah. It''s your first time doing basketball at a sports festival, isn''t it? Everything going okay?"

    "I guess I''m managing not to drag the team down, at least. I''ve started getting better at reading my surroundings than I did at the beginning."

    It was interesting to get to know my teammates'' personalities as we yed. Some of the more outgoing ones might prefer to y it safe, while some quiet ones might be good at shy ys. As I got to know my teammates better, it became easier to figure out my own next best move. And that just made everything way more fun.

    "I''m not sure I can pull off any shy ys myself, though."

    "Really? But everyone was saying you''re good at basketball, Yuuta-niisan."

    "No way, I''m not."

    "You can dribble too."

    "Only slowly."

    "People did say you pass the ball a lot."

    "Well, Yoshida is better at shooting than me."

    "Really?"

    Why is she tilting her head like that?

    "Besides, you were working hard too, weren''t you? It looked like you were having a serious discussion."

    "Huh?"

    "I happened to see it while I was taking a break. You were talking with your team, right? Near the end of ss. I just happened to catch a glimpse."

    "Oh... yeah. Well, a bit."

    I thought her answer was kind of vague. The conversation soon shifted away from the sports festival, and dinner passed.

    Incidentally, it was the evening after our parents returned from their trip, but only the two of us were eating dinner together. Reason being, Akiko had work as per normal and my exhausted old man was fast asleep.

    They''d returned at dawn, caught in a major traffic jam during a stormy night. No wonder he was tired.

    Congrattions on your one year anniversary trip.

    After dinner, while soaking in the bath, I remembered what Yoshida said.

    So he wanted to show off to the girl he liked and then confess, huh? I thought it was a risky method and told him as much. But when it came to knowing the best moment to confess, I drew a nk.

    "He''d be better at this kinda stuff."

    The face of my bespectacled best friend popped into my mind. I wonder how Maru would have responded to Yoshida.

    Anyway, since I''ve already promised, I''ll make sure to pass the ball to him tomorrow. Doing so would likely increase our chances of winning. That''s probably the kind of team work my teammates expect of me.

    Lost in thought, I gazed up at the bathroom ceiling.

    A cold droplet of water fell andnded on the tip of my nose.

    I remembered Ayase-san tilting her head at dinner. I thought I was choosing the best y, but maybe it didn''t look that way from the outside. But I''d probably have to ask someone from the basketball club if I wanted to know that for sure.

    "Saying that, though..."

    I can only do what I can do, I told myself as I spaced out while soaking in the tub.

 Chapter 119: June 14th (Monday) â€” Ayase Saki

    <h4>Chapter 119: June 14th (Monday) ¡ª Ayase Saki</h4>

    The morning was serene, as if the stormst night had been nothing but a dream.

    The familiar morning sun filled the living room, and as always, the rice tasted delicious. Today''s miso soup was instant, but still good.

    During breakfast, my eyes met Asamura-kun''s several times.

    Remembering yesterday, my cheeks rxed into a smile. He''d held me when I was frightened by the thunderstorm.

    Thanks to him, I slept like a babyst night. It''s been a long time since I felt safe enough to sleep on a stormy night.

    I threw on my uniform, fixed my hair, and was preparing to leave when Mom and my Stepdad woke up. Apparently, they hade home just before dawn, both of them still looking sleepy.

    My Stepdad was worried when he learned about the ckout, but we told him everything was fine.

    Mom called out to me just as I was about to leave the t, so I told Asamura-kun to go on ahead.

    "Saki, were you alright?"

    Huh? I was fine. It was just a ckout, and the appliances weren''t damaged.

    "But Saki, you were afraid of lightning, weren''t you?"

    Oh, that. Right, Mom knows.

    "I was fine. Yuuta-niisan was there with me."

    "Yuuta-kun?"

    "The power went out while we were both in the living room. Heforted me until I calmed down."

    I chose not to mention that we were hugging.

    "That''s good. Yuuta-kun is so kind," my mother said with a pleased smile.

    After another warm send-off from her, I left the t and hurried after Asamura-kun.

    Walking side by side still feels new. I haven''t asked why Asamura-kun started walking to school instead of riding his bike, but I sense he''s trying to change the distance between us when we''re outside. I need to get used to it too.

    We walked while talking about random stuff, like the smell of the city after the rain, and practicing for the uing sports festival.

    When we stopped at a red light, Asamura-kun gazed across the intersection with a distant look in his eyes.

    I wonder what''s on his mind... Ah, I remember. This was where, about a year ago, I was almost hit by a car, and Asamura-kun pulled me to safety.

    In hindsight, it felt like both a rational and frantic act. Life had changed with my mother''s remarriage and getting a new stepbrother, and my mindset needed to change along with it. Though nothing bad had happened, I realized I shouldn''t worry others unnecessarily. Especially not Asamura-kun.

    After that, we continued to walk together. We passed through the school gate and headed towards the school building. We walked side by side the whole time¡ªup the hill leading to the building, through the corridors, and up the stairs. Even though he was just next to me, I still felt the need to keep this distance.

    When we entered the ssroom, Asamura-kun and I exchanged silent "see youter" nces and headed to our seats. As I put my bag down and was preparing for the first ss, I sensed someoneing over to me. I looked up to see ss Rep standing there. I thought her under-rim sses really suited her today.

    "Good morning, Ayase-san!"

    Her greeting was unusually cheerful. Though she''s always jovial, today she looked like she was practically bursting at the seams with excitement.

    Satou Ryouko-san, aka Ryo-chin, peeked out from behind her. She scrunched up her eyebrows as if she wanted to say something. ss Rep sits next to me, so her being there wasn''t out of the ordinary, but why was Satou-san with her?

    "Good morning, ss Rep, Satou-san."

    Both of them seemed a bit off. What can it be? Before I could puzzle it out, ss Rep patted my shoulder.

    "Seriously, Ayase-san, you can''t be underestimated, can you?

    "Huh?"

    ss Rep looked at me curiously, while Satou-san seemed a bit worried.

    "Don''t y dumb. I saw you two. Are you and Asamura-kun... you know, like that?"

    My heart skipped a beat.

    She''s asking if we''re in a romantic rtionship, right? Even I can tell that much.

    But wait. If just entering the ssroom together makes people suspect we''re dating, wouldn''t that mean everyone walking side by side is in a romantic rtionship? Well, in our case, it''s not a coincidence andpletely true, but still.

    "What do you mean by ''like that''? How did it look to you?"

    I responded to her question with another question. ss Rep put a hand on her chin and let out a, "Hmm."

    Huh, what''s with that reaction?

    "Ryou-chan, apparently she hasn''t noticed."

    Satou-san nodded along.

    "What?"

    "I mean, not only did you just respond to my question with another question, but you usually hate being asked this kind of question, right, Ayase-san? But you didn''t seem annoyed just now."

    When she put it like that, I was surprised at myself.

    ss Rep whispered, "The thing is, the fact you''re even entertaining this kinda conversation means¡­"

    Her eyes narrowed into a pleased arch and Satou-san nodded along again.

    "But... is it really okay, Ayase-san?"

    "Huh?"

    "Um... weren''t you trying not to talk to Asamura-san?"

    What? Oh, right. Satou-san, Maaya, and I shared a room for the entire school trip. During the rendezvous with Asamura-kun at the Pwan beach, Maaya made sure we could be alone. I think maybe Satou-san was there.

    "It''s not like that... we''re just close."

    "Whoa! What''s that mean? How far have you two gone?"

    How far!? Um, she''s asking about our rtionship in a romantic sense, isn''t she? There''s no way I can talk about that. Nothing like that has happened anyway¡­ Well, I mean, we did hug in the dark a couple of times. And we kissed during Halloween, on a suspension bridge, and, oh, I did barge into his room when I was feeling Asamura Yuuta-deprived a few times¡­ Andtely, we''ve been going out together.

    Huh? That''s quite a lot, isn''t it?

    "I''ll... leave it to your imagination."

    I tried to keep my voice carefree, as if to say it''s ''no big deal,'' and y it off as a joke.

    "Hoho. You''re leaving it to my imagination, huh," ss Rep hummed thoughtfully, raising her pointer finger.

    "My wild imagination is running free! You two have been dating for about half a year, if I had to guess! You''ve already met each other''s parents, maybe even had sleepover dates, and you two have promised to get married after uni¡ª"

    "Whoa, whoa! Stop that imagination right there, ss Rep!"

    Satou-san put a finger to her lips, making a shushing sound, and thankfully derailed ss Rep''s imagination train. Some of what she said hit a bit too close to home, making me anxious.

    We met each other''s parents literally when we first met, and when we visited Asamura-kun''s family home, we did sleepover and took a walk together.

    But promising to marry? Come on, would high schoolers who''ve been dating for only half a year do that? We''re just high school students.

    "Well, anyways," ss Rep said, narrowing her eyes behind her under-rimmed sses and shing me a smirk. "I''m happy I can have this kinda conversation with you, Ayase-san."

    That''s not fair. How can I refuse when you put it like that?

    But being told this to my face is much better than hearing whispers behind my back, I guess.

    "C''mon, ss Rep. You really should wait for Ayase-san to bring this kinda stuff up herself."

    Satou-san came to my rescue.

    Mhm, that''s right.

    "Whaaat, but¡ª"

    "After making us wait, hehe, won''t it be more fun when she finally tells us?"

    No! That isn''t support! That''s more like a hunter lying in wait to ambush me!

    ss Rep puffed out her cheeks to show her dissatisfaction.

    "But like, what if we never get around to talking about our love lives and then, boom, life''s over? What then?"

    "Then we''ll reminisce about it at our pity party."

    By the time I tuned back in, the conversation had drifted to something entirely different.

    "I see, I see. That sounds nice. Sitting on the porch, a cat on yourp, sipping bitter tea, reminiscing about how we never thought we''d be single at this age, eh? We can chat about it and have a goodugh."

    "That does sound fun, doesn''t it? Right, Ayase-san?"

    Hold on. Why are they assuming I''m attending this pity party?

    ***

    Our afternoon PE ss was set aside for practicing for the sports festival.

    During the break, ss Rep, who was sitting cross-legged in front of me, adjusted the bridge of her sports sses, and turned to me and Satou-san. We were all on the same team.

    "By the way, you two. I''ve gotta say, watching the sports festival and seeing everyone give it their all is really fun for me."

    "Huh... huh?"

    What''s this girl on about? The topic came out of nowhere, and what does she mean by "seeing everyone give it their all?"

    "What''s with that t soda reaction?! Boys and girls going all out chasing the ball, dripping with the shiny sweat of their youth. Makes them look a hundred times cooler, dontcha think?!"

    So, she thinks everyone ying sports looks cool. That''s just like our ss Rep.

    But if it''s increased by a hundred times, wouldn''t that make them apletely different person?

    "Don''t you think your heart would race after seeing a different side of your boyfriend or girlfriend?"

    "Is it really different, though? I feel like you could tell if you watch them practice..."

    Because the sports festival is an extension of the practice. Essentially, it''s the consistent effort in everyday practice that makes someone shine, not just the festival itself.

    As that thought ran through my head, I nced at the boys.

    I caught a glimpse of Asamura-kun working hard out of the corner of my eye. Didn''t he say he wasn''t that good at basketball? He also mentioned not wanting to hold anyone back. But seeing him in action now, he looks like he''s holding his own, despite the short time he''s had to practice.

    "Oh? So not only do you want to watch during the festival, but also practice too, Ayase-san? Quite the enthusiast, aren''t you?"

    "I-I didn''t say that¡ª"

    Wait, calm down, Saki. This is a clever trap.

    "Maybe, yeah," I said with a soft smile.

    Keep it up.

    "Oh, such a confident smile."

    Good. Now, they won''tbel me as some sort of Asamura Yuuta stalker. Just when I figured we''d moved on, Satou-san circled back to the earlier topic with a slow reply.

    "But, y''know, it can be a starting point I think. It makes you realize there''s another side to someone beyond what you usually see. I mean, until we hung out together on the school trip, I thought you were way more intimidating, Ayase-san."

    It felt like I''d been hit where it hurts. ss Rep nodded along.

    "Yeah, I get you. Until we became desk neighbors, I had no idea she was this fun."

    Fun¡­?

    "So, by seeing a different side to someone, you might change your opinion of them. Being impressed by someone during the sports festival is also a possibility."

    I cleared my throat with a small cough and reluctantly joined in the conversation.

    "Well, if it''s about picturing how hard someone works based on how they do, I get that."

    "So it''s about seeing someone in a new light ''cause of a certain trigger, huh? Well okay, so among them¡ª" ss Rep pointed to the boys. "I''d probably say Kodama, personally. I used to think he was just annoyingly hyper, but he''s surprisingly good. He must have yed basketball before. I think he''ll shine tomorrow. And then, of course, there''s Yoshida, who seems to be good at any sport."

    "He''s been making some nice shots for a while, hasn''t he?"

    "You''ve been watching, huh?" ss Rep teased Satou-san, whose cheeks immediately turned red.

    "I just happened to see."

    "The one who''s wasting his potential is Asamura-kun."

    My heart raced at the mention of his name.

    "Wasting his potential...?"

    "He seems pretty skilled, and I think he has a thoughtful personality. He always pays close attention to his teammates'' movements, so he sends the pass to the right spot. But he passes even when he could have taken the shot himself. He''s like the unsung hero. But, I feel he could step it up a bit."

    "He''s humble, isn''t he?"

    "Maybe he''s just timid. But then again, maybe you, Ayase-san, don''t want him to stand out too much. But as the ss representative, I do wish he''d y a bit more aggressively for the sake of our ss''s victory."

    Step up, huh.

    The teacher blew the whistle. Break time was over.

    ***

    "It looked like you were trying hard."

    At dinner, I remembered what ss Rep said and brought up the topic of basketball.

    I mentioned that some ssmates were praising him, but Asamura-kun just kept being modest.

    Sure, he might not be as skilled as those who y in the actual basketball club, but from the sidelines, people still said he seemed capable of doing more.

    I wonder if he can''t see it himself, I thought, tilting my head.

    I wanted to continue the conversation a little longer, but Asamura-kun clearly wanted to move on.

    "Besides, you were working hard too, weren''t you? It looked like you were having a serious discussion."

    I tilted my head in confusion.

    Was he referring to today''s PE ss? Were we discussing something?

    Then it hit me¡ªhe must have seen me talking with ss Rep and Satou-san. There''s no way I could tell him I was watching the boys practice, sizing up who would shine tomorrow.

    We were really just joking around and getting a bit carried away, but he must''ve thought we were taking the sports festival seriously.

    "Oh... yeah. Well, a bit."

    I felt awkward and embarrassed, so I ended up giving a vague response.

    After all, how could I admit that I was daydreaming about Asamura-kun''s prowess on the court?

 Chapter 120: June 15th (Tuesday) â€” Asamura Yuuta

    <h4>Chapter 120: June 15th (Tuesday) ¡ª Asamura Yuuta</h4>

    Prestigious school or otherwise, the hype on event days is palpable.

    And the most enthusiastic among us was Yoshida.

    "We''re gonna win!"

    He was single handedly hyping up everyone around him. The sheer energy for what he was really chasing today was seriously blinding. It was like it was only sunny around him, while still the rainy season for the rest of us.

    In contrast, a few students who were pretty shitty at sports were in the corner of the ssroom, staring dead eyed down at the schoolyard.

    "C''mon, guys, chins up!" ss Rep said, adjusting her sses as she addressed them.

    She pped her hands together, a beaming smile stered on her face.

    "Just do your best and have fun! Oh, and make sure everyone drops by the ssroom during lunchtime today."

    Everyone looked a bit confused.

    "We, the temporary Home Economics Club of our ss, have made some treats. We got permission to use the Home Ec room. So, we''ll be waiting for you with loads of rice balls!"

    A collective, "Oooh" swept through the ssroom.

    I ignored the excited chatter around me, remaining seated, and tilted my head in confusion.

    "Temporary Home Economics Club?"

    "ss Rep''s idea. Five of us, including me, decided to make lunch for everyone," A familiar voice answered.

    When I turned towards it, I saw the small face of Kodama, known as the best dribbler on our ss''s basketball team.

    "...Hm? Kodama, is that... the filling for the rice balls?"

    "Bingo. Huh, Asamura, you cook?"

    "Um, ah, no..."

    I mean, it was obvious just by looking at the container he had. There were pickled plums, salmon, kelp, and bonito kes[1]... Who wouldn''t think of rice balls seeing all those?

    [Bonito kes, also known as katsuobushi in Japanese, are thin, dried, and smoked kes made from bonito fish.]

    "Well, I guess I know that much, at least."

    Kodama put the ingredients he was checking back into his lunch bag and stood up.

    "Alrighty, I''ll put these in the Home Ec room''s fridge and then join everyone. I''m counting on you!"

    "You too."

    It''s us who should be saying that. After all, our key yers in the basketball team were Yoshida, who ims he''s good at any sport, and Kodama, who''s skilled at basketball despite his small stature.

    I''d heard Kodama used to y basketball in junior high, so he''s an experienced yer. He said he quit because he didn''t grow any taller, but aside from the active club members, he''s probably the best in ss.

    Kodama joined ss Rep and three others. Three girls and two boys. Ah, I see, so that''s the temporary Home Economics Club.

    As the group were walking out of the ssroom, Kodama turned around and waved. Those left in the ssroom called out, "We''re counting on you for something delicious!"

    ss Rep said, "Leave it to us!" in a funny ent as she left too, making everyone crack up.

    "We''ve gotta win if we want to enjoy the food! C''mon, let''s roll, Asamura!"

    Egged on by the fired-up Yoshida, I also left the ssroom to change my clothes.

    The sports festival at Suisei High takes ce between midterms and final exams.

    It''s not unusual for the rainy season to have kicked in around this time, so sometimes it can be canceled due to bad weather. Fortunately for us, the rainy season this year hadn''t started yet and we were blessed with clear skies.

    It''s a school-wide event, and all sses from first to third year participate in a tournament format. After the opening ceremony at the central ground, the students disperse to their respectivepetition venues.

    Yoshida and I were in basketball, so we made our way to the gymnasium. We were crossing the schoolyard towards the kamaboko-shaped[2] building when someone called out to us.

    [Kamaboko is a traditional Japanese food made from fish paste that is typically shaped into a semi-circr or oval shape.]

    "Yo, Yoshida, Asamura!"

    It was Maru. It was news to me that Maru was also in basketball, but Yoshida seemed to know already. The three of us, who had coincidentally shared a room during the school trip, headed to the gym together.

    Maru made an exaggerated face like he hadn''t seen me in ages. It''d been a hot minute since west talked. We just hadn''t been able to much ofte. It wasn''t because we weren''t in the same ss anymore or anything like that, Maru had just been busy since bing a third year.

    "How''s it looking? Think you can win?"

    He wasn''t talking about the sports festival.

    Maru had been busy ¡ª so exhausted that he couldn''t even make calls at night. Reason being, the regional qualifiers for the summer Koshien[3] tournament were starting in July.

    [Koshien is a famous baseball stadium in Japan known for hosting the National High School Baseball Championship, a prestigious high school baseball tournament held twice a year.]

    "Well, freaking out now isn''t gonna change anything," Maru said in a resigned tone.

    Yoshida pursed his lips.

    "What? I heard our baseball team is pretty strong this year. You''re aiming for the Koshien, aren''t you?"

    That''s quite the surprise. The Koshien? As in, the dream stage for all high school baseball yers?

    "Huh. I didn''t know our school was that strong."

    "Come on, Asamura, it''s your best friend''s team we''re talking about."

    "No, I mean..."

    I knew they weren''t weak, but I had no clue they were Koshien-level strong. Maru had never once mentioned it.

    "It''d be a miracle if we pull it off, honestly."

    See, even Maru himself says so, and he''s the baseball team''s main catcher and captain.

    "It okay to be so pessimistic?"

    "Look, Asamura, I don''t get overconfident. If I''m just hoping for a miracle, I can''t do my job as captain. I know our capabilities and will do everything in my power to win."

    "That''s so like you, Maru."

    "But think about it, man¡ªif you can somehow make it to Koshien, you might go pro, right?"

    "Pro, huh..."

    Yoshida''s eyes shined as if it were his dream.

    That reminds me. I think around the time of the parent-teacher interviewsst year, Maru said something like, "Just because you''re in the baseball club doesn''t mean you can make baseball your job."

