Chapter 39 - 3

Chapter 39: Chapter 3

4th of September (Friday) – Asamura Yuuta

Us two men got up early in the morning. We were sitting down at the dinner table when my old man suddenly started talking.

"Akiko-san and I thought about this together, you know."

"Together?"

I was in the middle of putting some rice in my old man's rice bowl, but I paused in confusion. I wanted to ask how these two lovebirds, who constantly talk past each other, even reach something that could be called consensus. When I asked him about it, he said we could discuss it via LINE, despite being too bothered to chat with me. I guess he's changed in his own right. That aside, however...

"I'll take time off work and come with you to your parent-teacher meeting after all. It's true that my company's buried with work at the moment, but I can't just let Akiko-san carry all the weight on her own."

"Oh, about that, Dad."

I told him about my discussion with Ayase-san that had happened the previous night, and explained how we decided that we'd hold both of our meetings on the same day so that Akiko-san would only have to take one day off. As a result, he wouldn't have to take time off work either.

"Whoa... Are you really sure about that?"

I nodded.

"Ayase-san and I decided it together, so it's not just something I came up with on my own. We'd rather not go about it behind your backs and make more work for you, and we think that hiding the fact that we're siblings just feels unnatural."

When I finished telling him all of that, he made a happier face than I had seen on him ever before.

"I'm sure Akiko-san will be happy about that as well."

My old man then told me about everything he had discussed with Akiko-san. Apparently, she wanted to be as best of a mother for me as possible. Personally speaking, since we're not children anymore, and already on our way to adulthood, since my father got remarried, I might accept this as him getting a new wife, but not necessarily that I have a new mother or anything like that. My old man and Akiko-san probably felt the same, and yet he continued, saying that what Akiko-san wanted wasn't to simply be my guardian until I was of age.

"Akiko-san told me that she wants us to be a family, you know. And she believes that we can be. If not, then the connection we forged through our marriage would be wasted."

Connection, huh? I could understand where she was coming from. She didn't want to become my mother simply because she had to care for me. Speaking from just our relationship, we are stepmother and stepson, but she wanted to go beyond that and treasure the time the four of us have together as a normal family.

"That's why I'm sure she'll be happy beyond words if she finds out that you accept her as family, Yuuta."

A brief glimmer of guilt filled my heart. I really didn't think about it too deeply.

"Good morning, you two." Ayase-san entered the living room.

"Ah. Good morning, Saki-chan."

"Ayase-san, what are you going to do for breakfast?"

She got up a bit later than usual, so I wanted to ask just to make sure. Usually, she leaves for school before me, meaning there's a chance she might just skip it today.

"Ah, sorry, I had you prepare it for me. I'll take care of the rest."

"No, we just got up ourselves, so have a seat. Here, your miso soup, rice, and chopsticks."

"Sorr—thank you, Nii-san."

"You're welcome. Ended up a bit late today, huh? Did you oversleep?" I asked on a whim, but Ayase-san turned the phone in her hand around, holding the screen out towards me.

Is she telling me to look?

"...LINE?"

"Mom said she'd be home in two hours, so we'll continue our conversation from yesterday."

Right, that makes sense. Ayase-san mentioned that she was going to tell Akiko-san about what the two of us had decided. Now that it's morning, she probably received a response. Their exchange continued for a bit after that, which was why she ended up being late for breakfast.

"She was happy."

"Right?"

Seeing my old man smile after hearing Ayase-san's confirmation, I once again felt a faint pain in my chest.

"So, about the day for the parent-teacher meeting, I was thinking of leaving it up to Mom."

"Which day does she prefer?" My old man asked just to check.

"If possible, September 25th."

"The 25th... So, a Friday." I checked the calendar and commented on the date.

"No good?"

"Nope, totally fine. If that day works best for Akiko-san, then I'll try to get my meeting then. So, Ayase-san—"

If Ayase-san and I want our meetings to be on the same day, we would have to consult our respective homeroom teachers and explain our rationale. Namely, as our mother will not be able to take more than one day off, we'd like for our meetings to be put together. If we do that, both of our homeroom teachers will find out that we're siblings.

"Yeah, it's just as you said, Nii-san."

"If we were both in the same class, I could just tell them myself."

"It's fine, I can take care of it." While taking a bite of rice, Ayase-san asked me to let her take care of it.

Until a short while ago, Ayase-san wasn't the best at this sort of thing, but I guess she's also changed a lot herself. After she finished eating, she took care of the dishes and left the house around her usual time. After she left, my old man headed off to work, and lastly I also left.

As I made my way to school, I noticed the sky was a clear blue, and the breeze felt a bit hotter than yesterday. Akiko-san wants us to become a family. Maybe I should call Akiko-san 'Step-mom', just like Ayase-san calls my old man 'Step-dad'. Not because I necessarily accept her as my mother, but so that we could become a fully-fledged family. Is that why Ayase-san is calling me 'Nii-san' now?

