Volume 5 - CH 1

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 up late, huh?”

I definitely don’t think I’d be able to get up on time if I stayed up that late. Anyway, moving on to the actual message she sent me…

An important notice from Maaya.

Attention! The upcoming 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 planning 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 is coming, too.

Upon spotting Ayase-san’s name, my heartbeat accelerated ever so slightly…Err, why is she emphasizing that? Did she catch on to the faint change in our relationship or something? No, relax. When we planned 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 classes. There were people from Ayase-san’s class, as well as people from completely unrelated classes. The only common 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 relationships 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 discomfort 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 relatively strict student and life guidance at work, making it risky to bring goods unrelated to the classes 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 place.

“So in other words…”

All participants will probably change into casual clothes. That’s the most logical outcome 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 glad 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 it comes 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 relaxed as of late.”

As soon as fall season started, my old man ended up hammered with work, which was why he’d been arriving home later and later. 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 placed 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 natto combined with the gritty sensation of the sardines tastes great, let me tell you. Add some green perilla 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 some later.”

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—”

“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 salaryman, 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 similar 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 explaining his views while munching on his breakfast. According to him, a businessman wanting to look modern and stylish is an entirely different focal point of fashion compared 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 relationships 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 become 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 accurate 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 in comparison 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 it comes 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 same company 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 glad 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 dishes later, 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 or later, she’ll run the risk of ending up late. 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 recomposed herself from her shocked state, immediately rushing toward the nearby bathroom. Immediately after, she slammed 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 seconds later, 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 plate. 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 plate, 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 related sidenote, according 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 related to her personal preferences, but I nonetheless decided to leave the natto in the fridge for now. With that, preparations for a perfect breakfast were complete. 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 clapping out of respect.

“Sorry about that, and thanks for taking care of everything.”

“This much is nothing. And you prepared everything last night, too. Is this even enough? Should I get out something else?” I glanced 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 until late 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 place. 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 somewhat complicated 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 my common 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 glanced 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 best combination, 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 acceptable 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 relax and ignore any possible onlookers and resulting stress.

“Then let’s do that tomorrow after classes. 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 glad 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 classroom 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. Relax.”

Because of how deep I had been in thought earlier this morning, I had to rush over to this classroom from the shoe locker to not be late.

“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 reading lately…?”

“Don’t try to play 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 glanced over at the hallway and waved his hand, and a male student entered the classroom 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 delayed my greeting.

It was none other than Shinjou Keisuke, the smart-looking tennis club regular 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 place. 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.” Maru complained.

“Oh, really? We’ve talked before, so you could have just come 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 pieces come together to explain 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 glanced 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 relationship with Ayase from my class, right?” Shinjou said as he looked at Maru.

“Hm…?” He glanced 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 particularly 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 a lamp?”

“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’t completely 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 out laughing. 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 classes 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’t complain if that makes it easier for you. Anyway, I’m glad 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 that comes 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 upcoming 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 just laughing 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 Occasion is different.”

“Agreed. The fact that the girl you’re interested in is participating plays 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 question come from? Have you finally found your Cinderella?”

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 out laughing.

“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-explanatory 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 playing fair.”

“Ah, hey, Tomokazu!”

“What do you mean?”

“Ack…” Shinjou scratched his cheek and explained, 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 look lame, 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 classmate to him than a sister, so don’t compare their situation to you and your own sister.” Maru jabbed his elbow into Shinjou’s flank.

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 blast 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 explains 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-related conversation skills are coming into play, helping them form new relationships 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 relay 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 relating 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 classroom! Shoo!”

“Oh crap, it’s already this late?”

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 classroom while waving his hand at us. I genuinely felt glad 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 similar 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 the latter half of October, the sunsets happen a lot quicker than during the summer. After my classes ended, I opted to immediately head over to work without taking a pit stop at home. Around the time I made it to my workplace, 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 plain uniform with our classic apron on top, rocking the looks of a Japanese beauty with long, glossy black hair.

“Good mor—Wait, 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 particularly mind cash register duty too much, but it is the most annoying part of working in a bookstore, that’s for sure. Anything related 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 sloppy compared 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 become a lady-in-waiting…a court lady 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 syllables now.

“So, um… What’s a library card?”

Before it was time for our shift to start, we tried our hardest to explain 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 of late. 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 accomplished 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 with larger magazines. I looked through the flat 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 flat 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—which has happened to me before during the winter season. It showed a handsomely-dressed man on the cover. Generally, books of the same genre come 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 popular 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 had completed all my necessary work, I immediately pushed the trolley to its original place 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 glanced 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 she laugh 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 place?

“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 inflict large 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 similar 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’re coming from, but calling a boy ‘cute’ isn’t that much of a compliment, is it?”

“Oh, is that how you feel?”

“I wouldn’t be too happy to be praised in that particular 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 be common sense!”

“Context…Indeed. So, what would be the meaning of ‘cute’ in that particular 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 study later…

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°C. 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 relationship. 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 relationship 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 flame 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 placed 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.