    "Well, if we can make it into Koshien, there''s a higher chance of catching a scout''s eye. Only if we can get in, that is. Obviously we''ll do our best to win."

    "Is it that hard?"

    "Objectively speaking, yes. We''re not like those famous schools where a bunch of promising yers from all over Japan gather. We don''t have the luxury of endless funding and fancy facilities."

    "...I see."

    "As I said before, I don''t think it''s easy to go pro. But in thisst tournament, I''ll give it everything I''ve got to see how far I can go. If, by the end of it, I catch a scout''s eye¡ª"

    Hearing Maru speak so matter-of-factly, Yoshida sighed, clearly thinking the road ahead was tough.

    "¡ªIt ain''t easy. And, Yoshida, I''ve been thinking."

    "Yeah?"

    "What do you think is most needed for a professional athlete?"

    "Dunno."

    "What about you, Asamura?"

    "Um¡­ skills, I guess?"

    I figured you probably need a certain level of skill to be a pro.

    "That''s important too, sure. But, in my opinion, a pro needs to have a ''performance worth paying to see.'' And, it has to be unique to that yer."

    "A performance unique to the yer¡­?"

    "Professional baseball is entertainment, after all. They''re essentially paid for ''showing their y.'' You could even say they ''captivate'' their audience. Just making your team win isn''t enough, in my opinion. In the end, pros are basically like self-employed business owners."

    "Ah¡­ I get it."

    "Isn''t that also a kind of skill?" Yoshida remarked.

    "Could be. I don''t know. Anyway, to put it simply, it''s about being able to make a y that moves the audience... but I haven''t really thought about it too much."

    For a moment, Maru''s gaze shifted from the gymnasium we were walking towards and drifted off into the distance.

    "I really have no idea how my y looks to others."

    "Well, yeah... You can''t really see yourself from an outsider''s perspective, can you?"

    Maru smiled faintly.

    "True enough. I wish I could experience it just once, though. But, there''s no point in hoping for a miracle, like getting scouted by the pros. And thinking about how to y impressively, something I have even less idea about? That''s pointless too."

    Maru¡­ is really hard on himself.

    "I''m not saying it''s a realistic option, but there''s always a chance. I believe that giving it your all while believing in that chance will enrich your life when you look back on itter."

    Yoshida smiled wryly.

    "Man, that definitely doesn''t sound like something a baseball club member would say. Sounds more like a line from a wise traveler in an RPG or something!"

    "You got me," Maru said with a sly smile.

    "It''s about whether you can seize the opportunity when ites. Those who aren''t prepared won''t be able to grab it. It might be a chance with very low odds, something that might not seem realistic, but I practice everyday in hopes of that moment."

    "I reckon you''re already pretty awesome, Maru, having secured both a regr position and the captaincy already."

    "ttery won''t get you anywhere, and I won''t go easy on you either."

    "Go easy?"

    Yoshida and I tilted our heads in confusion, and Maru shook his in disbelief.

    "What, you guys haven''t seen the match schedule? If we both win one game in this tournament, our teams will face each other."

    " "Ugh." "

    Yoshida and I groaned in unison.

    "So we''re going up against Suisei High''s mastermind, huh¡­?"

    "Hahaha, Yoshida, did I not just say ttery won''t get you anywhere? Rx, I''m a beginner at basketball too."

    With that, Maru walked through the gymnasium doors, waved, and went over to his own ss.

    "Hey, Asamura..."

    "Hm?"

    "During PE, I heard from a guy in the ss next door that Maru''s been researching who''s in all the basketball teams of all the third year sses."

    "You serious¡­?"

    I wish he''d take it easy just for this sports festival. But that''s just not his character, is it¡­

    When I entered the gymnasium, I was immediately surrounded by the sound of shoes squeaking on the polished floor and the thumping of balls.

    On one side, a volleyball match was underway, and on the other, a basketball game. Both had already started.

    This was my third sports festival in high school, but it was my first time participating in an indoor sport.

    "Quite a lot of peoplee to watch, huh?"

    There were clearly more spectators than people waiting for their games. A bunch of students had even climbed up to the catwalk to watch from above.

    "It''s like this every year," Yoshida said.

    "Really? I''ve always been in tennis."

    I struggled to remember if there were this many spectators around the multiple tennis courts. Maybe I just wasn''t paying attention in the previous years.

    "Well, there''s air con."

    "Ah, makes sense."

    By this time of the year, the heat outside was already pretty intense. The gym was big, so it''s not exactlyfortable, but it was definitely better than being under direct sunlight. On my way to the basketball court assembly point, I crossed paths with Ayase-san, with the volleyball team. We exchanged nces and small nods. As our eyes met, I noticed Yoshida quickly nce our way, but I pretended not to notice.

    ***

    Our first game began roughly 10 minutester than scheduled. Our opponents were a team of second years who seemed to have a taller average height than us. They looked formidable.

    The jump ball went up, and the opposing team sessfully tapped it, meaning we were on defense from the get go. They passed the ball around, then sunk a shot off a dribble.

    "Don''t sweat it! Let''s get one in now!" Yoshida yelled loudly. Ever the mood maker of our team.

    "Asamura!"

    The ball wasunched in my direction along with that shout. I passed it off to Yoshida, who had backed up to the three-point line. He boldly chanced the shot from there. It miraculously made it in, putting us ahead.

    Cheers erupted from the crowd as Yoshida struck a triumphant pose.

    "Nice pass, Asamura-kun," Kodama called out to me as we passed each other on our way back to defend. His praise wasn''t just for the goal, but for the y leading up to it. That''s the kind of praise you''d expect from a seasoned yer.

    I was happy to take the praise, but I also felt it was Yoshida''s skills that truly stood out.

    When we reset for a throw-in due to a foul, I backed up to the sideline and noticed Makihara-san among the students watching from the stands. It looked like she''de to watch with a friend, sitting next to her. She was probably told when the match was scheduled. I wonder if she saw Yoshida''s three-point shot earlier.

    The game continued, with both teams equally matched.

    I tried to pass the ball to Yoshida as much as possible. Not just so he could show off to Makihara-san, but to win as well. We had a better chance of winning if I let the guy with the highest shooting sess rate take the shots.

    There were seven of us in our ss''s basketball team, including substitutes. Aside from Kodama and Yoshida, the rest of us, including myself, had fairly simr skill levels.

    We rotated out when we got tired, but by the end of the first half, all of us were out of breath. We were trailing by one point.

    "Let''s all be more aggressive in taking shots in the second half."

    I was surprised to hear that from Yoshida.

    "You too, Asamura. Don''t hold back and take your shots."

    "Uh... alright."

    That being said, Yoshida had the highest shooting sess rate. All I could do was to pass the ball to a teammate in a good position when it came around, and in the end, we had to rely on Yoshida to make the final shot.

    Yoshida made the shot just in the nick of time, and we scraped through to win our first match.

    The whistle signaling the end of the game blew. Yoshida excitedly ran up to Makihara-san.

    I spotted a familiar broad back moving away in the distance. Maru.

    Had hee to watch our game...?

    Apparently our next opponent would be a formidable one too. One who wouldn''tpromise and would keep a keen eye on their opponent until the very end.

    ***

    I thought her movements were a bit stiff.

    We had an hour until our next match, so our basketball team was pulled to the opposite side of the gymnasium to cheer for the girls'' volleyball team. It was Ayase-san, ss Rep, and Satou-san''s team. This was the first time I''d seen Ayase-san y volleyball up close.

    Her movements were stiff, and she''d been making a bunch of mistakes. It was her first time, sure, but I don''t remember her saying she was this bad at receiving and tossing the ball.

    Plus, maybe because she was panicking, she only made more and more mistakes, and the opposition started targeting her.

    Except for the finals, volleyball games are single-set matches. One stumble can lead to a quick defeat. I was watching in silence, but when she failed to receive and tumbled to the floor, I couldn''t help shouting, "Ayase-san!"

    Our eyes met for an instant.

    She quickly looked away and then, bam, pped both of her cheeks. Satou-san, her teammate, looked surprised by the sudden gesture.

    The opposing team missed their serve, narrowing the point gap from three to two.

    When our side''s volleyball team got the serve, Ayase-san, who was at the front, stepped back to serve.

    The white ball, served with a perfect floater form, fell deep into the opponent''s court.

    Itnded between the yers, adding another point and reducing the gap to just one.

    The ball was returned.

    As Ayase-san smacked the ball on the floor, she backed up to the end line. Even the cheering squad, who had been shouting encouragement, fell silent, probably not wanting to mess up her focus as she prepared to serve.

    Taking a deep breath, she lifted her gaze to re at the opposing team.

    You can do it, Ayase-san!

    The next serve she released got picked up by the opponent this time. But, they failed to transition it into an attack within their three touches, turning it into a chance ball for us. Satou-san, who was ying as the libero, deftly picked up the ball, passing it to the setter, a short-haired girl. Umm¡­ What was her name again? Regardless, she set a brilliant toss which ss Rep then beautifully spiked.

    Impressive. She used the springing force from her legs to make a high jump and spike the ball, whichnded just inside the end line. It''s a tie! A roar of cheers erupted.

    Once it gets to this point, the momentum usually swings to the side that caught up. Ayase-san also started to perform as if her earlier slump was a figment of my imagination.

    And in the end¡ªthey won! Seeing Ayase-san and the others so happy, I felt a warm sense of satisfaction.

    Ayase-san turned around. Our eyes met. She sent me her gratitude wordlessly, mouthing¡­ Thank¡ªYou, maybe.

    I hadn''t really done anything special. But, if something got through and Ayase-san calmed down, then that was good.

    The time for the third round (second round for us) match was fast approaching.

    ***

    I was thinking back tost year''s basketball ss.

    Maru was a yer we could never quite get the better of during those basketball lessons.

    Though, given Yoshida''s athletic ability, he wouldn''t be outmatched by Maru. That meant even if I personally couldn''t beat Maru, our team still had a chance to win. Same went for Kodama. We had two fairly skilled basketball yers on our side.

    And, on the flip side, it looked like there were no experienced basketball yers on Maru''s team. Maru appeared to be the most skilled among them.

    I figured out that much during the first few exchanges of offense and defense.

    On paper, we should have had the upper hand, but we were trailing behind Maru''s team.

    Maru was focused onpletely shutting down our main yers, Yoshida and Kodama.

    They assigned their tallest yer to the short Kodama, not to y man-to-man defense, but to wait under the basket for Kodama to drive in. Kodama was nibble, and could dodge a yer bigger than him with a feint, but sadly, he was hardly ever sessful with long-range shots.

    As for Yoshida, he was double-teamed. So, predictably, he couldn''t freely take shots with two yers guarding him.

    You''d think a team of amateurs adopting a formation like that would leave a gap somewhere, but that was exactly Maru''s aim. The remaining three yers, me included, weren''t good enough handling the ball to reliably score.

    I received a pass. Holding the ball, I started dribbling towards the goal.

    Maru, moving his hefty frame agilely, stayed on me. He maneuvered around me, blocking my path.

    The small eyes behind those sses formed a sly grin. I scanned the court as I continued dribbling. As usual, Yoshida had two markers, and Kodama, wary of the goalkeeper under the basket, had retreated to a rtively distant position. That left¡ªYamazaki and Nakano. Maru reached out for the ball I was dribbling¡ª

    I''m going to lose it!

    "¡ªYamazaki!"

    Calling out the name, I twisted my body desperately, trying to pass the ball towards Yamazaki, who was near the 3-point line''s end. But Maru''s outstretched hand was a feint. His arm didn''t actually extend, and he lunged at the ball just as I was about to pass it to Yamazaki. Maru''s big hand grazed the ball practically the second it left my hand. The ball, caught between my hand and Maru''s, popped straight up. Damn it.

    I jumped to try and grab the bouncing ball. It grazed the tips of my fingers, changing its trajectory, and bounced towards anky guy from the opposing team. Swiftly catching the ball, he passed it immediately.

    Straight to¡ªMaru.

    At some point, he had started running. Charging towards our goal, Maru unleashed a beautifulyup shot off his dribble. The ball floated up gracefully and swished through the without even touching the rim.

    Cheers and screams erupted all at once.

    We got steamrolled for the rest of the first half and found ourselves down by five as the whistle blew.

    ***

    "We need a game n! We''ve gotta strategize!" Yoshida dered. "Think of something, Asamura."

    "That''s a tall order for me"

    "Kodama, then! Don''t you have any ideas? You''ve got experience, don''t ya?"

    "Honestly, my junior high basketball team wasn''t that strong¡­ Hmm. Lemme think."

    We sat in a circle on the side of the court, resting. Just about two minutes remained before the start of the second half.

    Kodama nced at everyone''s faces before speaking.

    "We might be able to do something if we can shake off the other team''s marks."

    "What do you mean?" I asked.

    Kodama guessed the strategy that Maru had probablye up with.

    "In this team, I think Asamura is the one who receives the most passes. He''s good at observing the surroundings and being in the right ce at the right time."

    Everyone nodded in agreement with Kodama''s observation. Well yeah, I''m aware of that too. My strength is in team y.

    "But I believe Maru-kun is aiming for that."

    "Meaning?"

    "Because, Asamura-kun, you mostly pass and rarely shoot yourself, right? So, from the opponent''s perspective, it''s safe as long as you have the ball. They probably want to leave you unmarked, making it easier for you to receive passes. If they mark Yoshida-kun and me, three out of our five team members are essentially neutralized. We can''t win this way."

    "What should we do?" Yoshida asked.

    "I think the basic strategy is to do the unexpected. Asamura-kun, I want you to be near the goal as much as possible. Preferably near the guy wearing number four, who''s marking me."

    "The tall one? Just by staying near him?"

    "If possible, I''d like you to shoot once in a while. Otherwise, they won''t be drawn to mark you."

    "I''m not as skilled as Yoshida, though."

    "Asamura-kun."

    Kodama looked at me seriously.

    "Y-yeah?"

    "It''s not about whether it goes in or not. A guy who''s decided not to shoot isn''t a threat. No one will pay attention to you because of that. They''ll think it''s fine to leave you be. It''s just what Maru would be counting on."

    No one will watch me, huh.

    For some reason, I remembered what Maru had said.

    "I really have no idea how my y looks to others," or something like that.

    I thought it would be fine not to be noticed since I was trying to be like a shadow yer... But if you think about it, being able to y without standing out and still helping your teammates win would be a y of a higher-level yer, wouldn''t it?

    Wasn''t there a manga with a plot like that?[4]

    [Not sure what manga he is talking about. It''s not specified.]

    So a basketball newbie trying to be a silent powerhouse would just end up getting overlooked, huh?

    The whistle blew, and the referee signaled for the yers to gather on the court.

    The second half began.

    ***

    I did as told and tried to position myself as close to the opponent''s goal as possible when we were on the offensive.

    I hovered around thenky number four yer. Predictably, he looked annoyed, and kept ncing my way.

    Kodama passed to me. I pretended to turn and shoot, but instead returned the ball right away. Lanky number four nced my way for just a moment, making himte in defending against Kodama. Seizing his chance, Kodama cut in and scored, narrowing the score gap from five points to three.

    Cheers erupted from the ssmates who''de to support us. Everyone was on cloud nine, with shouts of "Nice one!" and "Keep it up!" flying around.

    The game reset with the opposing team in possession of the ball.

    There was no choice but to y defense here, so I quickly fell back and fortified our defense. I would return to our goal when defending and try to get as close to the opponent''s goal as possible when attacking.

    Little by little, we narrowed the score gap until we were just one point behind.

    Then, we transitioned into a fast break from an intercepted pass. It was tough, but I sprinted up to the goal. As my breathing grew ragged, another pass came from Kodama.

    However, Yoshida already had two defenders marking him. As I looked around for another teammate, I saw Maruing at me out of the corner of my eye. Lanky number four quickly switched to mark Kodama, blocking the passingne.

    Maru tried to intercept the ball again.

    Pretty much the same thing happened in the first half. Back then, I tried to pass back and got blocked, losing the ball. And now, Yoshida, my go-to scorer, was marked too. Which means, there''s gotta be an open teammate somewhere.

    Maru was barrelling towards me like a heavy tank.

    I need to pass¡ªNo. No time. I didn''t have time to look.

    I turned my back to the charging Maru and spun around to face the hoop. I took a single step then kicked off the floor, letting the ball fly from my hand.

    A collective gasp came from the crowd.

    The ball bounced off the backboard, looking like it''d be sucked into the. Please go in! I willed it, but to no avail. It did a half circle around the ring and bounced out again.

    The opposing team grabbed the rebound, connected their passes, and scored, widening the point gap again.

    If only it had gone in!

    I raced after it but was toote. I bit my lip, feeling both frustrated and guilty.

    A gentle patnded on my back.

    "That was a good try, man."

    Looking up, I caught Yoshida giving me the thumbs up as he passed by.

    "You got this."

    "Just keep taking those shots!"

    Words of encouragement came from Kodama and Sasamoto too.

    The game''s tempo went back and forth.

    I went back to doing the same routine as before, receiving passes and connecting the ball to my teammates.

    Huh?

    But now it felt easier to connect passespared to before. Whenever I got the ball, the opposing team would suddenly tighten their defense around the goal. More importantly, Maru stopped recklessly charging at me. He was probably wary of me pulling another spin and shoot.

    Soon enough, I was winded and substituted out. When I made my way to the side of the court, my ssmates told me how close my previous shot was. Was it really that close?

    After a little break, I returned to the court.

    By then, the point gap had closed, and we were only trailing by one.

    "Come on, Asamura~! You can do it~!" A voice shouted from behind me.

    I turned around to see who it was. ss Rep. Satou-san and Ayase-san were with her too.

    I turned my attention back to the court.

    The clock was ticking, less than a minute remained.

    Our side started with a throw-in. I caught the pass and immediately scattered it to my teammates. The strategy remained the same; In the meantime, I ran and positioned myself under the basket. Kodama made a dribble and passed a bounce pass to me from outside the three-point line. I turned around and pretended to shoot, but instead, twisted my body towards Yoshida, who was in my peripheral vision.

    They probably thought I was going to shoot, as the defenders rushed toward the goal, leaving Yoshida unmarked. I passed the ball through that open space.

    Yoshida released his shot from just inside the three-point line.

    The ball drew a beautiful arc through the air and fell towards the hoop. I thought it was in¡­ But with a dull thud, the ball didn''t go in and bounced away.

    It missed?!

    Everyone''s hands reached up for the ball as it fell, mine included. And, by some stroke of luck, the ball came my way. Itnded in my hands. Where''s Yoshida?

    My eyes searched this way and that¡­ and met Maru''s. No, not him. Yoshida was to the left. I noticed him running from the three-point line toward the goal. Now''s my chance to pass. But just as I was about to, I saw Maru charging at Yoshida. He nced at me. I also saw the referee teacher staring at the clock, whistle in his mouth. Time was running out.

    The whistle could blow at any moment. If I passed to Yoshida, he might make the shot. But I figured Maru would anticipate that, which was why he was charging at him.

    Which option had a better chance of seeding?

    If someone asked me why I made my decision, I''d probably say Kodama''s words were still in the corner of my mind: "I think the basic strategy is to do the unexpected." So I raised the ball and pushed my arm diagonally forward, towards the goal. With a push of my palm, I let the ball go.

    To be honest, I could barely see the basket. So I was just grateful the desperate shot I made even hit the backboard. I''m pretty sure it was sheer luck. And the fact that after bouncing off the backboard, the ball was sucked into the hoop was nothing short of a miracle.

    The final whistle sounded almost exactly as the ball fell through.

    "WOOOOO!"

    "WE WON!"

    While my ssmates celebrated, I, exhausted, copsed onto the gym floor.

    Arge shadow loomed over me. Maru.

    "I figured you''d pass. You really got me there," he said, expressing his surprise with a voice tinged with both amusement and shock.

    "I always thought I was the type of person to just pass too."

    "...What''re you on about?"

    "I don''t know. I don''t even understand it myself. But man, am I shattered!"

    A teacher chewed me out for lying sprawled out on the floor, saying the next match was about to start. I reluctantly picked myself up and lined up for the customary post-game bow. The sports festival was part of the curriculum, and our school, Suisei High, took formalities like those seriously.

    As I walked toward my cheering ssmates, I was greeted with apuse.

    Yoshida came up to me and repeated, "Nice job, dude!" over and over again while vigorously patting my back.