The school gate finally came into sight, and I decided to shake off all the thoughts spinning around in my head.

Five minutes before the first period, right as the first chime rang, Maru waltzed inside the classroom from the back door. Those who have morning practice generally arrive at class barely before it starts. Of course, it wasn't just Maru from the baseball club. The folks from the other sports clubs filed in, quickly filling the classroom. Once Maru sat down in front of me, he seemed to remember something. He turned around towards me.

"Say, Asamura."

"Hm?"

"Last summer break, you went to the pool with Narasaka and the others, right?"

"Uh... yeah, what about it?"

"There's a rumor going around that you and Ayase had a good mood going."

"A good mood...?"

"'Course, a rumor is a rumor. But considering how she's been acting lately, it's gotten to the point where I can't deny the possibility."

What the hell kind of 'possibility' are you on about?

"So yeah, how's it looking with Ayase?"

Naturally, I was taken aback. So much that I missed my chance to respond properly and instead answered the question with another question like the idiot I was. Instead I asked why he was curious about that.

"Asking about a friend's progress and status in love is what a true friend character in a romance game would do, no?"

"I think you should draw a firmer line between your fantasies and reality."

"Hmph. To be honest, that rumor only reached my ears a few minutes ago. There's no evidence to back it, either."

So that means it's a rumor inside the baseball club, huh? A rumor that Ayase-san and I are getting along pretty well. I wonder why? I figured out my feelings for Ayase-san at that pool day during summer break, and at the same time I decided that I had to get rid of this feeling no matter what. After all, she's my younger sister, and that's how she expects me to treat her.

Forget about it. Cast these feelings aside. I've been working on it. But for whatever reason the people around me seem like they've seen right through me, and they keep reminding me of that summer memory. While wondering what I should do about this, I was preparing for the upcoming class when I spotted a certain printout inside my bag. When I saw it, I finally remembered. Ayase-san and I had agreed that we are fine with everybody finding out we're siblings.

"Listen." When I got that far, my voice went quiet.

This wasn't something everybody needed to hear, only certain people. Maru inched closer to me, understanding that what I was about to tell him would be hard for me to say. As expected of my best friend.

"This is about Ayase-san and I—"

I started my explanation, saying that Ayase-san and I had become step-siblings after our parents' remarriage. I also added that we were both done hiding it, but that we also didn't want to just tell everyone about it, either. I made it clear that I told him about this because I trusted him, and he responded accordingly.

"I'm not the type of person who would spread around such delicate information."

"That's a huge help."

"Still, this explains a lot of things."

"Hm? What do you mean?"

Maru seemed almost satisfied.

"You suddenly asked me about Ayase, acted like you wanted to know more about her, which honestly surprised me, and even after that, you were acting oddly attached to her."

"Attached? Hey, now."

"Right, poor choice of words. But I was just worried in my own right, you feel me?" n)(o/-v()e)(l(-B-)1..n

Back in June, there was a bad rumor going around about Ayase-san. Since she has such flashy looks—which is actually something she does as self-defense—and because she wandered around Shibuya late at night, it's easy to see why people would come to the wrong conclusion, which can cause rumors. That's why he must have been worried about me.

"It's just a misunderstanding. That's all."

"Seems like it. My bad. I was wrong. But now it all makes sense. Also, speaking of Ayase, I indirectly talked badly about your younger sister, so I'm sorry."

"Don't be like that. You just didn't know."

"I totally thought you had fallen for Ayase."

These words made my heartbeat accelerate drastically. I could feel sweat building on my palms. Fallen for her... come to like her... love her... When it's brother and sister, it's not weird to like each other... but...

"That's not..."

"Right, my bad. I didn't need to add that. But I'm relieved now. If you had actually fallen for her, you might have bumped into those guys without any chance at victory. As your good friend, I didn't want to see you get hurt."

"'Those guys'?"

"You didn't know? After summer break ended, Ayase's popularity changed."

According to Maru, she's softened up a lot more towards the people around her, and she's gotten popular even with the guys who saw her as just another delinquent and were scared of her. Since she stopped being completely solitary, more and more guys are talking to her and acting interested in her. As you would expect, some of these guys could be quite high-spec.

"Although it pains me to admit it, I could never see you winning that race... However, since you're her older brother, you wouldn't even participate in the first place."

"Of course I won't."

"Great, great." Maru seemed satisfied with something.

As I watched him, I started thinking. Just as Maru said, since we're brother and sister, having a chance or not doesn't matter in the slightest. No matter how many guys might approach her, that is. Worrying about one's little sister and the potential threat of some insects approaching her is most likely only something a fictional older brother would do. At her age, she should be able to take care of herself, and intervening as her older brother would be taking things too far. Whether as her actual older brother or just as a step-brother, I should act rationally. So what if there are guys approaching Ayase-san with those kinds of intentions? It's got nothing to do with me.

