Volume 5 - CH 7

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, I combed 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 similarly, I realized that I was actually the type of person to not care about things that weren’t directly related 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 any compromises when it comes 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 a comment 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 similarly. 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, according 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’t comfortable 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 place, arriving at my classroom exactly five minutes before classes started. I started preparing for my classes. 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 regular training to such an extent pretty amazing in itself? A few moments later, 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 classroom 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 singular incident robbed me of almost all of my excitement for the upcoming Halloween night in a matter of minutes.

Today was another day of prep school. Ever since my supplementary summer classes, I’ve been regularly attending the prep school. Thanks to that, and as a result of my continued effort, my grades have gone up quite a bit since last spring. I also felt like my motivation to study had increased. Not too long ago, I had just been studying with no particular 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—my employment. I want to get into a company 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-class 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 become 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 plans, 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 plate, 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 classroom, and my eyes spotted a familiar tall girl—Fujinami-san. The seat next to her seemed to be open, so I greeted her and sat down.

Prep school classes 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 minutes later, I would get to see Ayase-san. During the classes 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 glanced over at Fujinami-san.

“Have I?”

“Yes. Did you get yourself a girlfriend?”

“A girlfriend…? Not quite, I’m not even sure how to explain it.”

“I see. Congratulations.”

“You accepted 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 glasses, wiping them with the microfiber cloth in her other hand. “If your relationship 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 glad 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 glad 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 her comment 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 balance.”

“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—that 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 particular 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 classroom.

Just then, the bell rang, signaling the start of the third class 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 black. 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 more comfortable 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 planned, 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 incoming 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; the lantern 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 island 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 color compositions 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 general layout 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 placed 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’d comment about how cheap something was, mumble about another product’s price, and even compare 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 black 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 place and went for a larger bottle right below.

“Is that one better?”

“Yeah, I think I’ve been using it a lot lately, so I figured I might as well get a larger 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 flashed a wry smile.

“Okay, then next up is the black pepper.”

The opposite side of this aisle held items like salt, sugar, and pepper. I spotted the black 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 particularly 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 vegetable-laden 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 explained where the dishes were from.

“Ah.”

“Hm? What’s wrong?”

Ayase-san stared at my soap-suds-laden 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… You completely saw through me.”

“Considering the timing when you decided to take more classes, it makes sense. Not to mention…” She poured some miso soup into a small bowl, taking a sip to check the temperature before continuing. “—I’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 splashing 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 my composure. 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 belated dinner consisted of miso soup, white rice, and some delicious teriyaki chicken for the main course. As for the salad, I put some larger slices of lettuce on the side of my plate. Eating that along with the chicken was pretty good. Once I finished my dinner, I took some time to relax. 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’d completely 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.