    "Sorry I couldn''t pass more often," I apologized, but Yoshida looked surprised.

    "It''s all good. Winning is what matters!"

    ss Rep, Satou-san, and Ayase-san were all smiles.

    Despite our hard-fought victory, our team ended up losing in the next match. Ayase-san''s volleyball team also lost in the semifinals. The best performance for our ss turned out to be Hoshino-san from the girls'' tennis team, who made it all the way to second ce.

    And like that, Suisei High''s third year sports festival came to a close.

    ***

    Since I didn''t have a shift at work that day, I just went home, ate dinner, took a bath, studied, and went to bed.

    My old man was working overtime, as usual, and Akiko-san had already left for work.

    Ayase-san and I were chilling out and sipping tea after dinner. Instead of green tea, we had chilled roasted tea from the fridge. The coldness of it felt refreshing as it went down my throat.

    "Today was so tiring, wasn''t it?" Ayase-san said with a sigh, and I nodded in agreement.

    "After all the crazy practice this past week, it''s no surprise, I guess. I mean, I''ve never really thrown myself into a sports festival like this before."

    "Me neither."

    "Maru has been doing this all along, after all. It makes me think that people who are reallymitted to sports are amazing."

    It''s not like I can say much, since I only took part in the sports festival for a week because it''s part of the school''s curriculum, but still, I reckon I caught a little glimpse of what it''s like for people who''ve been doing this day in, day out, year after year.

    "It''s kinda like your cooking, Ayase-san."

    Ayase-san shot me a wry smile.

    "But it''s just something I do every day."

    "That''s what''s amazing about it. And it''s delicious too."

    "Thanks. But I only cook for myself and our family¡­ Um, you mentioned Taichi-san works in food product nning, right?"

    "He told me he did, yeah."

    I''d only recently learned the details of my old man''s job. He wasn''t the type to talk about work at home, so there was a lot I didn''t know.

    "Well like¡­ If you sprinkle salt and pepper on your food, it might turn out dry and hard to eat, but that''s your personal preference."

    True enough. Ayase-san doesn''t have any trouble eating it like that herself.

    "I can remember that and make adjustments for those preferences, but it''s not like I''d go out of my way to adjust them to taste for random people."

    What does that mean?

    "Um, what I''m saying is, I don''t know what impression the general public might have of my everyday cooking. I basically just make it ording to my own tastes."

    "Ah, I get you."

    "But Taichi-san has to consider all that when he''s nning."

    "That sounds... difficult."

    Different strokes for different folks, as they say.

    "And it being ''just'' delicious won''t cut it either."

    This time it was Ayase-san''s turn to tilt her head in confusion.

    "What do you mean? What''s wrong with it being ''just'' delicious?"

    "Think about it this way: You like salt and pepper on your fried eggs, I prefer soy sauce. So, imagine a seasoning that mixes half the salt and pepper and half the soy sauce."

    "Huh?"

    "Would that create a taste that would satisfy both of us?"

    "No way," Ayase-san replied instantly.

    "See?"

    "I like that amount of seasoning because it suits my taste, and it''s the same for you... Yuuta-niisan. Besides, salt and pepper and soy sauce are two distinct seasonings. Just mixing a little of each won''t make a universally perfect vor¡ªOh, I get it. That''s what you mean."

    Ayase-san seemed to catch on quickly when I put it in cooking terms, her area of expertise.

    "So you''re saying that if you go for an ''average taste,'' you''d end up with a vor that satisfies a bit of everyone''s taste. Sure, it might turn into something everyone can eat, but also, everyone might be a bit unsatisfied."

    "Probably, yeah."

    "But that''s not necessarily a bad thing, is it?"

    "Well there''s a problem with that approach."

    "A problem?"

    Yet again, I found myself remembering what Maru had said.

    "I really have no idea how my y looks to others."

    I think that resonates with Ayase-san''s statement about her cooking. That she only adjusts her cooking to her own taste, and doesn''t have confidence that others will find it delicious.

    Maru added more to that too. He said professional athletes are basically self-employed, so it''s not enough for them just to perform well. They need to perform in a way that is unique to them.

    "I can imagine conducting surveys with customers, orpiling data on individual taste preferences, and creating a recipe that averages those out. Kind of like a golden ratio."

    "Well... hypothetically speaking."

    "If you mechanically average a huge amount of data, there should be only one recipe thates out. I suppose that''s what''s deemed ''average'' or ''normal''."

    "Yeah."

    Since she nodded, I went on with my argument.

    "If we just wanted a recipe like that, we wouldn''t even need to have nning meetings, right? Because it would just be decided in one single way."

    Ayase-san''s eyes went wide and she let out an, "Ah."

    "I feel like a lot of new food products are marketed with catchphrases like ''super spicy'' or ''ultra fluffy''. But, if you think about it, they aren''t really aiming for the ''average''. They''re selling a unique product experience."

    A yer''s performance needs to be unique¡­

    "That''s true. Yeah. I don''t particrly like super spicy or super sweet things. Ah, Maaya might go for the super sweet stuff though."

    So Narasaka-san has a sweet tooth does she?

    "So, even if you don''t tailor your cooking to others'' tastes, it doesn''t mean it shouldn''t be shared with the world. Obviously it still needs to be edible though."

    "But, I don''t think my home cooking would be good enough to sell."

    "Well, as long as it''s delicious to me, I''m happy."

    "T-thanks," Ayase-san murmured, looking away shyly for some reason.

    It hadn''t really been apliment, I just voiced my honest opinion.

    "Plus, if it sells, that means you could be a professional."

    "I already had my hands full just making something edible. But since I came to this house, my cooking gets nothing but praise, so it''s actually kinda confusing..."

    "I''m grateful."

    I put my hands together and bowed yfully, and she turned away with a, "Hmph."

    Honestly, while I do find Ayase-san''s cooking delicious, I can''t confidently say it''s at a professional chef level. Besides, I doubt my taste buds are that refined. So, I didn''t want to say it if I didn''t mean it, and the truth is, my only option was to deflect with a joke.

    But today, more than ever, I was reminded of how little we sometimes know about ourselves.

    "You too, Asamura. Don''t hold back and take your shots."

    "A guy who''s decided not to shoot isn''t a threat. No one will pay attention to you because of that. They''ll think it''s fine to leave you be."

    What Yoshida and Kodama had said echoed deep in my ears.

    While thinking about the taste of Ayase-san''s miso soup, it hit me that, actually, I''d never seen Maru ying baseball. I wonder how he ys.

    "Oh, by the way," Ayase-san started saying, gently putting her ss of roasted green tea down on a coaster. "Thanks to your ys, your basketball team made it to the top four. You''re surprisingly good at sports, Yuuta-niisan."

    "No, no, that was all Yoshida and Kodama. I just focused on team y."

    "But thest point was from your shot, Yuuta-niisan."

    "I just took a desperate shot, and luckily it went in, really."

    I''m not particrly athletic; I''m well aware of that. I''d rather spend my time reading books.

    "It''s alright! You were the MVP in my eyes," she said with a shy smile.

    I couldn''t help feeling a little embarrassed too.

    "T-thanks," I muttered, and turned away just like she did earlier.

    She suddenly burst outughing.

    "You''re blushing!"

    "I''m just not used topliments."

    Ayase-san keptughing until we started cleaning up.

    ***

    That night, just as I finished studying and was about to climb into bed, my smartphone beeped. It was a LINE message.

    Yoshida:[Cheers for today! Really appreciate it!]

    Apparently, going off his next message, he had sessfully confessed his feelings to Makihara-san afterward.

    I thought about how to reply.

    I wanted to say that I just passed the ball so our team could win. I genuinely believe his confession was sessful because of the good impression he''d made on Makihara-san through their regr interactions. Yoshida is a good guy, after all.

    But people often talk aboutpatibility too. Just because you''re a good person doesn''t guarantee they''ll say yes. What one person finds "desirable" might be "unpleasant" to someone else. Still, from what I observed in the cafeteria when they were sitting across from me, Makihara-san and Yoshida seemed to get along well enough.

    That said, there''s no point in going on and on about it. The words Yoshida wants right now are¡ª

    Yuuta:[You''re wee.]

    After shooting that off, I sent the simple message Yoshida was hoping for.

    Yuuta:[Congrats.]

    I got a sticker of a triumphant pose in reply. ssic Yoshida.

 Chapter 121: June 15th (Tuesday) â€” Ayase Saki

    <h4>Chapter 121: June 15th (Tuesday) ¡ª Ayase Saki</h4>

    "Did you watch yesterday''s drama?"

    I tilted my head in response to ss Rep''s question.

    I was in the middle of changing in the locker room. While I was pulling on my gym shirt, my head almost got stuck with it angled like that, and I nearly turned into quite the funny sight.

    "Phew... Huh? A drama?"

    "You talking about ''Aokoi[1]''?"

    [Not a real drama as far as I can see.]

    Ryo-chin, or Satou-san I should say, quickly chimed in from where she was standing next to me.

    Aokoi? Blue... Carp? Some kind of sudden mutation?

    "Course I am! Going off that face you''re making, Ayase-san, you don''t know it?"

    "Oh, you haven''t watched it?"

    "...I don''t really watch dramas¡ª"

    Ah, crap. I''m going to derail the conversation.

    "¡ªI mean, I don''t, but what kind of drama is it?" I hastily added.

    Chances are it''s not a story about breeding improved varieties of carp¡­ probably.

    "It''s called ''Fell in Love with that Blue Sky.'' Everyone talks about it whenever it''s airing on Monday at 9!" ss Rep said passionately.

    Satou-san exined it was a romance drama with a hot guy and a gorgeous girl in the leads. And she went on and on about just how hot and gorgeous they were.

    You should finish changing first. It''s all hanging out. I won''t say what though.

    ss Rep was apparently really into the story part of the drama, enthusiastically exining how it was a modern narrative mixing in reincarnation and time-leaping.

    "Y-yeah. I get it."

    "Just try watching it once!"

    "If I have time."

    I''ve gotten better at giving standard lines to dodge the topic. Personally, I think I''ve be more sociable. If it were the old me, I would''ve cut the conversation short with a blunt, "Not interested."

    I still have zero interest, but the reason I''m going along with it without trying to end the conversation lies in the fact that they know things I don''t.

    Convos about celebrities, overseas dramas, K-pop idols, YouTubers¡­

    ss Rep and Satou-san bounce from one topic to another with no clear connection, so it''s hard to keep up. Though, I think I''m more interested in them talking about it than the actual content of the conversation itself.

    Plus, there''s so much I don''t know, and it makes me realize how vast the world is.

    As I finished changing and tying up my hair for volleyball, ss Rep asked me something when there was a lull in the conversation.

    "Hey, Ayase-san, what kinda stuff do you usually watch?"

    "What kind¡­?"

    "Seems like you don''t watch TV, but what about videos?"

    "Um, recently?"

    What videos I''d watch¡ª

    "Maybe sports videos exining the basics of volleyball?"

    "So diligent!"

    "That''s amazing. I should''ve watched them too. Maybe I would''ve gotten a little better."

    "No, no. If just watching made you good, there''d be no need to practice, right? You should watch them as a reference though. Anyway, you''ve been practicing your butt off, Ryo-chin! That''s more than enough!"

    "Yeah, true. I didn''t even know the rules."

    I wasn''t being modest. I''m just not very knowledgeable about sports. If it were apetition on fashion trends, maybe I''d stand more of a chance.

    "Anyway, if anyone can pull it off, it''s you, Ayase-san! We''re counting on you, ace!"

    "Don''t be ridiculous..."

    That''s way too much pressure, ss Rep.

    As I was leaving the locker room, I passed a girling in.

    "Oh?"

    "Oh, it''s Saki. Long time no see!"

    It was Maaya.

    We''d be in the way chatting at the door, so I let ss Rep go ahead and went back into the locker room to chat with Maaya for a bit. It ended up just being to make sure each other was doing well, though.

    I said, "See you," and quickly went to leave the locker room.

    Maaya threw a challenge at my back as I was nearly out the door.

    "Our ss won''t lose!"

    I didn''t look back, just waving and then closing the door behind me.

    She can say she won''t lose all she wants, but looking at the tournament chart, if we were to face Maaya, it''d be in the finals¡­ Can we even make it that far?

    ***

    With the opening ceremony in the schoolyard done and dusted, students dispersed to their respectivepetitions.

    From above, it''d look like a swarm of ants skittering this way and that.

    We were all wearing matching white gym uniforms. Ah, there were also students in tracksuits, I should add. Given the heat, there were more people taking theirs off though.

    Within the stream of people, some were being sucked into a kamaboko-shaped building, namely the students participating in indoor sports. Me, ss Rep, and Satou-san were among them.

    When we passed through the door, I saw that the first matches had already started. Volleyball on one half of the gymnasium, and basketball on the other.

    "We still have a bit of time, let''s watch from up top!" ss Rep suggested.

    "Up top?" I wondered, and Satou-san said, "Sounds good."

    It turned out she meant to watch from the catwalk on the second floor¡ªa ce I hadn''t been in three years at Suisei High. Looking up, I could already see a heap of students watching from up there. Interesting.

    On the way, we passed by the basketball team. My eyes met with Asamura-kun''s, and after exchanging quick nods, I moved on. We climbed up the stairs next to the stage to the second floor. We could stay here and watch until it was our turn.

    You could hear bursts of loud cheering every now and then, both from the catwalk and the court below. Looking more closely, it wasn''t just the girls with their high-pitched squeals, but boys shouting just as enthusiastically. Though, their shouts sort of felt more like a brownish noisepared to the yellowish screams of the girls.

    "What''s that?"

    "Hm? The basketball side. Oh, look at the boy with the red head over there. It''s an even more shy color than Ayase-san''s."

    "Who is he?"

    I genuinely just didn''t know, but even Satou-san was giving me a "Seriously?" look.

    "It''s Otosaka from ss two-four, one grade below us," ss Rep enlightened me.

    "What? Is he famous or something?"

    "Well, he''s pretty much as famous as you, Ayase-san. Actually, he might be even more famoustely. It''s not just his shy looks; he''s also in MA."

    "MA?"

    What the heck''s that?

    "Music Association. Like a light music club at other schools."

    I flipped through my mental dictionary to find "association." I think it means a group voluntarily formed by people with amon goal. Ah okay, so it''s like a music appreciation group.

    "Why''s it called that?"

    "Who knows? Apparently it''s been called that for ages."

    "Hmm."

    I remembered going to a visual kei[2] band''s performance atst year''s cultural festival with my ssmates. That was a rare moment when I indulged in someone else''s hobby. If he''s a second-year now, he must''ve been a first-year back then. Was he on stage back then? I can''t remember for the life of me.

    [Visual kei is a Japanese subculture thatbines borate fashion, dramatic makeup, extravagant hairstyles, and diverse music genres.]

    Oh, he fell.

    Looks like he lost his bnce while twisting his body to receive a pass. High-pitched screams erupted.

    "Why?"

    "''Cause he''s tall, maybe?"

    "Ah, yeah, height''s an advantage in basketball, isn''t it?"

    "No... I don''t think those screams were about that, though," ss Rep said, and I tilted my head.

    As I watched, there was a "Kyaa" when a shot was made, and a "Kyaa" even when it missed. What''s up with that?

    "Well, it''s like people think he''s cool, or he''s a feast for the eyes. Don''t you think?"

    "Um, I''m not really sure."

    I suppose that asionally, some students would make a shot from far away; and those moments did make me think, "Wow, that''s impressive."

    "I think their ys ''impressive,'' which is also cool in their own way, right?"

    "I mean, isn''t that just part of a basketball game?"

    "Well, then visual kei bands wouldn''t really work out, would they?"

    "...True."

    That does make sense. Back then, I just sort of nodded along without much thought when the bands mentioned the pursuit of a "world view." I mean, if you''re into "impressive" performances, wouldn''t you just go and listen to the professionals? In that sense, expecting "impressive" performances from a high school sports festival, where not even club members participate, is probably misguided. What does "cool" really mean anyway?

    "Ah. It''s our ss up next. Should we get closer?" Satou-san said.

    The match was over, and it was now Asamura-kun and his team''s turn. They were ying against a team of second years, who snagged the initial jump ball and quickly scored on us.

    "It''s okay! It''s just one point! Let''s get it back!" ss Rep yelled.

    Wow, that was loud. So this is ss Rep at full power.

    "Think we''ll be okay¡­?" Satou-san said, sounding worried.

    ss Rep''s answer came with an unusually serious face.

    "I think our team can put up a good fight. Yoshida is good at shooting, and Kodama apparently yed basketball in junior high."

    "Oh really?"

    "Yep. I heard it when we were having a meeting for the temporary Home Economics Club."

    That so?

    I watched the progress of the game. It was just as ss Rep said¡ªYoshida-kun and Kodama-kun were definitely a cut above the rest in terms of skill. The opposing team also had a skilled yer, but we had two¡­ no, wasn''t Asamura-kun also pretty good?

    "Asamura-kun is doing surprisingly well, isn''t he?"

    "H-he is?"

    "He''s positioning well. See, he got another pass."

    Watching the game, yeah, the ball definitely did find its way to Asamura-kun a lot. He connected those passes well with his teammates; If he passed to Kodama-kun, he dashed deep into the enemy''s side, and if the ball went to Yoshida-kun, it mostly turned into a shot on goal.

    "That was a close one, huh?"

    Yoshida-kun''s shot hit the backboard but sadly bounced out of the ring. The kid who picked up the rebound passed it back to Asamura-kun. It went to Yoshida-kun again and this time¡ªit went in.

    "Amazing, amazing! It''s a turnaround!"

    Satou-san, who''s already like a small animal, was actually hopping around all lively, like a real tiny creature. So, there really are people who literally hop around in real life.

    "Hmm, I wonder why."

    Our ss had taken the lead, but ss Rep was groaning.

    "Asamura, you could''ve taken that shottt¡­"

    Eh. Using his name without honorifics?

    "Ah, sorry. Asamura-kun. I tend to get a bit rough with my words when I''m excited."

    Huh? Why is she apologizing to me?

    "You know, Asamura-kun, you could''ve shot it yourself without passing it to Yoshida, right?"

    "Didn''t he want to make sure it went in? It was a chance for a turnaround, after all," Satou-san said.

    ss Rep put a hand on her cheek and thought for a moment.

    "Maybe. But from what I''ve seen, Asamura-kun hasn''t taken a single shot."

    Thinking about it, she wasn''t wrong.

    Well, if he''s setting up shots by passing to his teammates, isn''t that good enough?

    I rememberst summer, when we all went to the pool, he willingly took on that supportive role.

    "Anyway, we''re against second years, so I think we can win. It''s not that scary."

    I wonder what she means. It was a curious choice of words, but while I was mulling over it, the game ended.

    In the end, it felt like a proper victory. I think Asamura-kun was moving around while keeping a good eye on his surroundings the entire time. That''s a wonderful aspect of him, I found myself thinking again.

    He might not stand out, but¡­

    While I was absentmindedly enjoying the view from above, the time for our match to start rolled around.

    I climbed down to the first floor and joined the others gathered beside the volleyball court.

    Our team captain, of course, was ss Rep. The whistle blew, marking the start of my first teampetition at a sports festival.

    Not to toot my own horn, but I thought I did decently at the start. Since everyone in volleyball was inexperienced, there were no fast and strong serves or attacks from the opponent, making it manageable for us. That meant I could receive and, while weak, evenunch attacks of my own. Well, to be fair, I did make some empty swings too.

    "Let''s keep up the pace!" ss Rep spurred us on.

    I nodded, receiving the ball. It was my turn to serve.

    As I lightly bounced the ball, walking to the end line, I looked up without thinking. A heap of students were packed shoulder-to-shoulder on the second-floor catwalk. Huh, when did so many people¡ª

    The second I realized I was being watched, I felt my heart tighten. This is bad, I thought. I mean, I was just up there watching too. Nothing''s really changed, I just hadn''t noticed it until now.

    I swallowed. My throat felt parched. My nerves were getting the best of me, tying my limbs into knots. The awareness of being watched felt like needles pricking my skin.

    My serving technique is a so-called "floater serve," where I would face the opponent''s court and hit the ball without jumping. It needed a little practicepared to an underhand serve, but it wasn''t as difficult as a jump serve.