Our teacher walked inside the classroom and began the morning homeroom. Once that was over, they spoke to the people who finished their questionnaires and decided on the days for them to meet and hand them in. Just as I had discussed previously with Ayase-san, I tried to stay away from the other students as much as possible, and explained our family's circumstances to the teacher, telling them about our desire for both Ayase-san and I's meetings to be on the same day because of our mother's circumstances.

"I see. So for you—your stepmother will be participating?"

"Yes."

After this brief exchange, I headed back to my own seat.

Classes ended for the day. Today, I had another shift at the bookstore where I was working part-time. Right after the last homeroom ended, I grabbed my bag. While I was changing into my outdoor shoes at the shoe lockers, a rather noisy group of people approached the same area. I turned towards them because I heard a familiar voice, and I spotted Narasaka-san in the center. In other words, this group must be some of the people from my neighboring class.

She was surrounded by all her friends, grinning as usual, and even talking to every single person around her so that they wouldn't feel left out. Ayase-san was among them as well. She walked at a constant pace not too close to them, but also not too far away, participating in the conversation from time to time. Seeing her flash a smile while doing so, I grabbed my shoes and hid in the shadows of the shoe lockers, leaving through the front entrance while trying not to be seen. I'd feel bad if I forced her to show consideration towards me—or at least that's the excuse I made for myself.

Ayase-san was smiling. I think that was the first time I'd ever seen her smile with her friends like that. Good for her. Really. She used to be somewhat isolated from her classmates, so this is much better. It's just like Maru said. Ayase-san has changed. The way she forces herself to not rely on others, it's easy to see her as arrogant and repelling, but that was all because she didn't know how to open up to others, like she had no other choice but to push them away. She learned that being independent wasn't the same thing as cutting off all your connections.

She was making such a gentle smile, hanging out with people I didn't know—so why am I being plagued by these complicated feelings?

By the time I reached the parking lot near the train station with my bike, the sky was already dyed a deep red. The sun has been setting earlier and earlier recently. It's already September, but the days will only start getting shorter from here on out. I entered the back office, changed into my uniform, and headed out into the main store. First on my agenda today was organizing the shelves. I passed by the cash register, greeted the manager, and made my way towards the shelves. I started with the paperback shelves, working my way from the back to the front.

In most bookstores, you generally organize the books according to the publisher, not the author. If they are from the same publisher but a different label, then they are displayed on a different shelf. And then, once you reach the shelf for that label, you arrange novels and books up by their authors' initials, in most cases at least.

For example, there's this label called MF Bunko J1, and then there's a random number Mi-10-16 on the back cover. This shows that this label has a lot of authors beginning with 'Mi', and this particular novel was published by the 10th author, and it's the 16th volume—that's a simplified way of explaining it, at least. By simply relying on this number, it's easy to organize the books that are out of order.

I had the late shift today, which meant that arranging the new releases and adjusting the stock was already complete. Everyone else had already made more space for the new releases, so my only job was to put the random books scattered around back in their originally intended locations. From time to time, I would see random books put on the wrong shelves, and I would return them to their original spot, which is quite simple work of course, so I think I blanked out for quite some time during it. Just before I reached a state of complete zen—

"Ah, Junior-kun. Perfect timing."

When I turned around, the familiar Japanese beauty with long black hair was standing there, which I had already guessed from the voice. She was carrying a mountain of paperback books. Reading the nametag on her uniform was practically impossible in that state, but I knew her. She's my senior at work: Yomiuri Shiori.

"Excuse me? What's that complex expression for, hmm?"

"Ah, don't mind me, I was just about to reach enlightenment, so you took me by surprise."

"Post-nut clarity, I see."

"I don't quite think that quite fits the situation."

"Oh? Then go ahead. Tell me what it really means."

"Can you stop acting like some old man trying to tease an embarrassed answer out of an innocent woman? I'll sue you for sexual harassment."

"Oh, my. Gender equality is a wonderful thing."

I don't think this is the time for you to admire that.

"Now, now. That doesn't matter right now, my dear Junior-kun. A beauty like me is carrying a mountain of books right in front of you, so isn't there something else you should be saying?"

"Ah, right, I'll take that."

The books she was carrying were all ones that we were going to replenish the shelves with. When someone purchases at the register, we can check if we still have more copies of that book left in stock. What's actually terrifying to think about is the fact that back in the Shōwa era2, they actually relied on records alone when it came to the inventory of their books. Of course, they used paper to track their stock, and if you took stock, you could check how many copies you had left in the store.

The problem at hand was that they relied solely on the records written down day by day. Right now, everything happens with a click thanks to the extensive database. The mountain of books I accepted had to be added to the shelf right in front of me. When I got a closer look at the books, they turned out to be from a long-running series that had been made into a multi-season anime series.

