Intermission 1 â Einaâs Room
My cousin opened the door and shouted at me.
âShut up!â
I hung up on Shuu-san and hid my phone under the futon.
âI was reading a book out loud, itâs homework.â
âThen do it more quietly. Who do you think you are? You freeloader! Youâll make Mama angry!ân/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
She slammed the door shut with an almighty crash. I let out a breath and took my phone back out, praising myself for hiding it right away, she just thought I was making noise on my own. I didnât want to make her angry, but I was happy I could keep my secret.
If she found out I just picked up the smartphone she had thrown away, sheâd be really angry and take it away.
I lay back on the futon as I cradled my phone, having a staring contest with the low ceiling.
This was the cupboard under the stairs and, more or less, my room.
There wasnât room for a freeloader like me, so I was assigned this space instead. It was surprisingly comfortable, given its looks. It wasnât really in the sun so it wasnât hot in the summer, and it was small so stayed fairly warm in the winter too.
There was an extension lead from the next room for power, so that was fine.
Above all, for me, it was my castle. A place where no one was in my way, a world just for me.
Here I read books, wrote a novel, and talked with Shuu-san.
I wore hand-me-downs from my cousin. I studied with second-hand textbooks and read books that I borrowed from the school library. I wanted to borrow books from the city library too, but you couldnât get a library card without your guardian, so that was difficult.
Well, itâd take a while to read all the books at school so that wasnât a problem. I could use my phone to read books on the internet too.
Of course, the phone didnât have a contract, but I had Wi-Fi at home so I could use it fine and there were still free Wi-Fi networks around outside, so I could still use it then.
Or I could use my cousinâs portable hotspot so that was fine too. Thatâs how Iâd used my phone when I went to meet Shuu-san.
Iâd be happy if I could get a contract, but if I said that then I wouldnât even be allowed into the house for a while.
Itâs so depressing to think of the situation Iâm in.
Iâd have to think of something fun.
Like books.
Or Shuu-san.
Thatâs right, I have to call him. I hung up suddenly, so Iâm sure heâs suspicious.