    I would toss the ball with my left hand and hit it with my right as it fell. I had practiced it many, many times and rarely failed to get the ball into the opponent''s court. Yet, this time, I failed.

    I gave the other team one point and lost the serve.

    Something inside me snapped. The thought of making a mistake turned into fear. Steps that I should have been able to take, I couldn''t. Hands that should have reached out, didn''t. The thought that I have to make a good y ironically summoned the anxiety of "What if I can''t?"

    I was acutely aware of how my limbs were refusing to cooperate. And, predictably, the opponents started targeting me with the ball. It was thrown in a gentle arc, flying towards my face. I hurriedly took a step back, but being in the front, I was worried about what was behind me, and my legs got tangled up, causing me to fall over. I fell back,nding on my butt with a thump. It hurt. The ball barely grazed my face as it whizzed by. Obviously there was no way I could pick it up.

    "Ayase-san!"

    I snapped to attention. Even in the midst of all the cheering, I could recognize that voice anywhere. It was Asamura-kun.

    The thought of him watching, or rather, having been watched by him, made me feel awkward and my movements sluggish. I tried to stand up, my eyes watering from the pain, but my knees felt like jelly. I couldn''t help looking back, and our eyes met for a moment. This is bad. I''m making him look so worried. I looked away. I didn''t want him to see my eyes, so full of fear and uncertainty.

    "Here," a voice said, and a hand came with it.

    I grabbed hold and used the momentum to pull myself to my feet. ss Rep stood there looking apologetic.

    "Why don''t you take it easy? Everyone''s got your back."

    ncing around, there was no me on the faces of my five teammates on the court or the subs on the sideline.

    "It''s okay. I''ll cover you too!" Satou-san said as she ran over with both hands clenched into fists.

    "Ah, okay."

    That''s right. This is a team sport. That''s why I didn''t want to be a burden, but by thinking that, I''m actually being more of one.

    "Got it. Thank you."

    I stood up straight and pped my cheeks hard with both hands. The dry sound echoed louder than I expected, and I thought I might have overdone it a bit, but I needed to pull myself together.

    Satou-san looked shocked and took a step back. Never thought I''d see a teammate get scared of me.

    I looked back one more time to make sure Asamura-kun was still there. Yes.

    It''s okay. He''s not the type tough at someone''s failure. I remembered his warm eyes and the worry in his voice when he called out to me earlier.

    The opposing team''s serve came. The ball was served underhand, which was weak, but it seemed controble, and they targeted me again. It looked like it would fall just a little in front of me.

    What ss Rep said earlier grazed the corner of my mind.

    "You could''ve shot it yourself."

    "It''s not that scary."

    Being terrified and freezing up from thunderstorms and ckouts was more than enough.

    Everyone will back me up. So, I shouldn''t be frightened of failure. The step I couldn''t take before¡ªI have to take it now!

    Leaning forward, I managed to get my arms under the ball in time. The ball barely lifted and was carefully set by Satou-san. ss Rep followed up by skillfully avoiding the opposing team''s block and mming it down into their court. Itnded cleanly between two of their yers.

    "We did it!"

    Everyone cheered as if we''d already won.

    The serve was returned to us, and as a front yer, I stepped back to serve again.

    This is where I chokedst time. This time, I won''t lose.

    There''s no need to hit it hard. If we y it nice and slow, the other team isn''t as good as us.

    I breathed in and out, in and out, rxing my whole body.

    The tension bled out of me before I knew it. Don''t think about the gallery. They''re not really cheering for you.

    I thought back to the worry in Asamura-kun''s eyes. He''s not expecting me to do something amazing. If he did, he would''ve looked at me with disappointment earlier. He''s "supporting" me so I can give it my all.

    I looked up at the gym ceiling and breathed out.

    I served, the ball tracing a beautiful arc andnding just on the edge of the opponent''s end line.

    After the sessful serve, I looked back and caught Asamura-kun''s eyes.

    I mouthed a silent, "Thank¡ªyou" to him.

    Asamura-kun would probably say he didn''t do anything, but when I felt he was watching over me, I could rx. Just like during the ckout.

    He is there for me. I can tell he''s supporting me.

    Compared to the unbearable anxiety I felt in April, when I had to barge into his room and be held by him to find peace, I can keep it together a bit more now.

    I don''t need to barge into his room anymore; He wants to walk to school together in the morning, and he talks to me more in ss. I know he''s trying to close the distance between us.

    I thought he was a trustworthy person, but¡­ now I feel that even more.

    Our team kept the momentum going and won the match.

    We were tired, but when we heard that Asamura-kun''s game wasing up, we moved to the side of the basketball court. We couldn''t spare a moment to climb up to the catwalk, so we started cheering right away.

    Yeah, this is "support."

    I''m not expecting him to look cool. I''m just scared he''s holding back, not showing what he''s really capable of.

    The result is just the result. Even if he doesn''t score, I won''t be disappointed.

    The opposing team was Maru-kun''s ss, Asamura-kun''s best friend. Maru''s the captain and the main catcher of the Suisei High''s baseball team (I don''t know whether that''s a big deal or not). From what everyone had said, he''s a formidable opponent.

    "Alright, everyone, let''s cheer our hearts out!" ss Rep shouted to our ssmates gathered around the court. She''s incredibly energetic despite only just having gone all out in volleyball.

    But, how do you even go about cheering?

    I mean, I''ve only ever taken part in tennis for our sports festivals, which is a solopetition, so I don''t know what to shout since I''ve never been cheered on before. Well, strictly speaking, I do remember practicing cheering in ss during junior high, but by then, I was already pretty cynical and tantly ignored it, so I don''t remember it at all.

    We haven''t really practiced it in ss or anything¡ªright?

    As I mumbled something to that effect, Satou-san, who was beside me, said, "Just calling out the name of your favorite person[3] is enough."

    [She uses ÍÆ¤·(oshi) here, a Japanese ng term for your favorite person or character, often used in pop culture fandoms, like for idols or manga/anime characters.]

    Oh, favorite?

    "If you shout the name of the person you want to support, they''ll be like, ''Ah, someone is watching and supporting me''!"

    Is that how it is?

    But if I do that, won''t everyone know who my favorite is? Plus, I want to support him, but I also don''t want to put any pressure on him.

    "Isn''t cheering them on in your heart enough?"

    "Ayase-san... you''re so stubborn."

    Why am I being stared at with such reproachful eyes?

    "It''s not embarrassing to support someone who''s giving it their all, y''know?"

    "No, it''s not because it''s embarrassing..."

    "Ahhh!"

    Huh?

    I hurriedly looked back at the court.

    In a sh, a pass was made, and arge-framed boy was barrelling towards his team''s goal.

    The sound of the ball rhythmically dribbling on the floor echoed in the gymnasium. Asamura-kun and his teammates frantically gave chase, but with a speed that didn''t match hisrge size, he rushed beneath the goal and scored with beautiful form.

    The moment he scored, he turned around, the eyes behind his round sses curving into a smile. Maru-kun.

    "Oh dear. That big guy is pretty good, isn''t he?" ss Rep said in a raspy voice.

    The first half ended with us down five points.

    ***

    Tension hung thick in the air.

    The looks on the faces of the boys'' basketball team, taking a break on the sideline, seemed a bit gloomy.

    "This is bad... We might lose at this rate."

    ss Rep''s dire analysis of the situation brought down the mood, Satou-san and the cheer squad included.

    "But there''s still the second half!" I blurted out without thinking.

    ss Rep lifted her head and stared at me as if she was seeing something strange.

    "Ah¡­ Yeah, true. No, no, we can''t give up. Just like Sakki[4] said."

    [ss Rep said her name as "¤µ¤Ã¤­©`" which phically sounds like Sa-Kiii.]

    S-Sakki? Who''s that? Well, whatever, that doesn''t matter right now.

    "Everyone, listen up! We haven''t lost yet!" ss Rep said while slowly looking into the faces of each of our ssmates.

    Y-yeah. That''s pretty much what I said.

    "Let''s keep cheering them on until the end!"

    "Yeah!" the male cheer squad fired back with their booming voices, and the girls nodded along. Satou-san was clenching her fist and saying, "We''ll do our best!"

    The referee blew the whistle to resume the game, and the second half began.

    "Hmm. They changed their strategy a bit," ss Rep said as she stared intently at the court.

    I couldn''t tell how she came to that conclusion, but definitely,pared to the first half, our ss had regained some momentum.

    Little by little, the five point lead shrank until it was almost gone.

    Asamura-kun was still ying support, but he seemed to be in a position closer to the goalpared to the first half.

    Cheers of, "Good job!" and "Keep it up!" echoed in the gymnasium.

    Some students called out specific names. Many of those cheers were apparently directed at the skilled Yoshida-kun and the small Kodama-kun.

    We finally closed the gap to just one point, and a pass went to Asamura-kun. With a fluid motion, Asamura-kun readied to pass the ball to Yoshida-kun¡ªno, he changed his mind and he turned, forcefully taking the shot himself.

    A wave of cheers started to rise, but sadly, the ball refused to go through the hoop, and the rebound was snatched by the opposing team, who immediately scored.

    The cheers turn into screams.

    "Yep. That''s good, Asamura."

    Huh? I was learning forward, but couldn''t help turning around. ss Rep''s eyes were narrowed behind her under-rim sses and a smile was nted on her face.

    "That was his first shot just now, wasn''t it?"

    "Y-yeah, it was, but¡­"

    I knew that. I mean, I''ve been watching the whole time. Sure, Yoshida-kun was being marked by the opposing team, but I never thought he''d go and take the shot himself like that.

    "You got this."

    "Just keep taking those shots!"

    Those voices were from Asamura-kun''s teammates, directed at him.

    It sounded like a good thing to say he was being more aggressive, but I thought it might juste off as him hogging the ball or ying solo.

    But, as ss Rep said, the tide had turned now.

    "Is it just me¡­ or are we pushing them back?"

    "Asamura, ah, sorry, I mean Asamura-kun¡ª"

    There you go apologizing again.

    "Now that they know he can shoot, they can''t ignore him anymore. Till now, it was okay to leave him be."

    I didn''t really get it, but that did seem to be the case. The opposing team was clearly more bewildered than before whenever Asamura-kun had the ball. Obviously because he might turn around and take a shot.

    The game went back and forth, and Asamura-kun was subbed out. As he walked across the sideline, ssmates'' voices saying, "That was close" flew his way.

    "Come on, Asamura~! You can do it~!" ss Rep loudly called out to him, egging him on.

    Asamura-kun turned towards the voice. He could probably see me standing next to her.

    When Asamura-kun returned to the court after a rest, the point difference had narrowed to one, and there was about one minute left on the clock.

    Straight away, the ball was passed to Asamura-kun. He passed it off instantly and ran towards the goal. The pass connected, and Kodama-kun cut in with a dribble. Then a pass to Asamura-kun in front of the goal! Maybe a shot!? But it looked like that was just a feint, and he passed it off to Yoshida-kun. It was a bit far, but, without hesitation, Yoshida-kununched the ball at the goal. Probably because there wasn''t much time left. Maybe about 30 seconds, I think.

    I thought the ball, drawing an arc through the air, would definitely go into the basket. But cruelly, it missed, bouncing out again. Honestly, I thought it was over at that point.

    Everyone swarmed towards the ball. Asamura-kun was the one who managed to snag it as it bounced up. He looked around, eyes darting this way and that, looking for somewhere to pass. As he did so the referee looked at the clock and put the whistle in his mouth.

    My throat tightened. It was almost time-up. I watched as Asamura-kun''s darting eyes zeroed in on the goal.

    I gasped.

    He took a step forward.

    Taking that step is scary. I know that because I''d just experienced that feeling a moment ago. But his foot was facing the goal.

    "If you shout the name of the person you want to support, they''ll be like, ''Ah, someone is watching and supporting me''!"

    Reversing that, if you don''t say it, they won''t understand, and it won''t get across to them¡­

    Even when I''m scared, someone will always be there for me. In the darkness a certain someone hugged me and taught me that.

    So, I also¡ª

    "A¡ª"

    Do your best! Keep going!

    "Asamura-kuuun!" I squeezed out from the depths of my throat.

    Asamura Yuuta let the ball fly from his hand even as he was losing his bnce.

    The round object drew a high arc as it rotated through the air. It was as if its trajectory painted a rainbow spanning the blue sky outside the window. It bounced off the backboard. Time seemed to slow, as if everything was in slow motion. The ball slipped inside the.

    My ears had shut out all the sounds of the world, and in the silence, all I could see was the ball. It looked as if it was squeezed out of the, and fell down.

    The sound of the whistle sharpened in my ears, and the flow of time returned to normal with it.

    The ball bounced, and rolled on the floor. We were all cheering our lungs out. Asamura-kun had sat down on the floor.

    "WOOOOO!"

    "WE WON!"

    Everyone around us was also making a big fuss about the dramatic ending.

    Satou-san was even in tears, but hold on, this wasn''t even the final match or anything, was it?

    Anyway¡ªI do think they did their best.

    "Hmm~. That was good cheering, Ayase-san," ss Rep said.

    "Huh? Oh."

    All I did was call out Asamura-kun''s name¡­.

    "Well, it''s normal. He''s a ssmate."

    "Hoho. He sure is¡­"

    Eh. Did she notice how cool Asamura-kun is?

    "He was indeed a sight worth cheering for."

    I considered those words for a moment and then nodded slightly.

    "He was."

    For whatever reason, a wry smile shed across ss Rep''s face, but I purposely pretended not to see.

    It was almost noon, and we were about to go into lunch break. ss Rep loudly suggested everyone have lunch.

    That reminds me, the temporary Home Economics Club, led by her, is making rice balls.

    If I''d known, I would''ve at least made miso soup. Well, you know, for the sake of my ssmates.

    When the sports festival resumed in the afternoon, neither Asamura-kun''s basketball team nor our volleyball team made it to the finals, but our ss managed decent results overall.

    I was pretty exhausted, but truthfully, I realized that team sports aren''t so bad.

    And so, my third year sports festival at Suisei High came to a close.

    ***

    That night, both Asamura-kun and I were tired, so we decided to have dinner early.

    When you''re wiped out, theter it gets, the more of a pain it is to prepare food and clean up afterward. And if you feel like that, chances are you''ll take a bath and go straight to bed without doing much else.

    We decided on a simple menu. Specifically, we just grilled the mackerel that Mom had bought. The sd was pre-made. We did grate some radish for the mackerel though.

    We did also make miso soup. The only ingredient of which was fried tofu.

    After dinner, we both had a cold ss of roasted green tea and finally took a breather.

    "Today was so tiring, wasn''t it?" I said, letting out a half-sigh.

    Asamura-kun nodded.

    As Asamura-kun and I reflected on the sports festival, somehow, the conversation drifted to how incredible athletes are. We talked about the difficulty of practicing every day, and somehow, it led to him saying how incredible it was that I cook every day as if it''s the most natural thing in the world.

    I thought it was too much praise.

    Besides, I feel like I''m not conscious enough of trying to make my own cooking delicious. I basically only care whether I find it delicious or not. And also, it''s not like I''m aiming to be a chef or anything. So, I guess you could say I only care about my own taste.

    "Since I came to this house, my cooking gets nothing but praise, so it''s actually kinda confusing..."

    He thanked me so sincerely that I ended up feeling embarrassed and looked away.

    Asamura-kun really is good at givingpliments.

    "Oh, by the way¡­"

    I suddenly remembered today''s sports festival and found a point to praise Yuuta Asamura on.

    I praised him for his y in the basketball game, whichnded us in the top four.

    But, Asamura-kun is always modest when ites to himself. He insisted that it was a do-or-die moment and that making the shot was just a fluke.

    I wasn''t talking about the oue. It was his choice to take a shot in that desperate moment that was dazzling to me. I was so tense from the pressure that my limbs wouldn''t move properly until Asamura-kun spoke to me.

    "It''s alright! You were the MVP in my eyes," I said firmly, and Asamura-kun''s cheeks turned red in embarrassment.

    "T-thanks."

    His curt thanks sent a wave of amusement washing over me.

    "You''re blushing!"

    "I''m just not used topliments."

    Ah, this is what I find charming about him, I thought as I watched Asamura-kun blush and scratch the back of his head.

    Even after getting into bed, I kept picturing his face, and it warmed my heart each time.

    That night, I had a dream.

    For some reason, I was a child again, crying in the pitch-ck darkness with my knees hugged to my chest.

    Someone crouched beside me, took my hand, and pulled me away.

    The darkness cleared, and instead of the ground, the floor of a gymnasium stretched out all the way to the horizon.

    There was no ceiling, and I could see the blue sky above.

    I gripped the hand of the person who''d led me there, and we walked side by side, endlessly.

    The owner of the slightly embarrassed face that smiled back at me was a boy named Asamura Yuuta.

 Chapter 122: July 20th (Tuesday) â€” Asamura Yuuta

    <h4>Chapter 122: July 20th (Tuesday) ¡ª Asamura Yuuta</h4>

    All the students of Suisei High gathered in the blissfully air-conditioned gymnasium for our first semester''s closing ceremony.

    Once it was over, I joined the throngs of students heading back to their respective ssrooms. The sweltering heat instantly clung to my skin, and a grand chorus of cicadas pounded my eardrums.

    A month had already slipped by since the intense sports festival.

    ncing sideways, I could see the school grounds. Beneath a deep sky, sharp ck shadows fell from thick poles holding up the which enclosed the brown field. The scorching sun drew a clear boundary between light and darkness, its blinding light, almost physically oppressive in its intensity, appeared to allow no room for ambiguity or deception.

    I let out a sigh, feeling overwhelmed. No surprise, given the oue of our entrance exams would be determined by how much I could prepare during thisst summer vacation.

    "So yeah, Maru is pretty awesome, don''t you reckon?"

    "Huh?"

    Turning towards the voice, I realized Yoshida was beside me.

    "He made it through the third round."

    "Apparently so."

    Maru, the captain of the Suisei High baseball team, had already advanced through the third round of the East Tokyo regional qualifiers. And if they won the fourth round, held the day after tomorrow, they''d be in the top sixteen.

    "This area is one of the toughest in the whole country. Making it to the top sixteen is pretty incredible. Maybe I should get Maru''s autograph or something."

    "You''re into baseball, Yoshida?"

    "Nah, not really."

    Is that really true?

    "Simply put, if I think it''s awesome, I just wanna say it''s awesome."

    "Gotcha."

    So Maru, through his hard work, even earned the admiration of those who normally couldn''t give a rat''s ass about baseball.

    "Oh? You seem happy, Asamura."

    "Well, yeah."

    Yep, that''s so like him, impressive as always.

    ***

    After the closing ceremony, we had a short homeroom and were let go right after.

    I had a shift at work in the evening, but there was still a bit of time before that. Should I go home for a while? Or maybe rest somewhere?

    With summer vacation starting, I won''t being to the ssroom for a while, so I meticulously checked inside my desk to make sure I didn''t leave anything behind. I felt the touch of bare steel. Empty. Good.

    "Asamura-kun, can I talk to you for a sec?"

    Turning towards the voice, I found Ayase-san standing there.

    At home, we''re distant, but outside, we''re close. We''d gotten used to talking naturally in the ssroom over the past month. At first, our ssmates would say stuff like, "You two seem closetely," but when we kept replying, "We''re just ssmates,"ments like that eventually stopped.

    Well, it''s normal for ssmates to talk; nothing to see here.

    "What''s up?"

    "Maaya said she has something to talk to us about."

    Narasaka-san does? Not just to Ayase-san, but to me as well?

    What could it be, I wonder.

    "Saki~! Asamura-kun~! Sorry to keep you waiting! Here I am!"

    That cheerful voice apanied the female student who literally jumped into the nearly empty ssroom.

    Yep, it''s Narasaka-san alright.

    She came over to us with a broad smile lighting up her face. I remember Ayase-san once calling her a "sunflower." And it was true her presence alone definitely brightened up the ce.

    "Narasaka-san, you wanted to talk to Ayase-san and me?"

    "What!? How''d you know!? Are you a psychic, Asamura-kun~!?"

    Seeing Narasaka-san dramatically covering her mouth in surprise, Ayase-san let out a soft sigh next to me.

    "You were the one who said you had something to talk about, Maaya. I just passed it on."

    "Ahaha, oopsies~."

    "Who''s the mysterious foreigner you''re imitating now?" I shot back.