"I wonder why this sells so well? I mean, I know it's interesting, but still."

"You said you read it, right, Junior-kun?"

"Yes. Oh?" Something inside of my memories lit up. "I see, the anime just started."

"Exactly. We already are using POPs3, and we also have a lot of them displayed on a different shelf."

When Senpai said that, I turned to look where she was pointing. In the corner of the paperback shelves was a small pedestal that was showcasing a mountain of books, all of them with covers showing. The books that are currently selling aren't simply put into a shelf where you can only see their back cover, but rather receive this level of advertisement where they're laid flat. Next to them were hand-written advertisement cards and placards, called POPs, as well.

"I was the one who made that POP there."

"Is that so?"

"I went out of my way to write 'I bawled my eyes out with this, enough tears to fill an entire bowl!', you see."

"Won't they get angry at you for false advertising?"

Knowing Yomiuri-senpai, that must be some kind of weird joke again. I should check the POP later... Wait, but if I check it, that just means that I'm already dancing on top of her palm, doesn't it?

"Wait. Then..."

That was when I finally figured out the big picture. If it just started airing, and since it's September right now, it must be the fall season of anime. In that case, this series will probably be selling really well for the next three months until December. I accepted the books from Yomiuri-senpai and looked at them.

As expected, it had a paper wrapper on it, which read 'Anime currently airing!'. The publisher had probably reprinted a lot of copies to coincide with the anime, thus this paper wrapper had been added. At the same time, this wrapper also announced that there would be a new release going on sale next month.

"So a new volume will come out..."

"Junior-kun, you seem quite exhausted."

When Senpai said that odd comment, I glanced at her, confused.

"What do you mean?"

"That you lack your usual energy."

"I ate properly, though."

"Okay, that's not what I meant. You used to know about a new release of a series you like at least three months in advance, no?"

New releases of books or manga are usually announced three months before the release date. In other words, that's how we, as bookstore employees, find out about it, too.

"...I guess so."

"You've been so devoid of energy lately, Junior-kun."

"That's not..."

"Shhh, I've seen right through you. The fact that you've lost interest in a new release from a series you used to like is a pretty significant incident, no?"

"Really? Maybe."

No, she was totally right. Not too long ago, I would never have forgotten the next release date of a series I enjoyed.

"Maybe you're just lonely because you don't have as many shifts with Saki-chan as you used to?" Yomiuri-senpai showed a suspicious snicker.

"You should be careful, Senpai. That kind of smile could make you lose your popularity."

"Now now, tell your older sister about all your problems, young lad. Come on, open your heart and jump into my arms."

"You still sound like an old man. Also, we're siblings, so there's no way that would be true."

"What exactly would not be true?"

"That I'm lonely. Why would I be lonely just because I can't work with my sister?"

"Since I don't have an older brother, I don't think I can argue much in that regard. And I guess you make a lot of sense, but she's your step-sister, no?"

"Even if she is, a sister is a sister," I said. I stopped myself from saying anything more than that.

"Rational answers are so boring, though."

"And why does that matter?"

"Alright then, let me tell this dejected Junior-kun of mine something interesting." Yomiuri-senpai raised one finger. "There will be an open campus at my university soon-ish, so how about stopping by?"

"Open campus? Is that when universities and specialized schools invite people curious about studying there so they can check it out?"

"Exactly. Once you're surrounded by cute university girls, you'll be back in high spirits in no time."

Just as she said, I bet an average guy would be excited to have a bunch of beautiful university girls like Yomiuri-senpai around them. When I saw her talking with some fellow students a while back, her friends and circle members were all attractive ladies. However, there's a fatal flaw in this master plan of hers.

"Senpai, you attend a girls' university, no?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"How will I, a man, be able to visit during open campus then?"

"Oh my goodness, where did our gender equality go?!"

Sadly, the times have yet to progress enough that a man could study at a girls' university. I understand that she's worried about me and my recent lack of energy, but I still can't respond with a smile. I myself had been wondering why I was so down in the dumps. There shouldn't be any reason for me to feel this way.

My shift at work ended, and I went straight home. Upon arriving, I found dinner and a small note on the living room table. Even though we ate dinner together yesterday after so long, today I just got a note. Ayase-san clearly has no intention of leaving her room. She's not avoiding me, is she?

I was filled with regret for not being able to meet Ayase-san face-to-face, and I realized that clearly showed that I was lying to Yomiuri-senpai during our previous exchange. Deep inside my mind, I could hear her words again. It can't be helped, right? After all, Ayase-san isn't my actual sister.

───

1 The label that publishes Gimai Seikatsu

2 1926.12.25-1989.1.7

3 Point-of-purchase advertising, can include stickers on the floor and other advertising around the product, any way to grab the customer's attention.