Chapter 94 Once Again, Asanagis Family (1)
Trouble always came at inconvenient times.
After school, after I parted with Umi and went home, I was inside my room.
Umi told me to wear something appropriate But what should I wear?
Since Umi would be waiting for me in her roomwear, I dont think I should wear the same clothes I wore back when we went on a date.
In the end I decided to wear a pair of jeans, a gray hoodie and a black jacket. Mom bought me a new pair of shoes for me recently, so Im going to wear them.
Im sorry about my son No, no, its fine, he seems energetic after all
After I finished getting dressed, I heard moms excited voice. She was probably talking with Sora-san on the phone.
What was she so excited about, I wonder? Im just going to stay for dinner.
Yes. Then, Ill leave him in your care. Good bye.
You dont need to call her for every single thing, mom
Right, but this is just for formality, you know? Besides, Ive been wanting to talk with Sora-san again for a while now.
Her voice sounded excited when she was on the phone, but when she hung up, her face turned gloomy. She looked listless. Ive been seeing a pile of cigarette butts inside the ashtray lately.
Mom?
What is it? Do you wanna stay over at Umis house? Then
Did dad say something to you?
Hearing that, her face instantly turned serious.
What are you talking about? There isnt any
Mom.
I knew it, he said something to you.
I wasnt planning to ask her about this, but seeing her like this, I felt like I had to do it.
I mean, she took a break from work right after I met with Dad last weekend without telling me beforehand. It was kinda obvious that this happened because of Dad.
Mm Your dad found out about my job And he got mad at me
Apparently Mom had been keeping Dad in the dark about her work situation. About her overworking herself and how she made me do all the chores.
He found out about it after meeting me and touching my hand.
I remembered that the last time we met, he told me something about taking care of my hand or something. As expected of him though, he could notice small details like this.
But dad should have known that if you didnt work that hard, we wouldnt be able to live comfortably like this, right?
She didnt respond to me.
Dont tell me
Mom?
Im sorry, Maki Actually, your dad gave me enough money every month for us to get by I dont actually need to work
Then, why did you?
Ive never touched your dads money. I was determined to raise you by myself, using my own money. Besides, the work kept my mind off of him
Things were going well for her and then Dad and I happened to run into each other. The visiting day gave him enough time to roughly figure out our condition.
After we parted, maybe he immediately contacted Mom about it.
Mom refused to tell me the details aside from he used rather strong words, but from her reaction, those words seemed to hurt her. After that, she decided to take a break from her work.
Im sorry, Maki. Ive been hiding everything from you And because of me, youve been lonely But Ill try to change From now on, everything will be alright Me, your father and you will never be together again, but Ill always be at your side, Maki
Are you okay with that, Mom?
Mhm. I love my job, but youre much more important to me, Maki Ill gladly quit my job if it means that youll stay by my side.
She let out a weak laugh.
She must have had her own anxiety about everything.
But still
Ive always admired you, mom I love seeing you working hard, you look really cool
Thank you, Maki. Then, after you graduate from college and get married to Umi, Ill get back to my work. Oh, if you want to get married earlier, Im okay with it too. Will you marry her after you graduate from high school?
What are you talking about, mom?
Yeah, sure, she gave me the okay, but I dont think her family will also give me the okay.
Also, for some reason she seemed certain that Im going to marry Umi in the future.
We arent even lovers yet
Now, now, lets stop talking about this. Heres some snacks, I got them from work. Give them to Sora-san, okay?
Got it, but
Now, now, you should leave quickly. Youre going to make them wait.
I got it, I got it Then, Im off
I got kicked out of the house, but I wonder if shes going to be alright?
This night will be a long one
* * *
Ive recognized the path to Umis house since Ive been dropping her off at her home recently, but this was the second time that I actually stepped inside. The first time was back when she stayed over at my house.
Since today is cold, were going to have a hot pot for dinner. Do you have a food that you dislike, Maki?
Ah, Ill eat anything.
Alright, then, Ill leave my carrots to you.
I dont mind, but its good for you, you should eat some of them at least.
I passed through the gate while chatting with Umi. She was waiting for me near the railroad.
I heard the sound of the gate closing. Theres no turning back.
As soon as I entered the front door, Sora-san immediately greeted me, dressed in an apron.
My, welcome, Maki-kun. Sorry to make you come all the way here today. Dont be shy, come here.
Please dont be sorry Um Excuse me
When I entered the house, the atmosphere inside the house felt different than the last time I came here.
At the front door, I saw a pair of shoes. They were 1.5 times bigger than mine. They looked worn, but there was no dirt on them, the owner must have taken care of them. The owner of the said shoes should be Daichi-san.
Since his shoes were there, that meant he was inside.
Maki, are you okay? You dont look too good
Im fine Gulp Maybe
I took a deep breath before entering the living room.
The thing that I should do first would be greeting him, right? If I make a good impression on him, he would probably think twice before deciding to cut my head off right?
Excuse me!
Ugh!
Whoa!
When I was about to say my greeting, something suddenly blocked my view.
That something was bearing a certain amount of force. It bumped into me and I fell down because of it.
Maki, are you okay? Did you get hurt?
Ah Yeah, Im fine. I was just surprised
I stood up, taking Umis hand. When I turned my gaze ahead, I saw him, a tall man.
He looked young and he was wearing a sweatshirt This should be Riku-san.
Brother? You should notice that a guest is trying to enter the room, right? Why are you trying to leave the room?
I want to take a piss, you stupid little sister.
Huh? Dont call me stupid! Besides, you just went there a while ago!
I drank too much coffee
Riku-san glanced at me as he walked past me toward the direction of the toilet.
Umm Im Maehara, nice to meet you
Ahh Mm
His reaction seemed lackluster I was expecting a more stereotypical reaction like How dare you lay your hand on my sister!, but I guess this was okay too.
That was my first contact with Riku-san.
Jeez, that guy Ah, Dad, this is him.
Mm. Maki-kun, you should sit down.
I obeyed Sora-sans words and sat on the sofa.
Nice to meet you, Maehara-kun. My name is Daichi. Umis father.
N-Nice to meet you Im Maehara
As soon as I faced Daichi-san, I tensed up.