    Narasaka-san cleared her throat exaggeratedly before opening her mouth to speak.

    "Umm, both of you! Have you already made ns for the day after tomorrow!?"

    The day after tomorrow? That''d be July 22nd. The second day of summer vacation¡­ and a Thursday. Do I have any ns?

    "Not really."

    "Something happening?"

    Narasaka-san''s eyes gleamed with a yful sparkle.

    "You wannae cheer for Maru-kun and the rest of the baseball club?"

    Cheering? Oh, right, it''s Maru''s game that day.

    "Anyways, it''s not just the two of you, I''ve invited other peeps too. Y''know, nearly everyone who went to the poolst summer said they cane!"

    Shinjo''s refreshing face came to my mind. He''s part of the group that''s close to Narasaka-san.

    "Everyone''sing, huh."

    True to form for Narasaka-san the social butterfly. She puffed out her chest with pride.

    "It''s ourst summer, and it''s a match that could get us into the top sixteen! Since Maru-kun is doing his best, I wanna cheer him on. I want him to y with a sea of cheering fans all around!"

    What she said reminded me of the sports festival a month back. It wasn''t about shoving "expectations" onto him, it was more about "support."

    "They''re going against a seriously tough school!"

    Oh, really?

    I don''t know squat about sports, so I don''t know how strong a powerhouse school in the district is.

    I might not know, but if Narasaka-san says so, it must mean that the opposing team is nearly equally matched.

    "So, will that work? You two think you can make it?"

    "Yeah. I''ll go."

    I thought about it during the sports festival anyway. I want to see Maru y in an official match at least once.

    "How about you, Ayase-san?"

    "Well... if it''s just for one day."

    "Alrighty! Yay! Saki~!"

    Both of Narasaka-san arms shot up, seeking a high five from Ayase-san.

    "Y-yay?" Ayase-san responded, albeit with confusion.

    Their palms met with a p.

    "If you guys wanna invite anyone else, feel free to do so! On the 22nd, we all GO to the stadium! I''ll go invite some other peeps as well now. So, Adyu[1]~!"

    [She''s mixing Japanese with the French word for "goodbye" (Adieu). It sounds like "Add-you" phically.]

    Adyu?

    After saying goodbye with a peculiar mix of French and Japanese, Narasaka-san left the same way she arrived¡ªlike a whirlwind.

    I lost myself in thought. If I were to invite someone, it would be Yoshida, right? He''s a mutual friend and was concerned about Maru''s match.

    As for Ayase-san, she''d try inviting ss Rep and Satou-san.

    But¡­ Narasaka-san is acting like a self-appointed cheer captain or something. She must get along pretty well with Maru, huh?

 Chapter 123: July 20th (Tuesday) â€” Ayase Saki

    <h4>Chapter 123: July 20th (Tuesday) ¡ª Ayase Saki</h4>

    Just like that, summer was upon us.

    They say there''s a turning of the seasons, but it''s not always easy to actually feel the change.

    Lately, I''ve noticed that I don''t need to take an umbre when I leave the house, I can hangundry outside, and I can''t hear the squeaking of indoor shoes in damp hallways anymore.

    Some might notice stuff like that, but more often than not, it goes over people''s heads unless it''s pointed out to them.

    Change sneaks up slowly, and by the time everyone notices, summer haspletely transformed the world around them. Though, there''s still no official announcement marking the end of the rainy season.

    The zing sun bathed the ssroom in light.

    It''s been a month since the sports festival. Between studying for entrance exams, taking regr tests, and working part-time¡ªeven with me cutting back on that¡ªthe season haspletely changed while I''ve been run off my feet.

    And it''s not just the season.

    My rtionship with Asamura-kun has also changed a bit too. I''vepletely gotten used to calling him "Yuuta-niisan" at home, and we''ve been walking side by side outside more often.

    Along with all of that, I''ve started feeling more at peace, and slowly but surely, my grades have started picking up again. I was especially happy with being able to make up for my poor performance during the mock exams at the end of June. It''s reassuring to see changes reflected in numbers precisely because they are hard to see with the naked eye. Seems to me that reevaluating the distance between Asamura-kun and I and changing how I address him are showing some results. That said, everyone else was working hard for the exams, and improving too, so my rank only went up a little bit. Given Suisei High is known for its academic advancement, there are many students who take exams seriously.

    Today is different though.

    I looked around the ssroom. My ssmates were all chatting away, the noisy atmosphere reminding me of the buzzing of cicadas. Everyone was upbeat. Starting tomorrow, it''s summer vacation. Even if we entrance exam takers knew that we wouldn''t really get a break with cram school and mock exams and all that, everyone was all smiles. Well, not everyone. There were still some students with gloomy faces. Take, for instance, the ss Rep that I was looking at. As soon as she arrived at the ssroom, she sat at her desk next to mine and flopped down, pressing her face against it.

    "I-I''m melting."

    "Aren''t you already melted?"

    "Ugh... It''s so hot..."

    Satou Ryouko-san, aka Ryo-chin, was using a piece of paper to fan ss Rep, who looked kind of like ice cream melting on asphalt. Satou-san recently moved to the seat in front of me after a seating change. I should add, ss Rep''s still sitting next to me after the change.

    "They said the high today is gonna be like thirty-four degrees," Satou-san said.

    "Ugh, that''s almost the same as human body temperature... It feels like being hugged by a crowd of people, constantly... Get away... It''s so hot..."

    "Is it really that bad?"

    I was wearing a cardigan as I didn''t like the chilly feeling from the air-con. The ssroom''s air-con was of course running at full st. But ss Rep, who''d just walked in from outside, kept rattling on about feeling like she was melting.

    "I endured a packed train and then trudged under the scorching sun to get to school..."

    "I hate going outside during summer too," Satou-san said, and ss Rep lifted her head off the desk a little.

    "You''re an indoor person, Ryo-chin?"

    "I don''t like sweating, so I prefer being at home. It''s easier to choose what to wear too."

    "I totally get it. When I''m home, I''m fine just wearing a bralette. I don''t even need a T-shirt. It''s more than enough for summer andfortable too."

    "Wh-what!?" Sato-san quickly jumped in to drown out ss Rep.

    I was embarrassed too. What the heck is she thinking, saying stuff like that right here in the ssroom?

    "Hm? What? What''s the matter?"

    "C-ss Rep! You shouldn''t say stuff like that with people around!"

    "Huh? Isn''t it normal to wear light clothes at home? Does anyone actually wear a lot of clothes at home?"

    Satou-san and I sighed in unison.

    Seriously, this girl. True or not, girls our age shouldn''t go around talking so openly about underwear and lingerie in front of others. I think freshly washed underwear is the same as a towel, and I think it''s normal to talk about it with family, but still.

    "Ahaha, no one''s listening anyway. Everyone''s thinking about summer vacation."

    "I do think it''s gonna be a summerpletely filled with studying, though..." Satou-san muttered the harsh truth, and ss Rep went right back to melting.

    "I''ll go to a summer festival every day!" She grumbled, burying her face in her desk. She was totally deted. Satou-san looked flustered seeing this.

    "A-a summer festival sounds nice! But do they really happen every day?"

    ss Rep shot upright. She pulled out her smartphone and showed it to us.

    "Tehehe, I''ve done my research, Ma''am."

    Who''s she calling Ma''am?

    "Check this out. There''s a site that lists all the national festivals in a calendar! I''ve already got it bookmarked!"

    "Wow, Neputa Festival, Nebuta Festival,ntern floating, Awa Odori, Yosakoi[1]¡­ amazing. There are so many."

    [Neputa Festival: A summer festival in Aomori, Japan, featuringrge, illuminated floats with intricate papernterns. Nebuta Festival: A summer festival in Aomori, simr to Neputa, with enormous paperntern floats depicting historical and mythological figures.]

    The smartphone''s screen showed every festival from Hokkaido to Okinawa. On a side note, the festival in Hirosaki is called "Neputa" and the one in Aomori is called "Nebuta."

    But still¡ª

    "Going to one every day is impossible, isn''t it?"

    She''s a student studying for entrance exams, after all. Even if she wasn''t, it''d still be a tall order.

    ss Rep shrugged, as if to say, "Ayase-san, you don''t get it, do you?"

    "This kinda thing is all about mood. Even if we say we''re exam students, if all we have nned is studying, there''s no way we can stay focused! Being tense all the time isn''t good for anything, is it?"

    I thought about what she said. Yeah, she might have a point. Even when I''m sitting at my desk at home, I do lose focus at some point. If it''s just for one day, maybe I can manage. But if it goes on for a whole month¡­

    "Well, that being said, I kinda hesitate to invite anyone else, you know, because I end up wondering whether I''d be interrupting their studying."

    That''s thoughtful of you, but aren''t you also a student preparing for exams?

    Well yeah, when you invite someone to hang out, you do have to consider the person''s schedule, don''t you? But wait, now that I think about it... have I ever actually asked a friend to hang out first?

    Huh? Wait, have I ever actually been considerate like that before? Did I ever invite Maaya?

    As I sat there frozen, Satou-san nervously opened her mouth.

    "I-I''m free anytime! Hmm well, going to a festival every day might be tricky¡­ but if I can''t, I''ll say!"

    She seemed totally ready to tag along with ss Rep.

    "Oh my, oh my, oh my. Do you really wanna hang out with me that much, Ryo-chin?"

    "Y-yes. ''Cause I¡­ I''ve finally gotten to be friends with you¡­ but once summer vacation is over, we might not be able to hang out much."

    "S-so cute¡­"

    "C-c-cute?"

    "What a sweetie. There, there, Onee-san[2] will have fun with you. Hmm, which festival should we go to? I''ll pick one out, just wait a sec, okay? Look, look, how about this one?"

    [She''s calling herself Onee-san (older sister) yfully here.]

    ss Rep gleefully scrolled on her phone. Satou-san was also peeking in, and they ended up wrapped up in their chat, leaving me twiddling my thumbs. Well, it''s questionable whether I was really part of the conversation from the get-go.

    Just then, my smartphone beeped.

    Maaya:[Do you have time after the closing ceremony? There''s something I reaaally wanna talk to you about!]

    I wonder what it is. It doesn''t seem like serious news though. I messaged back saying I didn''t have anything urgent to do, and a reply came straight away.

    Maaya:[Thanks~ Wait in your ssroom with Asamura-kun, okay?]

    Oh, Asamura-kun too? Why? What''s this about?

    I typed "tell me first," but...

    Maaya:[This passion! You gotta feel it in person! It''s hotter than the sun!]

    ¡­.The heck is that?

    Right. Looks like it''s not something she''s willing to tell me beforehand.

    Can''t be helped, I guess. I''ll just have to wait patiently until after school. It''s impossible to get anything out of Maaya at times like these. Just as I put away my smartphone, the pre-bell rang. ss Rep and Satou-san also looked up from the phone''s screen.

    Satou-san looked at me.

    "Um, Ayase-san, let''s go somewhere during summer vacation too."

    Satou-san was clenching her small fists. Apparently, she waspletely in the outing mood.

    "Ah, sure."

    ss Rep smiled contentedly and pped her hands toward our ssmates.

    "Alright, everyone! The closing ceremony is about to begin, so let''s head to the gym!"

    The deted figure from earlier was nowhere to be seen, and ss Rep was back to owning her role.

    While wondering what Maaya wanted with me, I headed to the gym with everyone.

    ***

    It was after school, with the closing ceremony done and dusted.

    Maaya appeared in our ssroom just as I told Asamura-kun that she had something to talk to us about. Correction, she jumped into the ssroom. And what she wanted to talk about turned out to be:

    "You wannae cheer for Maru-kun and the rest of the baseball club?"

    So that''s what it was.

    "Anyways, it''s not just the two of you, I''ve invited other peeps too. Y''know, nearly everyone who went to the poolst summer said they cane!"

    Pool?

    Digging through my memory, I recalled going to the poolst summer after being invited by Maaya. It was that summer day when I''d been reluctant to go, and Asamura-kun persuaded me.

    My heart gave a big thump.

    It''s not that I had forgotten. I was just pretending to forget. On that summer day, I recognized my feelings and, to seal them away, called Asamura-kun, "Niisan" for the first time.

    After that, for a while, I went through painful days that made my heart feel frozen.

    I don''t want to address Asamura-kun with those feelings ever again. Calling him "Yuuta-niisan" as I do now feels so much better. Actually, this way of addressing him was a good idea. To be honest, it was Mom who first suggested calling him that.

    "Is it still embarrassing to use his name? Calling him ''Yuuta-niisan'' is fine too, you know?" She''d said out of the blue.

    At the time, I thought it was a really embarrassing way to address him.

    Now, though, I''mpletely used to it. And I mean, as long as I add "niisan," I can use his first name! What a great idea.

    "Oiii, Saki-chi."

    "Ah, yes."

    "It''s not a ''yes'' answer."

    Maaya was puffing out her cheeks.

    Uhm, what were we talking about?

    "How about you, Ayase-san?"

    Oh, right. Cheering for the baseball team.

    I''ve hardly ever cheered for anyone. I''m not that close to Maru-kun either. Still, Maaya invited me.

    She said she wanted to have lots of people there supporting Maru-kun.

    It was like she was inviting me in a joking way¡­ but when I stole a nce at Maaya, our eyes met. There was more heat in them than usual.

    "Well... if it''s just for one day."

    I found myself responding like that. I was curious about why she suddenly wanted me to cheer for him, but if it made Maaya happy, I figured it was fine. We somehow ended up high-fiving. Seriously, I can never guess what this girl''s going to do next.

    "If you guys wanna invite anyone else, feel free to do so! On the 22nd, we all GO to the stadium! I''ll go invite some other peeps as well now. So, Adyu~!"

    No sooner had she spoken than Maaya left.

    ...What was that weird goodbye? It sounded like a mix of Japanese and French...

    Well, whatever. If I overthink what Maaya says and does, I''ll just drive myself crazy.

    Now I''ve got this awkward gap before my shift today. I shot Asamura-kun a "what now?" look. We were the only ones left in the ssroom.

    "It''s not worth going to a cafe, so how about going to the library?"

    "You don''t mean to read books¡­ right?"

    "I was thinking it might be cooler there. The air-con in the ssroom will shut off soon, but the library should be cool until it closes."

    That was news to me.

    Just as I was about to head there with Asamura-kun, my smartphone beeped. I stopped in my tracks when I saw the name on the notification.

    "Sorry, go ahead without me."

    Asamura-kun tilted his head in confusion but headed off to the library anyway.

    After watching him leave, I looked down at the screen.

    Maaya:[Can you talk now?]

    Hmm. What''s going on? She was all cheerful when she left earlier. When I messaged her back saying I was free now, she called me straight away. I asked her what was wrong.

    ¡ºUmm, well, you know, you were unsure about going, weren''t you Saki?¡»

    Ah¡­ so that''s it.

    "I was just wondering if it was okay for me to go. I understand asking Asamura-kun, but¡­"

    ¡ºI told youuu. I wanna bring as many people as possible to cheer for him.¡»

    "And that''s exactly my point. If you''re inviting other people besides me, isn''t that enough? You have lots of friends and acquaintances, Maaya. If you want a big crowd cheering for him, wouldn''t they be better? I feel like¡­ I''d be more of an outsider."

    Maaya went silent for a moment.

    ¡ºYou know¡­ um¡­ actually, I want you to watch more than anyone else, Saki.¡»

    Her tone had changed. It was different from her usual cheerful voice, a bit lower, and a little hesitant.

    "Me?"

    ¡ºUh-huh. You see, I''ve seen how hard Maru-kun has been working. I wanted you to see that too.¡»

    "Me to see that?"

    I ended up repeating it. I didn''t get what Maaya was saying.

    ¡ºThat''s right. I want you to see Maru-kun shine.¡»

    I almost asked "Why?" but swallowed my tongue.

    That was close. I need to be careful. Asking "Why?" like this can easilye off as, "Why do I have to watch Maru-kun''s match when it has nothing to do with me?''"

    And Maaya isn''t the kind of person to just invite someone for no reason. It was the same for the poolst summer. It wasn''t just Asamura-kun, but her too, that saw how overwhelmed I was back then and invited me to take a break. Maaya is a thoughtful person, even if it looks like she''s joking around a lot of the time.

    So I worded my question carefully.

    "There''s a reason it has to be me, isn''t there?"

    Another hesitant pause.

    ¡ºSaki, how much do you know about Maru-kun?¡»

    How much¡­? Probably just that he''s Asamura-kun''s friend.

    ¡ºYou probably just know he''s Asamura-kun''s friend, right?¡»

    Humph. It''s like she''s reading my mind.

    ¡ºThat''s exactly why I want you to know about it. About hisst summer.¡»

    Hisst? Oh, right. If she hadn''t mentioned it, I wouldn''t have even thought about it. Since I''m not really the type of student to be into club stuff¡­

    Life marches on, but you only get three summers in high school. This is theirst shot for the third years to challenge themselves at Koshien.

    ¡ºThis next game is crucial, deciding the best sixteen! And the opponent is a powerful contender for the championship! They narrowly lost by one point in a spring practice match, creating a rivalry!¡»

    "They only lost by one point against a powerful team? That''s impressive."

    ¡ºYep! It is. And after losing, he pushed himself even harder. As the team captain, he came up with strategies and training routines and stuff. Despite having entrance exams to study for, he''s been swinging that bat every day...¡»

    Maaya''s voice was bing more and more passionate.

    Honestly, I can''t even begin to imagine the effort Maru-kun puts in. Heck, I probably shouldn''t say I understand at all since I didn''t continue with club activities. But the passion Maaya had for cheering him on wasing through loud and clear.

    ¡ºI want you to see him giving it his all, too. Because, y''know¡ª¡»Maaya took a breath.¡º¡ªAfter all, Saki, you''re my precious friend.¡»

    ***

    The old building at the end of the corridor,monly known as the "Library Wing", has a music room on the first floor and a library on the second.

    I climbed the stairs and opened the hefty door.

    I stepped into the library, a realm governed by silence. The only sounds were the soft hum of the air-con and voices lowered to the faintest of whispers. The windows were shut tight, with thin curtains hung to block out UV rays. However, even with soundproofing, the sound of the wind instruments from the music room below floated up.

    I wandered through the forest of bookshelves until I found Asamura-kun and sat down next to him. This corner was secluded, with no one else around. A spot where we could have a whispered conservation without bothering anyone.

    "Who are you inviting, Asamura-kun?" I asked in a low voice as soon as I sat down. It was about what Maaya had said, that we could invite our friends too.

    He lightly tapped his breast pocket.

    "I LINE''d Yoshida just now. I feel like he''d say it''d be awkward if I don''t invite him."

    Asamura-kun, Maru-kun, and Yoshida-kun were in the same group onst year''s school trip. He''d been chatting with Yoshida-kun a lot since they''re in the same ss this year, and they did well together at the sports festival.

    "He replied right away that he''lle. Said he''ll try inviting Makihara-san too."

    "Makihara-san?"

    I''ve heard that name somewhere before. After talking to Asamura-kun for a while, I realized we were in the same ss in our second year. They''ve apparently been pretty close since Yoshida-kun helped her during the school trip.

    "Oh, I see."

    "Are you going to invite someone too, Ayase-san?"

    "Well¡­"

    It''s not like I don''t have anyone in mind. Just like Asamura-kun had made more close friends besides Maru-Kun, I had too.

    "ss Rep and Satou-san, I s''pose."

    "Ah, you''ve been talking to them a lottely, haven''t you?"

    I have, yeah. But¡­

    "Both of them might not know Maru-kun, so I wonder if it''s okay to invite them."

    Both of them apparently didn''t like the heat either, so I wondered if it was wrong to invite them to watch baseball under the scorching sun.

    Then there was what ss Rep had said: "I kinda hesitate to invite anyone else, you know, because I end up wondering whether I''d be interrupting their studying."

    In hindsight, it was always Maaya who invited me ces. I don''t remember ever inviting a friend myself. So, why did I have the audacity to put on a grumpy face and say "I don''t wanna," about the pool, even though I actually wanted to go?

    What a pain of a human I am.

    So, anyway... I figured I''d try inviting someone myself for a change. But then, like ss Rep said, I find myself worrying about stuff.

    "Gotcha. But they''re your friends, right Ayase-san? If they are, then I think it should be fine."

    "Huh? I''m not that well-liked or popr."

