Volume 6 - CH 5

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 blanket, 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 playing 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 blanket over my head and once again thought about my plans 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 particular. That’s where I decided to buy the soap. Because my plans 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 it comes to love—or so it said in “The Seven Rules To Follow That Will Make You Succeed 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 alarm rang. Out of shock, I threw the blanket up into the air. When I looked outside, it had already become 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 entrée this morning, we’ve got salmon munière, 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—Mhm, sweet.

That was the first impression I got. And it wasn’t just the sweetness from the butter. The lemon atop the munière seasoned with salt and pepper had strong enough of a flavor 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 plate 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 the last one, Yuuta-kun. Do you have any plans 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 relatives. On the way home, she kept complaining about them, and I was forced to listen to her despite having complicated 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 welcome, 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 relatives all love to live freely. They’re not the type of people to gather for an occasion 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 place 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 slave 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 gladly 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—and I didn’t have to, either—so I just swallowed any comment.

“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 made last 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 before coming 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 exactly come home late 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 clichéd 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 regular 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 relationship 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 classes. With that decided, I quickly packed up my things and left the classroom. 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 it comes 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 can comfortably use during a bath.

In the end, I made up my mind and stepped inside. I didn’t feel too comfortable being surrounded by women in a store like this, but it was all for the sake of Ayase-san’s present—or 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 particular?”

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 it comes 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 too comfortable talking to employees. At least she didn’t pressure me by telling me her recommendations and whatnot. When thinking of soap, I could only think of rectangular boxes filled with simply-shaped soap, but the bath soap that filled my view right now was completely different from what I had pictured. Everything in sight was brimming with colors. Some boxes were even translucent, shining brightly like gemstones. Not the plain old white soap I had been thinking of.

It was probably designed this way to allow the customer to see inside. The singular 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 the label, it said “Camomile,” which had the same scent as certain herb tea, and the lavender soap similarly smelled like lavender. There were even scents from foods or other plant-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 it comes 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 accurately 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 success, but we haven’t cleared the mission yet.

I subconsciously touched my collar 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 the last time we both went out together. The reason it had no particular pattern on it or any crazy fabric was explained by what she told me. That if I’m going to wear it on the regular, plain is better than flashy.

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 accessories? 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 bath last. 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 flashy 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, lavender, and lemongrass soap (all of them herbs that have a relaxing 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 regular Christmas wrapping paper, but rather a special one for gifts—I think—which 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 place behind me.

My classes 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 mature lady like me has no problem seeing right through what a young lad 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 glare from me to get Yomiuri-senpai to take my question seriously.

“Western restaurants, huh? Well, I know a lot. From the expensive places 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 place 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 place! 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 glance inside that woman’s head to figure out what exactly this prim and proper university girl is thinking.

“When did you become 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 LINE later, 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 glance at the time explained 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 a larger 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 black 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 glad 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 place 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 it comes to this stuff, so she might figure out I’m planning something other than the present. And since I have no confidence that I’ll be able to come up with a proper excuse, I instead opted to go with silence. Thankfully, we quickly reached the flat 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 internet 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 recommendations 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 flash 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 was late 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 business complex 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 movies coming out lately? 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 to come out.

“Ah, right. Because it’s this weekend.”

I totally forgot, but there’s a new movie coming 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 like last 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.