Volume 3 - CH ss - 2

It’s an unstable time, with the rainy season possibly ending soon, and possibly not. It’s been around a month since Ayase-san and Akiko-san moved in with me and my old man in the flat we were previously living in alone. After returning from my part-time job, I enjoyed the dinner Ayase-san had made and left for me. That evening, she made sweet and spicy cooked fish (I think it was flounder) with spinach in soy sauce, as well as a small bowl of natto. Naturally, you can’t forget Ayase-san’s signature miso soup.

“Yeah, this really is delicious…”

It sunk deep into my body. I think I’ve never gotten to enjoy the true taste of miso soup. Or so I was thinking as I ate. The door to the living room opened, and Ayase-san in her casual at-home clothes walked inside.

“Welcome back.”

“Y-Yeah, I’m home.”

The reason we kept our voices down was so that we wouldn’t wake up my sleeping old man. As an average salaryman, he was usually asleep around 11pm. Ayase-san then turned on the electric kettle, taking out a cup and instant coffee from a drawer.

“Were you studying?”

“End-of-term exams are soon, after all.”

“There’s still a week, though.”

“Only one week, yeah.”

Our gazes met, and we let out a faint snicker.

“Well, the topics covered in the first-term exam aren’t that broad, so it should be fine.”

“I… have a subject I’m not really good at, so I have to.”

The electric kettle notified her of the water boiling, and she quickly turned it off again. Her gaze wandered towards the bedroom where my old man was sleeping, most likely worried that she would wake him up.

“It’s fine, he won’t wake up from a noise as quiet as that.”

“I see.”

Just when I thought she was going to return to her room, she suddenly sat down at the table, facing me.

“Hm?”

“Um… I don’t have anything in particular to talk about, but… Is work going well for you?”

“I don’t have any shifts the week before the exams.”

“I see.”

“Thanks for worrying about me.”

“Yeah… It’s not that I thought you forgot, I was just… curious.” After saying this, she stood up and started acting like she was about to take the cup back to her room.

She had a somewhat awkward expression on her face. She really doesn’t have to be this considerate. She shouldn’t have to worry about me like that.

“Ah… Ayase-san, at the beginning of the new school term, you were probably sitting in the front, right?”

“Yeah, that’s true.” Ayase-san responded, looking confused as to why I would suddenly ask that.

“I was the same.”

“Ahh, that’s… I see.”

Of course there’s differences regionally and depending on the school, but generally when seats get shuffled right after changing classes, they are assigned in name order. Since both Ayase-san and I start with ‘A’, it would make sense that we’d sit in front of the class, by the hallway side.

“It’s been that way since grade school. I’ve always sat in the front row,” I said.

“I don’t particularly like to sit right in front of the teacher. When it comes to subjects I’m not too interested in, I’d rather focus my time on something else.”

“I never really hated it.”

My response must have been surprising to her. She paused with the cup of coffee in her hand, her eyes opening wide.

“Why not?”

“It’s the closest seat to the hallway door. Once class is over, you can dash right out of it, right?”

I explained it like it was obvious, but Ayase-san blinked a few times, then she let out an exhausted sigh.

“That’s why?”

“You didn’t expect that? We’re not normal siblings, so we don’t know much about each other. Recently, I started thinking that step-siblings should be close, but also far apart. That’s why I’m happy you told me about my work schedule.”

“I see… Okay, I understand. I’ll continue doing so, then.”

“Let’s tell each other what we want without any restraint.”

Ayase-san replied with a quiet ‘Thanks’, carrying the warm cup like it was something precious to her as she returned to her room.