    "Sorry, I might''ve phrased that badly. I didn''t mean they''d for suree, I just thought they''d be the kind to give you a heads up if they aren''t interested or had other ns."

    I waspletely blindsided.

    "It was the same with you, Ayase-san."

    Hmph. Is he talking about the pool incidentst year? Maybe.

    When I asked as much, he replied with a wry smile, "I''m not talking about a specific time." Well, that''s fine then¡­ Sorry.

    "But yeah. Satou-san did say she would tell me if she couldn''te."

    "See?"

    Seeing his warm smile, I felt encouraged.

    Before losing my nerve, I pulled out my smartphone and fired off a message. My heart raced as I tightly gripped my phone¡ªand a reply came back.

    I checked the notification.

    "How''d it go?"

    "T-they said they''lle."

    "Oh, that''s great!"

    Asamura-kun said it so nonchntly! Meanwhile, I felt like if there was a bed nearby, I''d be copsing onto it right now.

    I never knew inviting someone could be this nerve-wracking¡­ Props to everyone who does it.

 Chapter 124: July 22nd (Thursday) â€” Asamura Yuuta

    <h4>Chapter 124: July 22nd (Thursday) ¡ª Asamura Yuuta</h4>

    Climbing up the dimly lit stairs, we were hit with the intense sunlight of a bright, clear day.

    The baseball field, which spread out fan-shaped from home te, was covered in grass both in the infield and outfield, and shimmered green under the zing sun. Only the four bases and the pitcher''s mound showed hints of brown dirt peeking through.

    The sound of a brass band rang out loudly, as if piercing the sky.

    The Suisei High baseball team, led by Maru, were gearing up for their match here. It was the fourth round of the East Tokyo regional qualifiers for the National High School Baseball Championship. Meaning, this match would decide whether they yed in the summer Koshien tournament. A victory here wouldnd them in the top sixteen, the best achievement our school had seen in years¡­ or so I heard from the excited Yoshida standing next to me.

    "Check it out, Asamura! Isn''t it awesome that the entire field is grass!? I wonder if it''s hard to maintain?"

    "Seems like artificial turf. I heard they recently renovated most of the facilities."

    I was sure of it, actually, since I''d looked it up earlier. And low and behold, the infield seats spreading out before us looked brand new and very clean.

    "Oh, cool. Hey, I''ll go grab us some good seats!" Yoshida said, leaving the shaded entrance and dashing off towards the stands.

    There were six of us who hade to support Maru. Me and Ayase-san, of course, then ss Rep and Satou-san, whom Ayase-san had invited, Yoshida, whom I''d invited, and Makihara-san, whom he''d invited.

    We''d all met up at the station nearest to the stadium and walked here together.

    I nced behind me.

    Makihara-san looked lost, clearly out of her element. She didn''t really know anyone here besides Yoshida. It felt as though she was a fish out of water¡ªor so I thought anyway.

    ss Rep gently ced her hands on Makihara-san''s shoulders.

    "Yuka-chan, aren''t you gonna follow Yoshida?"

    "Sh-should I?"

    "Oh, he''s obviously trying to find a good seat for you. I can tell. Trust me, you should go after him now."

    ss Rep sounded like a matchmaking aunt.

    "You''re right. I''ll go after him."

    Makihara-san, gently pushed by ss Rep, trotted off into the sunlight in the direction Yoshida had gone.

    But man, it was amazing ss Rep was already on a first-name basis with Makihara-san, considering they''d only just met. All in the short time from our rendezvous at the station to our arrival at the stadium. That''s the mysterious power of ss Rep, I suppose. No wonder people referred to her by that title more often than by her actual name.

    "They both left, huh?"

    It was Ayase-san. Satou-san was beside her. Both looked pretty worn out from the heat. I wonder if they''re okay.

    "Well, there''s still time. And since Yoshida went to secure seats, we can probably just wait and cool off here. What do you wanna do?"

    "Hmm."

    "I wonder if Narasaka-san''s group has already arrived?" Satou-san asked.

    "I think they''re around. Can''t spot them, though," I answered vaguely.

    I tried to spot Narasaka-san¡ªwho''d organized this cheer squad¡ªin the stands, but from this tight entrance between the concourse and the seating, I couldn''t pinpoint her.

    "Maaya''s over by the concourse," Ayase-san said while holding up her smartphone. She probably got a message on LINE.

    "I''m gonna go say hi to Maaya. What about you, Asamura-kun?"

    "Alright then... I''ll go grab seats with Yoshida."

    Given that Narasaka-san had invited me, I probably should go with her. But for now, it''s best to split up. I mean, Ayase-san is closer to Narasaka-san anyway.

    Ayase-san nced at ss Rep and Satou-san, silently asking, "What will you guys do?" with her eyes.

    "Oh, I''ll go too! Asamura-kun, I''m counting on you to find us good seats!"

    "I''lle too."

    With that, they headed off, the girls happily following behind Ayase-san.

    I headed off into the stands to find Yoshida and Makihara-san.

    In hindsight, I felt a bit relieved that Ayase-san and the other two went over to Narasaka-san''s group. I wasn''t sure I could keep up a conversation with that many girls by myself. If that had happened, I might''ve ended up only talking to Ayase-san, which could''ve made things awkward for the other two.

    Now then, should I go find some good seats as requested?

    ***

    Our seats were on the first base side (to the right when looking from behind home te). Narasaka-san told us that Suisei High''s cheer squad would gather here.

    The spectator seats were set up on both the first base side and the third base side, from near the home base to the front of the outfield, with a total of about three thousand seats. All seats were unreserved.

    There were no stands in the outfield. There was no roof, so all the sound seemed to escape into the blue sky above. If it rained, all the spectators would get wet.

    Near the outfield, the brass band was warming up. Based on what Narasaka-san told us, the actual cheer squad and cheerleading team would gather on that side. We''d been told to gather on the opposite side, closer to the home base.

    The seats were filling up decently. It felt pretty crowded, considering it was just a qualifier. I''d definitely be incredibly nervous with so many people watching me if I were ying. But, problem is, I don''t know which seats are good. It''s my first time watching a baseball game. I probably should''ve followed Yoshida. Where is he?

    "Oi, Asamura!"

    I heard my name being called as I was scanning the seats. I saw Yoshida waving. When I went over to him, I didn''t see Makihara-san next to him.

    "Huh, where''s Makihara-san?"

    "She went to reapply her sunscreen. I mean, look at this sun. Can''t really me her for not wanting to hang out in it for too long."

    "Oh, I see."

    "And look, since you''re here, someone wanted to say hi."

    "Ah."

    There was a guy who''d been sitting there for a while, waiting for our conversation to wrap up.

    "Yuuta-kun, long time no see."

    A guy who looked refreshed despite the heat. Shinjo. Does that mean Narasaka-san''s group has taken seats around here?

    "A-ah, um, long time no see."

    I gave him a slight wave in greeting, and he returned a slightly awkward, sheepish smile before ncing over to his side. I had noticed that there was a girl sitting next to him. She bowed her head. I reflexively nodded back, but I didn''t recognize her face. I hadn''t seen her at the poolst summer either. Apparently, she was an acquaintance of Shinjo''s¡­ Should I properly introduce myself?

    Reading my confused look, Shinjo straightened up and gestured towards the girl.

    "This is Kobayashi-san. We''re in the same ss."

    Kobayashi-san bowed her head again as she was introduced.

    She had bright, mid-length brown hair. She wore earrings that looked like seashells. While she didn''t exactly look like a gyaru, she had a sophisticated look about her.

    "Um, we started dating recently."

    Wow... Dating, huh? So she''s his girlfriend?

    Kobayashi-san burst outughing as if she couldn''t hold it in any longer.

    "Keisuke, seriously. I always think this, but even though I''m happy you''re introducing me, can you stop using myst name with ''-san'' added? It sounds like you''re introducing me to your parents or something."

    "Don''tugh. I''m still not used to introducing you to people."

    "Yeah, yeah. I''ve gotten used to it though."

    Kobayashi-san yfully patted Shinjo''s back, making himugh shyly.

    Apparently, they address each other by their first names, so they must have a very good rtionship. Wait, wasn''t Shinjo trying to confess to Ayase-san or something¡­?

    I briefly met his gaze. His eyes narrowed, and he rose to his feet, leaning in to whisper to me.

    "It''s been over half a year since then, man," he said with a hint of annoyance.

    Looks like he cottoned on to what I was thinking. By "since then," he probably meant the time when Shinjo had confessed his feelings for Ayase-san. Am I that easy to read?

    "Ah, no, my bad. I didn''t mean it like that."

    My reply came out as a quiet, awkward mumble. I regretted thinking about something so rude, especially since he was now dating someone else.

    "Hey, are you two having secret guy talk? Very suspicious."

    Kobayashi-san yfully nudged Shinjo, pretending to pout.

    "It''s nothing, really."

    "Very suspicious."

    The pair of them started to yfully tease each other. Yoshida and I exchanged nces and decided to make a quick exit.

    Going off what Yoshida suggested, since he''d watched games like this before, we settled into seats near the middle of the first base side. I shot Ayase-san a quick message to let her know where we were. Yoshida headed down to the concourse to check on Makihara-san.

    Wow, has it really been half a year? Time flies.

    That much time had passed since Shinjo confessed his feelings for Ayase-san to me. But should I say it''s "only" half a year or "already" half a year?

    I believe he was genuine about his feelings back then. But within those six months, he found someone new and wasughing with her like that. To be fair, there''s no rule saying you have to continue harboring feelings for someone who rejected you.

    It did get me thinking, though. People''s hearts are fickle. Like a wound healing over time or like an apple eventually falling from a tree, feelings change organically. It''s neither good nor bad.

    Shinjo''s feelings probably didn''t change overnight. At first, there might''ve been a time when he couldn''t forget her. But as the days went by, new encounters might havee along.

    People''s hearts change with the passage of time and changes in the world around them.

    If that''s the case¡­

    I took a slow, deep breath.

    ¡­Could she, my biological mother, have felt the same way?

    I have no intention of sympathizing with her. Shinjo''s story revolves around being rejected, whereas what that person did was cheating. They''re totally different. I won''t defend deceitful actions, period.

    But maybe, in a lengthy marriage, small cracks that were invisible at first slowly growrger and eventually be huge fissures that tear people''s hearts apart.

    And if that''s the case¡ª

    "Asamura, heat getting to you?"

    My body jolted in surprise as I heard the voice. Yoshida and Makihara-san were looking at me with concern.

    Seems like they managed to find each other without any issues.

    I felt a sticky droplet on my cheek, and only then realized I''d been clenching my fist tightly and sweating profusely.

    "...No, I''m fine."

    "Don''t push yourself, man. Here."

    He handed me a sports drink as he sat down behind me. It was cold.

    "Narasaka-san got those for everyone," Makihara-san, who was sitting next to Yoshida, said.

    That means Ayase-san¡­ isn''t here yet.

    "If you''re looking for Ayase-san, she''s still with Narasaka-san."

    "Ah, I see."

    It''d been a while, so they must''ve had a lot to catch up on.

    "But Narasaka-san... I mean, she''s really something, isn''t she?" Imented as I twisted the bottle cap off.

    "Absolutely," agreed Yoshida, "I''d heard the rumors, but the way she handles things is seriously master-level. It''s kinda scary. Don''t ya think, Yuka?"

    Hold on just a minute, Yoshida. I never said she was scary.

    Makihara-san gave him a wry smile, saying, "Maybe."

    Not long after, ss Rep and Satou-san showed up, followed by Ayase-san a littleter. Since ss Rep and the others had left a seat open beside me, Ayase-san sat down in it. It looked like Narasaka-san and her group were seated a little ways away, around where Shinjo was sitting.

    Narasaka-san and a few other students carried what looked like cooler bags. Those must be the sports drinks they''d brought. And there were so many of them.

    Ayase-san leaned over and peered into my face.

    "...Is something wrong?"

    I was surprised. Yoshida hadn''t noticed, but she had.

    "I''m fine," I lied.

    I didn''t mention the unsettling thought I had earlier. The hypothesis that no matter how close a couple is, they will eventually break up.

    Yoshida and Makihara-san are dating. So are Shinjo and Kobayashi-san. And Ayase-san and I, too.

    Nobody bes a couple intending to break up. Yet if people''s feelings change, is there no way to resist it?

    The game started as a pitcher''s duel, with both teams holding the score at zero for the first two innings.

    "They''re off to a good start," Yoshidamented from behind me.

    I turned my head and nced back.

    "Oh really?"

    "Jyouryoku Academy is a regr in the district''s top four and has a rich history of being in the Koshien, so they''re a strong team."

    Yoshida, a regr sports enthusiast, seemed to know a lot about high school baseball too.

    "So they have experience in Koshien, huh¡­?"

    Just hearing that made them sound like a tough opponent. I guess that''s the power of reputation?

    "Kinda like how you brace yourself when you hear a best-selling author''s got a new book out?"

    "Not sure about your analogy there, Asamura."

    "R-really?"

    "And get this, they''ve got yers now who are expected to go pro. What were their names again¡­? Can''t remember. But the general consensus is Jyouryoku''s pretty much expected to win."

    "Reallyyy? Must be frustrating to hear that even before the match even starts," Makihara-san said with genuine frustration.

    "Well, Suisei High rarely advances past the top sixteen."

    Still, they were putting up a good fight so far.

    "It''s probably because of our pitcher, right? Jyouryoku''s one is good, but so is ours."

    Yoshida added that it might be thanks to our catcher. So, you mean because of Maru?

    Not knowing much about baseball, I didn''t know if I should take Yoshida''s word for it. But even from where I sat, it was clear Maru was going all out.

    From our infield seats near home base, although distant, I could make out the yers'' expressions¡ªwell, not in much detail, to be fair. Catchers wear masks, but I could see Maru actively giving instructions to his teammates.

    Every move he made was precise, and you could feel the determination as he chased the ball. He took off his mask to chase a high foul ball, running full tilt towards first base¡ªright in front of where we were sitting. He slid on the ground and stretched out his mitt, trying to make the catch¡­ But sadly couldn''t grab it and bit his lip in frustration.

    Watching Maru y his heart out and directing his teammates, I was honestly a bit surprised. When we were in the same ss untilst year, he always seemed prettyid-back, like the kind of guy who wouldn''t bother with unnecessary stuff. Yet on the field, his face was intense, giving no hint of resignation, even against a stronger team. Even his attempts to catch fouls spoke volumes about his dedication.

    From what Yoshida said, Suisei High didn''t usually make it to the top ranks. So, in regional qualifiers, we''re kind of treated like underdogs.

    Going just by the odds, they''re opponents we couldn''t beat. Regardless of hope or cheering, it felt like a game where we were pretty much set up to lose. Yet, here we were, with the game locked at zero all.

    The atmosphere was electric, as cheers from both sides rose. Members of Suisei High''s school brass band were set up on the side closest to our outfield. Around them were members of the cheering squad dressed in school uniforms and cheerleaders. Close by, there were also yers who didn''t quite make it onto the bench.

    There was, of course, the same thing on the opposite side of the field, with a cheer squad for Jyouryoku Academy there. Their setup was pretty much the same as ours, but the most notable difference was the sheer number of yers who didn''t make it onto the bench. As you''d expect from a team that''s regrly in the top four, there were almost a hundred of them in uniforms.

    "But in terms of the number of supporters, it looks like we''re about even, aren''t we?" I said, scanning the spectators.

    Yoshida chimed in, offering an exnation. He said winning a fourth round match was a given for them, so their supporters weren''t out in full force. For us, though, a win would mean a rare spot in the top sixteen, so our side was already very excited. That difference in motivation bnced out the number of attendees.

    "Makes sense."

    "You know, it''s like, when you beat someone who everyone thinks is gonna win, it feels so darn good~" ss Rep said.

    "Pretty much, yeah. We really need Maru to step up," Yoshida said.

    Makihara-san nodded in agreement, saying, "He really needs to give it his all."

    After getting through the top of the third inning, Suisei High finally got a hit in the bottom half. They bunted it, making it one out and a runner on second base.

    Then it was Maru''s turn at the te. He swung the bat with his big body a couple of times before stepping into the batter''s box. Being right-handed, his expression was clearly visible from the first base side.

    "MARUUU! YOU DO CAN ITTT! KNOCK THEM DOWNNN!"

    Just then, a particrly loud cheer rang out.

    Whoa, whoa, whoa. Who was that?

    "M-Maaya!?"

    Huh? I followed Ayase-san''s gaze and saw a girl shouting fervently near where I''d met up with Shinjo. Oh, she sat down. She must''ve stood up in her enthusiasm and just realized it. She quickly bowed apologetically to those behind her.

    "Narasaka-san really can get heated, can''t she?" ss Rep said, sounding surprised.

    "That true?" I whispered to Ayase-san next to me.

    "I-I don''t know. It''s my first time seeing her like this too," she whispered back.

    Actually, I do remember seeing her get pretty excited when she came over to y video games with Ayase-san¡­

    "Three balls, one strike. It''s a hitter''s count," Yoshida mumbled.

    Say what? I was about to ask when the distinct metallic ping of a high school baseball bat hitting a ball rang out. The crowd erupted in excitement as Maru''s hit shot between first and second base, rolling out into the outfield.

    By the time the right fielder caught up to the ball, the runner on second base had rounded third and was sprinting for home. The outfielder, rather than attempting a risky throw to home, calmly tossed the ball to the second baseman.

    Our runner dashed past home te. One point!

    The brass band yed, and the cheering squad hugged each other in joy.

    "They didn''t want to make the situation worse with a bad throw... They''re quite level-headed."

    "You know, Yoshida... you could be amentator."

    "Leave it to me. I''ve never missed reading a baseball manga."

    So, manga was his source? Still, having Yoshida beside someone like me, who didn''t know jack shit was invaluable. I was d to have invited him.

    "We just scored a point, right?" Ayase-san asked.

    "Yep. Look, the scoreboard disys it."

    I pointed towards the scoreboard in the outfield, where a [1] shone brightly.

    "Oh, yeah."

    "Nice, nice! Keep it up!"

    ss Rep was getting fired up.

    But, the following Suisei High batters couldn''t maintain the pace. The bottom of the third inning concluded with just that single point, signaling a changeover.

    Yoshidamented that the difference between us and Jyouryokuy in the depth of their yers.

    Jyouryoku Academy boasted over a hundred members in their club, so they could pick the best talent from a vast pool of yers. And the quality of those yers was undeniably superior to Suisei High, which had less than half that number to pick from.

    As the innings progressed, this difference became more apparent.

    All the same, the score remained close until the fourth inning. The single point earned by Maru was soon tied in the next inning, it was a seesaw game where one side would score a point and the other would take it back straight after.

    The bnce shifted in the top of the fifth inning. Suisei High''s starting pitcher lost control of his pitches. He threw ball after ball, and Maru rushed to the mound to pat his shoulder, offering some words of encouragement. The pitcher nodded several times, but even from a distance, his face looked visibly pale.

    "They might need to swap him out," Yoshida murmured.

    He said it was probably fatigue affecting the pitcher''s uracy. But swapping out a pitcher might make a lot of sense for a team with a deep roster. For us, though, Yoshida said it doubtful whether Suisei High''s second-string pitcher could hold back Jyouryoku.

    Without making a change, Suisei High found themselves with bases loaded due to walks.

    "Ah, they''re making a change after all."

    As Yoshida said, a yer came off the bench and ran to the umpire to tell him something. In high school baseball, it seemed coaches weren''t allowed to leave the bench, so yers ryed instructions.

    As the pitcher left the mound with his shoulders slumped, Maru whispered something into his ear. I noticed him wiping his eyes with his sleeve several times, and it made my chest hurt to see the tear-streaked face of the young yer as he was pulled back to the bench. If they were to lose, his high school baseball memories would be of him walking off the mound.

    Of course, the same could be said for the opposing team¡ªsuch is the nature of sports, where one team''s glorious victory spells another''s bitter defeat. And so, we were left to chew on Yoshida''s words that the depth of the yers would decide the game.

    The new pitcher who reced the starter struggled even more with control.

    After three balls in a row, it made it a batter''s count, which means the batter is at an advantage (as exined by Yoshida).

    The pitcher tried to nab a strike with a softer pitch, which the left-handed batter mmed towards right field. Groans rose up from Suisei High''s stands. The ball sped along the first-base line and rolled deep into right field. By the time the fielder reached it, all the runners had scored, resulting in a three-run double.

    "Ahhh."

    Both ss Rep and Satou-san let out cries of disappointment.

    I nced at the scoreboard¡ª[7-3].

    "A four-point difference, huh¡­"

    It was frustrating, but they were undeniably strong. They seized momentum the moment we showed any sign of weakness.

    It took a while, but they finally got the third out. As our yers trudged back to the bench with downcast faces, Maru yelled something at them, but with the brass band ying and the crowd''s cheers, it was impossible to catch what he said. Still, the yers shook their heads, as if to shake off their doubts.

    Before sitting down on the bench, Maru paused and looked back, ring at the scoreboard.

    "Maru..."

    The bottom half of the inning began with Maru leading off. With no runners on base, Maru approached the te. Shouts of encouragement flew at his back.

    "MAAAARU! DO YOUR BEST!"

    It was Narasaka-san''s voice. Her loud, clear shouting pierced through a brief lull in the brass band''s ying. It was impressively loud.

    "Man, our cheer captain''s got some serious pipes on her¡­" Yoshida said in amazement.

    It went to show she was very clearly the leader of the Narasaka cheering squad.

    "On three!" I heard ss Rep say behind me¡ª

    " " "MARU-SAAAN! DO YOUR BESTTT!" " "

    ss Rep, Satou-san, and Makihara-san all cheered in unison.

    He must have heard it, because Maru looked back, his eyes scanning the stands for the source of the voices. Our eyes met¡ªor at least, I thought they did. Was that¡­ a grin on his face? Maru gave a confident thumbs-up before stepping into the batter''s box.

    Taking his stance, Maru locked eyes with the opposing school''s ace pitcher. In that moment, his usually gentle gaze zed with determination. That look was captivating. I was so wrapped up in watching Maru that I even forgot to breathe.

    The pitcher, from atop the mound, began his wind-up, a sequence known as the wind-up motion, swinging his arm up high. With a dramatic leg lift and a backward lean, he channeled all his energy into his fingertips and unleashed the pitch. To my untrained eye, it looked incredibly fast. If I were faced with a pitch like that at a batting center, I doubt I could even graze it with a swing.

    I followed the ball with my eyes all the way to Maru. It must''ve been just a split second, but with how zeroed in I was, it felt like everything was in slow motion. Maru drew his bat back and swung it with all his might at the ball hurtling towards his chest. A satisfying sound echoed out.

    The ball arced through the air,nding just past the center fielder with a thud.

    With powerful strides, Maru took off running. He dashed past first base and made it second before the ball was thrown back in. A double!

    Suisei High''s cheer squad went ballistic.

    "Amazing, amazing!"

    "He did it!"

    I felt a light tap on my hip. Turning, I was met with Ayase-san''s smiling face.

    "That was great, wasn''t it?"

    "Yeah¡­"

    I dropped back into my seat. I didn''t even realize I had jumped up.

    On second base, Maru struck a victory pose. That only fired up the crowd and cheering squad even more.

    While they managed to score a point that inning, Suisei High gave up another in the top of the seventh. The pitcher they had brought in couldn''t keep the lead, and by then Suisei High simply didn''t have the energy toe back.

    In the end, they lost eight-four to Jyouryoku Academy.

    The umpire signaled the end of the game, and thest batter, who struck out, dropped to his knees in despair.

    The opposing side''s stands were buzzing like a poked beehive.

    The yers lined up, exchanged bows, and started to leave the field. I saw Maru shedding tears of frustration along with his teammates, showing just how much the loss hurt.

    The yers formed a single line and came over to their supporters. They offered a deep bow of gratitude to the cheering squad, the brass band, the cheerleading team, the benched yers, and their families who''de out to support them. Apuse rose up in response.

    "Maaya..."

    Following where Ayase-san was looking, I saw Narasaka-san. She''d rushed down to the front row and was just standing still, taking in the scene of the departing yers. Though she''d cheered so loudly earlier, now she just silently stared without uttering a word. She seemed frustrated too, biting her lip. But that look vanished in an instant.

    Turning towards the Narasaka cheering squad, she shouted, "Everyone! Let''s apud their hard-fought effort! Ready? One, two, three!"

    In response, shouts of "You did great!" and "Well done!" filled the air. With everyone cheering behind her, Narasaka-san joined in, shouting "Great job!" and giving the yers a round of apuse.

    "It was an awesome game."

    Yoshida stood up and started pping. Inspired, Makihara-san and others joined in. I guess this is what they call a standing ovation.

    "It was."

    I stood up too and pped along with them.

    We didn''t stop pping until every single yer had left the field.

    ***

    We parted ways with everyone at the station.

    Ayase-san and I walked side by side on our way back to our t.

    The sun sets around 7 pm this time of year. Even though it was starting to dip behind the buildings, the sky was still fairly blue and it was still warm out. Still, the thick, almost suffocating air felt a bit lighter. Walking like this wasn''t too ufortable.

    But it seemed like I''d moved around more than I realized. I felt like that kind of sluggishness you get after getting out of a swimming pool.

    "Are you tired?"

    Ayase-san peered into my face as she walked beside me.

    "Ah, no, not really... Well, maybe a bit."

    Ayase-san chuckled.

    "Did I say something weird?"

    "No, you didn''t. I just thought you weren''t aware of it."

    Huh?...What does that mean?

    Ayase-san interlocked her fingers and stretched her arms above her head. Her slender, beautiful arms stretched towards the sky, her eyes half-closing as they were hidden by them. A little, "Nhh!" leaked out.

    When she let her arms fall, her head drooped forward.

    "Haah."

    "You seem pretty tired yourself."

    "Yeah. I guess I''m a bit tired."

    The nearest station to the stadium is just four stops from Shibuya, about a ten minute train ride. It''s not that far, but spending almost the entire day there would understandably wear anyone out.

    We turned off the main street into a side alley. After rounding a corner into a residential area, the crowd of people thinned out. When we passed a lush green park, a refreshing breeze blew, and I couldn''t help taking a deep breath. How nice. Ayase-san''s long, flowing hair danced in the twilight breeze.

    "Oh, by the way¡­"

    Ayase-san looked at me curiously with a, "Hm?"

    "Before we left the stadium, you went somewhere with Narasaka-san, didn''t you?"

    Narasaka-san''s group was pretty big, and they said they were going to have an after-party. So after helping them clean up, our group left the stadium first. But, just before we left, it looked like Ayase-san and Narasaka-san went off somewhere together.

    "Ah, yeah, for a little bit. It''s not really my business and it''s private, so can we not talk about it?"

    "Ah... Got it."

    If it wasn''t Ayase-san''s business, it must''ve involved Narasaka-san or someone in Narasaka-san''s group. If she''s saying it''s private, I probably shouldn''t poke my nose in any further. Courtesy is important even among close friends.[1]

    [This is a Japanese proverb that emphasizes the importance of maintaining politeness and good manners even in close or familiar rtionships. Politeness is a central pir of Japanese society, so if you ever visit here, keep that in mind.]

    Being in a rtionship doesn''t mean you have to share every single thing. But, I can''t help being curious.

    At the edge of the park, a father and son were ying catch. The father lookedpletely spent, suggesting they wrap up, but the boy¡ªwho looked about elementary school age¡ªenergetically continued throwing the ball, refusing to stop. The boy was on summer break, but the father, presumablying home from work given it was a weekday, must be exhausted.

    Kudos to him.

    "Did you ever do that with Taichi-san?" Ayase-san asked.

    Apparently, she''d been watching them too.

    "ying catch?"

    She nodded.

    "Nah, I''ve always been more of a stay-at-home-and-read kind of kid."

    And I can''t remember a time when my old man made it home this early in the evening. He was always tied up with work. In a way, maybe his long hours led to my biological mother cheating on him.

    Since marrying Akiko-san, sometimes hees home really early. There were moments when, after taking a little detour on my way home, I''d find him already there, happily eating dinner with Akiko-san just before she headed off to work. Maybe that''s him trying to learn from past mistakes or something.

    "My old man asionally watches sports on TV. As for me, I''ve never really been into any."

    "Fair enough. But you seemed to know more about baseball than I did."

    "Maybe. My knowledge of baseball mainlyes from manga and novels, to be honest. There are fewer baseball mangas these days, or so I''ve heard. I might know a little more about ser."

    "Oh really?"

    "Having Yoshida around was a lifesaver. Whenever I didn''t understand something, I could ask him straight away."

    Oh right, Ayase-san mentioned it was her first time watching a baseball game, didn''t she?

    "How was it for you, Ayase-san? Did you enjoy it?"

    She paused for a second to consider my question.

    "Yeah. It was fun. It''s nice to see people trying their hardest. Plus, some moments had me on the edge of my seat."

    "Well, it did kind of get a bit one-sided after a while."

    "How about you, Asamura-kun?"

    "I guess I enjoyed it. And also¡­" I thought back to the game. "Seeing Maru like that was surprising. Almost like he was apletely different person."

    Ayase-san nodded in agreement.

    "I see. So you''ve never seen Maru like that before either. I''ve met him a few times when I was with you, but I didn''t know he had that side to him."

    "Yeah, I get that. He always seems soposed. I s''pose it just goes to show how strong the other team was. It was rare seeing Maru so desperate. I got so caught up watching him that I got carried away too. Thinking about it now, I probably looked pretty stupid."

    It was something I said without much thought behind it, but¡ª

    "Does that mean you thought Maru looked stupid too?"

    I was thrown for a loop by her question.

    Images of Maru and his team, fighting desperately against odds stacked against them, shed through my mind. Did I ever think they looked stupid or uncool?

    "No, not at all. Not one bit."

    "So, if you were so into cheering him on, Asamura-kun, you probably didn''t look stupid either, wouldn''t you say?"

    The sound of Ayase-san''s gentle encouragement resonated with the evening breeze sweeping through the park. The trees swayed, sending the soft rustling of leaves to my ears. It soothed my restless mind and brought back some peace.

    "It''s just... I don''t know. I never saw myself getting so carried away like that."

    "Maybe it''s not that you think you looked uncool, but more like you''re just feeling a bit embarrassed?"

    She clenched and unclenched her hand.

    "I want to hold hands. That okay?"

    It caught me off guard, and I couldn''t help looking down at my own hand. I suddenly became conscious of my sweaty palms. They felt mmier than usual. I hesitated, wondering what to do¡­

    "Mm."

    Ayase-san firmly reached out her hand to me. At this point, there was no way I could back out.

    I gently took hold of her hand.

    We let our hands drop between us.

    We''d stopped walking without realizing it, so we started moving forward again. Ayase-san chatted to me sporadically as we walked.

    "You know, seeing you cheering your heart out like that, Asamura-kun¡ª" Our intertwined hands swayed in rhythm. "I thought¡ªyou looked really cool."

    We walked slowly, matching our steps as we made our way home.

    The warmth from my hand melded with hers, bing a singr heat that pulsed between us.

    "It''s a shame they lost, don''t you think?"

    "Yeah."

    "I wonder what Maru-kun will do now. Does losing mean he can''t go pro?"

    "I''m not sure... But I think even if they win, only a select few ever be professional yers."

    "I don''t really know much about baseball, but I kinda got the sense Maru-kun was leading that team. The other yers always seemed to be looking to him."

    "They were?"

    "Maru-kun was always thest one toe out onto the field and thest one to go back in, right?"

    Thinking about what she said, I realized she was right. Honestly, I wasn''t really paying attention, so I don''t remember everything. My most vivid memory is when Jyouryoku hit a double, sweeping the bases and suddenly gaining three points.

    After giving the pitcher a pep talk and shouting some rallying words to the rest of his team, I definitely saw Maru walking behind everyone as he slowly made his way back to the bench.

    I remember Maru once saying, "The catcher is themand tower of the team." The catcher is the only position that can see the faces of all their team members during a game.Whethering out onto the field or going back in, Maru must always be looking out for the entire team.

    Before he sat back down on the bench, Maru nced up at the scoreboard for a second. I distinctly remember the look on his face.

    "Also, while the others were waiting for Maru-kun, they were always watching him. Both when he came out and when he went back in."

    "You''re really observant."

    Ayase-san might be much better at watching sports than I am. Since I wasn''t really paying much attention, I''m not sure if what she said was true. But it probably was.

    "So, it''s like Maru was looking out for all the yers, and the others were keeping an eye on Maru too, is that right?"

    "I think they were relying on him. I mean, um... I think the other yers could see Maru-kun''s seriousness and thought he looked cool."

    What she said made me remember something I thought during the sports festival. Expecting something "impressive" at a high school sports festival just isn''t right. And what does "cool" even mean in that context?[2]

    [I''m not sure why the author is attributing these to Yuuta here, as it was Saki who thought it in her PoV. He might''ve thought the same, but it just wasn''t mentioned in the story.]

    Being impressive means being cool. It''s probably just that simple.

    So, by that logic, are yers who lose a game uncool?

    I opened my free hand, closed it, then clenched it tight.

    While watching the game, I found myself unconsciously clenching my fists. I even stood up without realizing it. The intensity and passion Maru brought to the game were so contagious that I was definitely swept up in it.

    "I think the other yers could see Maru-kun''s seriousness and thought he looked cool." That''s what Ayase-san said.

    "I mean, I think everyone was taking it seriously, even the opposing yers, but he had a way of getting that across and making it look cool, you know? Maybe when people saw that, they felt they could rely on him. Whether that''s normal or not, I don''t know, but he definitely led the entire team by showing that side of him."

    It was like Maru''s passion for baseball, in the way he yed, even rubbed off on Ayase-san¡ªsomeone who wasn''t interested in the sport.

    "So, I''m sure there are plenty of other people who found him cool too. I mean, seeing someone so passionately engrossed in something like that, it''s hard not to find them cool. And I''m sure many others felt the same. In fact, I know some did."

    She added, "That''s a secret, though."

    She squeezed our intertwined hands and looked deep into my eyes.

    "I don''t think it was all for nothing. I think it probably reached someone."

    "I hope so."

    Compared to someone like me¡ªwho''s resigned to staying in myfort zone¡ªMaru-kun had definitely taken a step towards something.

    Before I knew it, the sky had turned a shade of crimson.

    Looking at Ayase-san''s side profile bathed in the evening glow, I found myself uncharacteristically thinking, "I wish I could look cool in her eyes."

    Because I''m always hesitating, afraid to take a step forward.

 Chapter 125: July 22nd (Thursday) â€” Ayase Saki

    <h4>Chapter 125: July 22nd (Thursday) ¡ª Ayase Saki</h4>

    I was sitting beside Asamura-kun, when I noticed him suddenly stand up out of the corner of my eye.

    He loudly shouted his best friend''s name.

    Just then, I heard a metallic ng. I quickly looked back at the green field.

    Where''s the ball? There!

    The ball, which had blended in with the blue sky and white clouds, finally came into view as it bounced onto the grass.

    It was rolling through the middle of the fan-shaped outer field while an opposing yer frantically chased after it.

    Maru-kun, who''d already started running, was sprinting on the white line drawn in the shape of a diamond, and reached the second corner.

    A hit? That''s called a hit, right?

    I turned my head towards Asamura-kun, who was probably happy. To my surprise, he was still standing, shouting loudly.

    "He did it!"

    It was an expression and gesture I''d never seen him make before. He swung his fist in sheer joy.

    Watching him, a smile crept up on my face. It felt contagious. Good for him.

    I lightly tapped his hip. He turned around in surprise.

    "That was great, wasn''t it?" I said with a smile.

    Asamura-kun looked surprised for a second before quickly sitting back down. Apparently, he hadn''t even realized he''d stood up.

    The game was nearing its end, and although Maru-kun had made a hit (apparently called a double), the subsequent yers couldn''t score. They only managed to get one point back.

    By now, they were already three points behind.

    And, in the next inning, they let the opposing team score another point, making the gap even wider.

    The game ended like that.

    Eight to four. Suisei High lost.

    The yers lined up and then walked from the bench to the stands, bowing their heads in gratitude.

    Maaya took the lead, and we all stood up to apud their efforts.

    My smartphone buzzed.

    Maaya:[After cleaning up, can you step out for a bit?]

    When I looked up, I saw Maaya waving to me from the front of the stands.

    I put away the drink I''d opened, told Asamura-kun and the others that I''d be back shortly and headed to the concourse.

    I met up with Maaya. It seemed that her group had also finished cleaning up.

    "Good work today everyone~! Thank you!"

    Maaya waited for a response, then said, "We''re having a little get-together near the station. Those who want to join, head to the restaurant~. If you have other ns, feel free to leave!"

    "Got it," everyone replied.

    "You guys are having a ''thank you'' party?"

    "Well, we came out during summer break, so it''d be nice to chat a little, dontcha think?"

    "Makes sense."

    "So, like, I was thinking of surprising Maru-kun and the others in the hallway by the yers'' locker room. Wannae with, Saki?"

    I was thrown off by Maaya''s request. She was holding a bouquet of flowers.

    Isn''t that what they call ambushing someone? Isn''t that annoying? Don''t they have post-march meetings and their own get-togethers after club activities?

    "It''s okay, I''ve already talked to the club. I just wanna hand them a gift on behalf of all of us," she said, lifting up the bouquet to show me.

    Ah okay, so she''s the representative of the Maaya cheering squad.

    "Then shouldn''t you have invited Asamura-kun and the others too?"

    I felt that way, but Maaya vaguely responded with, "Well, y''know," implying that she preferred it to be just me.

    "Please! I just wanna hand this over and say a few words!"

    I decided to go along with it, thinking it wouldn''t take too long anyway. If it drags on, I''ll just send a message. With that in mind, I followed behind Maaya. I''m not super close with Maru-kun, though. I wonder if it''ll be okay. I hope it won''t be awkward.

    There were stairs leading down to the first floor not far from the concourse, and at the bottom was a hallway leading to the yers'' changing rooms. We decided to wait near the exit, thinking that we might get in the way if we got too close.

    Soon after, the yers began to emerge. Maaya being Maaya, she apparently knew a lot of guys in the baseball club. As she passed by, she exchanged greetings and "Well done''s" with them. Some nicely offered, "Want me to grab Maru for you?" but Maaya politely declined, saying that we were already waiting for him.

    Maru-kun was thest toe out. He kept looking back into the locker room, as if checking on something, then bowed to those inside and stepped out. He walked with his head slightly down.

    When he noticed us, a subtle smile yed at the corners of his mouth.

    "Great job today," Maaya said, handing him the bouquet.

    Maru-kun''s eyes went wide in surprise as he epted the flowers.

    "Sorry."

    "It''s from everyone who came to support you. For the entire baseball team. We figured you should receive it since you''re captain."

    "Ah."

    Maru-kun admired the bouquet while standing to the side of the hallway so as not to be in the way.

    Taking a deep breath, he paused for a moment before finally speaking.

    "Well... they were strong," he said, then paused again for a second. "They were just too good. Sorry to disappoint even though you all came to support us."

    He gave us a wry smile, but I could tell from his swollen, reddened eyes that he''d been crying a lot beforeing out. Yet, Maru-kun always made it a point to be thest to leave, looking out for everyone else first.

    Maaya stepped forward, trying to peer into Maru''s downcast face.

    "Hey, we came to support you on our own, you hear? You don''t have to worry about that. Yep, it was fun to watch. I''m totally satisfied!"

    She tried to make it sound cheerful, but I could tell her voice was higher than usual.

    "I¡­ also had fun. It was my first time watching a baseball match."

    "See, see. If Saki says so, then it must be true. If it''s justing from me, you might think I''m just blowing smoke!"

    "Not wrong."

    "Heeey! That''s mean! You''re really gonna say that? Well, whatever, if you''d hit eight balls in four tries, we would''ve won, right? Boo!"

    "Hey now, how the heck am I supposed to get more hits than at-bats?"

    "Use two balls! And if you have two pairs of hands and feet, it''s physically possible!"

    "You mad scientist. Narasaka, we seriously need to discuss what the word ''physical'' actually means one day."

    "Bring it on!"

    They''re really close, huh? I thought to myself as I watched their yful banter. When did these two be such good friends?

    Maru-kun cracked a smile watching Maaya puff out her chest and act all high and mighty. But a secondter, that grin contorted into a grimace.

    "Haha¡­ you''re really something¡­"

    After ncing up at the ceiling as if he was trying to hold something back, Maru-kun suddenly looked my way.

    "Hey, Ayase."

    "What?"

    "How did Asamura look?"

    "Huh, Asamura-kun?"

    "You were watching with him, weren''t you?"

    "Um¡­"

    Well, that''s... we were together, but¡­

    "Maru-kun, you''ve been saying for a while that you wanted Asamura-kun to watch you y at least once, haven''t you?"

    He has? But if that''s the case, then he should''ve just invited him directly.

    "If I only invited Asamura, he''s the type who''d juste and watch on his own."

    "And that''s a problem?"

    "Well, yeah... I wanted him to watch, but I also wanted someone to watch him watching me."

    So someone watching Asamura-kun, who was watching Maru-kun?

    I tilted my head, not really getting it.

    "Hmm, it''s hard to exin," Maru-kun said, his gaze wandering to an open window on the side of the concourse.

    Summer spread out under the sunlight, apanied by the sound of cicadas.

    "Do you know what the WBC is, Ayase?"

    "I don''t," I answered honestly and was met with a wry smile.

    I mean, I''ve never really been interested in sports. I haven''t even watched the Olympics.

    "It''s short for World Baseball ssic. It''s basically apetition to determine who the best baseball team in the world is."

    "The world¡­ Umm, so it''s a big baseball game, is that right?"

    "Yeah, something like that."

    Maru-kun told me a story from his childhood.

    It was a little after the end of analog TV broadcasting, around the time LCD TVs became widespread. That made HD broadcasts on big tscreens be essible to everyone. That summer, a big tscreen came to Maru-kun''s house, and since he was already an anime fan, he became glued to the TV.

    Then, that autumn, the WBC was held.

    His entire family would watch the games together, and while Maru-kun was initially frustrated because he couldn''t watch his anime, he quickly became captivated by baseball.

    The sight of pro yerspeting on the world stage left asting impression on young Maru. Running around the field, pitching, and hitting. Not to mention the breathtaking pitching duels and exciting slugfests. Sadly, Japan couldn''t clinch the title that year, but the sight of yers chasing that small white ball profoundly influenced him.

    It was thrilling to watch. It made his hands sweaty and his heart race. The excitement he felt through the screen was iparable to any other form of entertainment, and young Maru began to dream of making others feel the same exhration through baseball.

    "So you were thinking about that while ying baseball¡­"

    "Not really."

    I couldn''t help letting out a, "Huh?" So he wasn''t thinking about that?

    "I continued ying baseball because I loved it, but it wasn''t like I was always thinking about that while ying. As a kid, maybe, but the better I became, the more I felt the gap between pro yers and me. I began to think it might be impossible for me. So, over time, I stopped thinking about it."

    "I¡­ see."

    All three of us fell into silence for a moment.

    "So, yeah. After a lot of things happened, I recently remembered why I started in the first ce. Well, I guess it was probably because of the parent-teacher interviews."

    I wondered why he was bringing up the past, but it turned out Maru-kun had started thinking about his own future aspirations.

    Being a third-year high school student, everyone starts thinking about their future.

    "I asked Asamura something a while ago. About what someone needs to be a pro athlete."

    "Umm... talent?"

    Maru-kun chuckled.

    "You two... you really are two peas in a pod."

    "What do you mean?"

    "Ah, well, that''s another story. Anyway, Ayase, what do you think talent is?"

    "The ability necessary to perform a certain profession," I answered immediately.

    Maru-kun nodded deeply.

    It''s amon misconception, but the term "talent" doesn''t inherently mean an ability derived from genes or birth. I once heard from Mom that when talking about talents you''re born with, we often use the term "innate" or "natural" before it. That means if we have to use qualifiers like that, the word "talent" itself isn''t necessarily about being born with it.

    That''s a perspective you''d expect from my Mom, who''d learned the skills of bartending out of necessity. The ability necessary to perform a certain profession.

    Mom also said some professions might heavily rely on gic abilities. Though, I''m not sure how genes would influence bartending skills, to be honest.

    "Solid answer. But it''s also not theplete answer. I used to think the same way. That''s why I was always conscious of the skill gap between me and pro yers."

    "Yeah, I get you."

    Even though I love cooking, I''ve never been inclined to pursue a career as a chef. I just don''t think I''ve got the chops for it. Well, I also don''t really have the drive to get better either. If it tastes good to me, that''s all that matters.

    So, just like my cooking, Maru-kun continued with baseball simply because he loved it?

    "But I started thinking there''s more to it than just that. Like I told Asamura, I reckon for pros, it''s all about if they can bring in the big bucks with their performance."

    Maaya chose that moment to jump in.

    "So it''s like, whether people think it''s worth paying to watch?"

    "Exactly. That''s it. That''s why scouts notice you, and how you gain fans. It''s that ''star quality.'' Being good is essential, but it''s not the only thing."

    "Oh, Maru, always with theplicated stuff."

    "It''s aplex topic. And, as I''ve also told Asamura, I''m not confident that, beyond my technique, my y has any appeal to the audience."

    As Maru finished speaking, it finally clicked for me what he was expecting from me.

    "In essence, you wanted someone to watch you y and give feedback?"

    Maru-kun nodded.

    "Not feedback from every single spectator, obviously. If I could do that, my y would have already caught someone''s eye."

    Though, he probably held some hope for that too.

    "But, you know, I just wanted to y in a way that would move my friend''s heart. This is myst year in high school, after all. I didn''t want to have any regrets about the time and effort I poured into baseball," Maru-kun said quietly, before turning to me.

    "So how did he look?"

    "Yeah¡­ umm¡­"

    There wasn''t any point in lying, and I didn''t want to either, so I just told him what I saw Asamura-kun do. About how Asamura-kun, who''d been watching quietly, had spontaneously stood up and cheered when Maru-kun made a hit. About the frustration on his face when thest out was made. That it was my first time seeing him make expressions like that.

    Maru-kun listened in silence until the end, then replied, "Gotcha."

    "I really wanted to win and show it off to him, y''know? Man, I feel so pathetic."

    "It''s okay! You did your best!" Maaya said with a pout.

    "Look, in apetition, just ''doing your best'' doesn''t really mean much. It''s not a contest of who tried harder."

    "Hmph."

    Maru-kun shrugged at the frustrated face Maaya was making. I got what he was saying. It''s not about who tried the hardest. But then¡ª

    "But, you said that when you were a kid, you watched the¡­ WBC was it? Japan didn''t win, right?"

    "Right, they came third¡­ I think."

    "So why did you start ying baseball after watching that?"

    Maru-kun looked stumped by that.

    "Well¡­ I was moved by how hard they tried to win, I guess¡­"

    "Then, if Asamura-kun was moved by your performance, isn''t that worth something? Maybe you shouldn''t be so hard on yourself. Unless¡­ you weren''t really trying your hardest?"

    "I was!"

    Maru-kun''s voice unintentionally rose in his defense, and he snapped his mouth shut quickly.

    Maaya gave his broad back a yful pat.

    From down the hallway, I heard his teammates calling out, "Oiii, Maru." Looks like we''d chatted for a bit too long.

    "We should probably head back now."

    "O-oh¡­ Thanks for the bouquet, Narasaka."

    "Not good enough!"

    "Huh?"

    "Such amon, formal ''thank you'' is boringgg! Do it again! C''mon, think of something! Like calling me ''Princess Maaya'' or ''Lady Maaya''!"

    "Wha-! You idiot."

    With a look of disbelief, Maru-kun abruptly turned away and started walking towards his teammates.

    "How mean! Isn''t that mean?"

    "I said I was grateful... Maaya."

    With that, he strode away.

    "Alright, let''s head back too. Let''s go... Maaya?"

    "D-don''t look at me!"

    For some reason, Maaya''s face was beet red, and she was looking off into the distance. She seemed frozen in ce.

    ...But we''re keeping Asamura-kun and the others waiting.

    Once Maru-kun''s figure disappeared out of sight, only Maaya and I were left in the narrow first-floor hallway.

    A lukewarm breeze blew in through the hallway window, which was just a square hole.

    "Should we go now?"

    "Ah, yeah. Sorry for keeping you waiting," Maaya said, and we started heading for the stairs leading up to the second-floor hallway.

    But Maaya stopped after a few steps. I hurried back to her.

    "What''s wrong?"

    A tear dropped from her downcast face, making a small, ink-like stain on the gray concrete floor.

    "Maaya...?"

    I tried to peek at her face, but Maaya buried it in my chest. A muffled sob escaped.

    "It''s not fair. It''s really not fair."

    "Maaya."

    I think this is the first time I''ve seen her cry. It wasn''t loud, just a suppressed cry as she continued burying her face in my chest. All I could do was gently stroke her back.

    In between her sobs, Maaya told me about how hard Maru-kun had been working for this summer''s tournament. I didn''t know how she knew so much about it, but Maaya told me everything. About how he''d even started running in the early morning on cold winter days. And when they''d met up on a rare day off, and he was so tired that he fell asleep face down in a cafe (So they were meeting up in ces like that.) He even sacrificed watching his favoritete-night anime to make sure he got enough sleep, and he stopped going to events.

    "Events?"

    "He even skipped Comiket! Maru-kun did!"

    I wasn''t really sure what that was, but it seemed important. Maaya had been so immersed in Maru-kun''s efforts that his loss felt like it was her own.

    "But... But, y''know, the one who really wants to cry is him. So, y''know¡ª"

    She couldn''t cry in front of him, so she''d been holding back. The loud cries of cicadas outside the window seemed to drown out Maaya''s quiet sobs.

    Clouds hid the sun, dimming the hallway. The light pouring in faded, and the tear stains on the floor faded from view along with it.

    "Sakiii¡­"

    "Yes, yes. What is it?"

    "Thanks foring with meee."

    "I get it, I get it."

    I continued patting her back, but Maaya''s sobs just wouldn''t stop.

    Well, this is all I can do anyway.

    To call her my "best friend" might be stretching it, given I hadn''t been there for her enough. I hadn''t even realized how close Maaya and Maru-kun had be.

    "Uh¡­ sob. Sakiii¡­"

    "Mm?"

    "He really did try his best, didn''t he?"

    "...Dummy."

    "Uh?"

    "What if I said he didn''t?"

    "Mm... I''d be mad."

    "Then it''s the same no matter what I say, isn''t it? Maru-kun said it himself."

    "What did he say?"

    This girl¡­ ying dumb when she''s usually way more perceptive than me¡­

    "He said he wanted to y in a way that would impress his friends, right? So, what really matters to Maru-kun is how he looked to his friends, not me. Just like how he wanted to show off to Asamura-kun."

    Maaya lifted her head.

    Oh dear, her tears have made all her foundation and makeup run.

    "Here. Wipe your face, wipe your face," I said, as I pressed a handkerchief to her face.

    "Mm¡­"

    "Aren''t you his friend, Maaya?"

    "Sniff¡­ Maybe."

    "Then there''s no point in me saying, ''I think he did his best.'' You should tell him as many times as you want. Because that''s genuinely how you saw it, isn''t it?"

    I spoke slowly, letting the words sink in, and Maaya nodded again and again with her face buried in the handkerchief.

    Yeah, my opinion doesn''t matter.

    In any story, side characters have a big impact on the main character, not some random bystanders. I don''t really know Maru-kun that well. In his story, I was nothing more than Background Extra A. I wasn''t someone deeply connected to him.

    But¡ªWhat about Maaya? Did she just get to know him as a ssmate and then, by some twist of fate, found out about his situation and began cheering him on?

    Or maybe she wanted to be more deeply involved¡ªlike, wishing to be a named character in Maru-kun''s story.

    ¡ªHow do you see him?

    ¡ªIt''s something you should tell Maru-kun yourself.

    Saying as much to Maaya, I started to wonder who I was really talking about here.

    The clouds broke, and sunlight returned.

    The light streaming in from the window cast a square shape on the floor.

    There were no traces of tears left behind.

    ***

    After parting ways with everyone at Shibuya station, I was left alone with Asamura-kun.

    The sun finally began to tilt towards the western sky, and the blue sky gradually darkened from the east.

    I snuck a peek at Asamura-kun''s face as we walked down the evening street.

    When I asked if he was tired, he thought for a moment and gave me a vague answer, as if unsure if he was or not.

    I couldn''t suppress augh. I mean, there''s no way he wouldn''t be tired after cheering so passionately.

    As we turned into a narrow street, the hustle and bustle of the city faded away. It was reced by the loud chirping of cicadas.

    As we walked through the park, Asamura-kun asked about what happened when I met up with Maaya. But I apologized, telling him it was Maaya''s private stuff and I couldn''t talk about it.

    Asamura-kun didn''t press it any further.

    It''s a quality I really admire about him; he respects other people''s privacy. But that doesn''t mean he intentionally tries to distance himself from others.

    ...Or maybe he does?

    Maybe the Asamura-kun I first met did try to keep his distance. I felt the same way back then. Honestly, I think I was the one more inclined to keep people at arm''s length though.

    Like a solitary ind in the sea. Like an imprable stone.

    I wanted to be strong and have the skills to survive on my own. Asamura-kun seemed to feel the same way.

    He didn''t give off the same obvious "stay-away" vibe like I did. He had Maru-kun, a close friend, after all.

    In my case, I even tried to keep Maaya at a distance. And still, she patiently waited for me. Until I met Asamura-kun and slowly dismantled the thorny cage I''d built around myself.

    Little by little, step by step. Maaya was incredibly patient.

    That said, she became super close with Maru-kun without me even realizing it. When she goes for something, she throws patience to the wind and really goes for it.

    "Social butterfly" is a term Asamura-kun often uses to describe Maaya. But if you ask me, I''d say Maaya is just really good at maintaining the right distance with people. She approaches those she''sfortable with easily, and with someone tricky like me, she gradually bridges the gap.

    I''m the total opposite. I''ve always struggled with how close or distant I should be with others. Probably because I''ve been pushing people away ever since I was a kid. So, most people get fed up with my coldness and distance themselves early on. The face of a certain new junior at work shed up in my mind. At first, they seemed to warm up to me really quickly, but maybe because I felt ufortable, it feels like they''ve been keeping their distancetely. Rtionships areplicated.

    At the edge of the park, I saw a parent and child ying catch.

    "Did you ever do that with Taichi-san?"

    I was probably inspired to ask him that because we were literally on our way back from watching a baseball game. I hadn''t really intended the question to be that deep.

    Asamaru-kun''s response was that he used to spend more time reading than ying sports. I could have guessed that, even if he didn''t tell me. That definitely fits my image of him.

    Still, he knows way more about sports than I do. He brushed it off, saying it was just because he read sports novels and manga. It was obvious he knew more about baseball than I did during the baseball match.

    When I pointed that out, Asamura-kun called it a novice''s perspective, while also saying he was embarrassed that he''d shouted and gotten really animated when he was cheering.

    "I got so caught up watching him that I got carried away too. Thinking about it now, I probably looked pretty stupid."

    How can you say that? Especially when your friend was so happy about your reaction.

    I was uncharacteristically adamant in my denial. I knew Asamura-kun said those words because he was embarrassed, but I felt the need to correct him.

    Maaya should tell Maru-kun how she felt.

    But when it came to Asamura-kun¡ª

    I stole a nce at the lover walking beside me. Asamura Yuuta¡ªI want to keep being his lover. I don''t want to go back to being just another nameless passerby.

    So, I passionately exined how I felt seeing him support his friend. If I wanted to be seen as an important character in his story, then I should be the one to tell him that.

    I remember myself on the volleyball court, shrinking and cowering. I also remember the faces of everyone who was cheering me on.

    The right distance. Maaya didn''t hesitate when it came time to step forward.

    I took a deep breath.

    "I want to hold hands. That okay?"

    He looked at me, a little surprised, then down at his own hand. It stayed hovering in the air, so I firmly extended mine.

    "Mm."

    My heart raced as my hand hung in the air. Asamura-kun gently took it. We let our hands naturally drop between us.

    We''d stopped walking at some point, so continued forward, our hands intertwined.

    "You know, seeing you cheering your heart out like that, Asamura-kun¡ª"

    I''ll be the one to tell him.

    "I thought¡ªyou looked really cool."

    The noisy cicadas were a blessing. Had it been quieter, he definitely would''ve heard the loud pounding of my heart.

    I tightened my grip on his hand, not wanting to let go.

 Chapter 126: Ebook Bonus: Original Short Story â€” â€˜Sweet Like Cotton Candyâ€™

    <h4>Chapter 126: Ebook Bonus: Original Short Story ¡ª ¡®Sweet Like Cotton Candy¡¯</h4>

    Even in a city where minimal social interaction is the norm, some believe that amunity''s existence hinges on the tradition of festivals, no matter how much the customs of a vige society are forgotten.

    Even in an apartmentplex not far from Shibuya station.

    It was thest Sunday of July. The festival began at precisely 5 pm.

    In the modest space beside the parking lot in front of the residential building, speakers were set up, endlessly ying the Tokyo Ondo[1](was it?). A digital tablet was connected to the speakers.

    [Tokyo Ondo: A traditional Japanese song and dance associated with Tokyo. It''s a popr song at Bon Odori, which are dances held during the Bon Festival, a Japanese Buddhist event to honor the spirits of one''s ancestors. Participants typically dance in a circle around a tower (yagura) with taiko drummers, moving to the rhythm of the song.]

    Stalls were lined up, albeit not many of them. Children with insatiable curiosity and sparkling eyes darted from one to the next.

    It was a summer festival for the apartment''s residents.

    "They did thisst year? I don''t remember," Ayase-san said.

    "It''s just for a day. Easy to forget."

    "Did you forget too, Asamura-kun?"

    "Well, yeah,st year I did."

    That was a lie.

    While Ayase-san often stayed in her room on weekends, I usually went to cram school or work, so naturally, I had noticed the festival, clearly visible from the entrance. But at this timest year, Ayase-san and her mother had only been living with us for about a month. We were still figuring out our rtionship. It didn''t feel right to invite her to the modest apartment festival.

    "Do you wanna eat something? Although, there''s just yakisoba[2], cotton candy, and okonomiyaki[2]."

    [Yakisoba: Popr dish made of stir-fried noodles with vegetables and often meat, seasoned with a savory sauce. Okonomiyaki: A Japanese savory pancake made with flour, eggs, shredded cabbage, and various fillings, grilled and often topped with sauces and mayonnaise.]

    It''s probably typical of an apartmentplex festival. Heck, a summer festival event at a mall might even have more stuff and variety.

    "I think we still have some yakisoba in the fridge," she replied seriously.

    I tried to remember what we had in there. Not the instant cup yakisoba, but the bagged ones you cook in a pan. And enough for four people.

    "Yeah, we do."

    "Plus, there''s not many vegetables in this one."

    I nced at the yakisoba served up at the stall, noting the token amount of cabbage.

    When Akiko-san and Ayase-san make it, they put in so much cabbage, carrots, and bean sprouts that you can''t even see the noodles. Indeed, our family''s yakisoba feels way healthier. I guess the same can be said about the okonomiyaki.

    But for elementary school age kids, it''s a feast.

    Children excitedly tugged at their parents'' clothes, saying, "I want this!" and "Buy that!" as the sky dimmed to a shade of light ink. Thenterns hanging around the perimeter lit up, their LEDs mimicking the flicker of candlelight.

    "Do you want something, Asamura-kun?"

    "Not particrly."

    She tilted her head.

    "So you''ll eat even if you don''t want to?"

    "Yeah, because it''s more memorable that way. They say that memories are harder to forget when they''re tied to emotions."

    "So if you remember it as being delicious, you''ll remember the festival?"

    "That''s part of it," I said, scratching the tip of my nose.

    "But?"

    "But more than that, I want to remember walking here together, with you."

    It wasn''t the festival itself I wanted to remember, but the fact that we were walking side by side, a year into our rtionship.

    "You''re so sweet, like cotton candy¡ª" Ayase-san said.

    "Let''s get some cotton candy then?"

    Yeah, I guess you need a special machine for cotton candy, so it makes sense to buy it from a stall.

    "Okay. Well... that''s not what I meant though."

    Ayase-san nodded, so I lined up at the stall and bought a big bag of cotton candy. We walked around the venue one more time, taking turns eating it.

    As the sky gradually darkened, the wind began to blow, driving away the heat of the day, and making the wind chimes at the stalls tinkle gently.

    Ting, Ting. Ting.

    As we left the stalls behind and walked back towards the entrance, Ayase-san said softly, "That was really sweet."

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