So, when you think about it, Yu’s house is now a newlywed home.
I’m not really sure how long the period of ‘newlyweds’ lasts exactly, but at least it can’t be too short like six months. Maybe it’s more like one to two years? Usually, couples wanting to have kids would end up with one by then.
But, the Yamashita couple has been married for less than a month. If their desire for each other is overflowing, isn’t this the time they’d be feeling it the most?
The illusion about each other has been broken… wait a minute.
Is there even an illusion left at this point?
If Miss Mori treated Yu like a sister, then naturally, Mrs. Yamashita must be like a father-daughter relationship.
At first, they were a family without a shared bloodline, so there were parts that were awkward to show, but after a few years, they might have shown each other what they could. Well, except for the sexual stuff.
Moreover, they had delayed their marriage under the pretense of waiting for Yu to graduate high school, but in reality, they’d been living almost like a married couple. They lived in the same house, in the same room, after all.
To put it bluntly, they are a sexless newlywed couple, and it’s been three years since they started abstaining.
After understanding that much, I tried to avoid thinking any deeper.
To me, Mrs. Yamashita was just Mrs. Yamashita, and truthfully, Yu felt more like a friend than a cousin, but still, imagining the intimate relations of my uncle and aunt wasn’t exactly thrilling.
What if it was about my sister and dad?
“…There are plenty of empty rooms.”
“…I don’t care about which room.”
As I said with a complicated expression, Yu replied with a similarly complicated look.
“But then, what about the other residents living in that house…?”
Kagami cautiously asked, and Yu made a face holding back a sigh.
“Uncles are staying in the annex. Since there’s a hallway between us, I doubt they’d hear anything from here.”
But for Yu to go sleep in the annex would feel a bit awkward as well.
After all, isn’t that a yakuza’s house? I don’t know the details, but there could be rivalries or such involved. It wouldn’t do to just kick everyone out of the annex.
“…I had thought about living alone once I become a university student.”
Yu said this like a bit of an excuse, as if reminding himself.
Well… considering, when looking for a place to live alone, it’s normal to end up at a far-off domicile. Since Yu’s university is also in Tokyo, there shouldn’t be any major issues living here.
When I glanced at Kagami, as a doting dad, he nodded.
“I’ll pay the monthly rent.”
“Then, I’ll gladly accept it.”
In response to Yu’s words, Kagami smiled.
Of course, it’s not that Kagami was short on money. It’s just that since Yu said it, he was treating him with due consideration as a member of society.
Their various circumstances made Kagami grow up without properly blossoming, yet that doesn’t mean he doesn’t know about society at all. In fact, he might know better than others about the darker sides of society.
Now, it’s a bit shameful to point fingers, but blood will always be blood, right?
“If you have a room you want, just tell me.”
Kagami had prepared other rooms for people to stay in. Even though the house appeared a bit old from the outside due to renovations and various installations over the years, the inside had become quite a livable space.
Unfortunately, the soundproofing wasn’t great, but at least until now, it hadn’t caused any big issues since it had only been us living here.
Yu chose the room next to ours, for now. Given the soundproofing issues, it might have been wise to leave the middle room empty, but evidently, he felt more secure knowing another person was right next door.
Yu unloaded the belongings he brought into the room, and we sat down again.
And then, I threw out a question I had completely forgotten until that moment.
“By the way, Yu, do Yamashita and Mori know about this?”
The words ‘parents’ almost slipped out, but I thought it was too early for that, so I just referred to them by name for now.
“…”
Yu went silent.
I touched my temples again.
“…Let’s at least give them a call first. If they come to pick us up, we’ll explain it nicely.”
Last time, we called Mr. Yamashita right away since Yu had stormed out, but this time, I could empathize with the situation, so I decided that.
Besides, since he even mentioned he’d pay rent, how could I refuse any further?
Eventually, Yu nodded reluctantly.
*
[Sorry about this.]
It seemed like Mr. Yamashita had his suspicions.
After I switched the call, he made that remark after pondering seriously for a while.
But on the other hand, there was also a worried tone to his voice. Since his concern came before relief, it was clear he was a father who loved his daughter.
After a few words of apology during the call, I handed the phone to Kagami, and the two of them looked like they were having a somewhat more serious conversation than us.
“Yes, yes. About the duration, we’ll talk about it step by step, along with Yu.”
Kagami made sure to clarify that as well.
It seemed like he had raised daughters long enough that he was somewhat accustomed to dealing with children around my age.
He didn’t treat them like babies but instead had developed the ability to speak according to what they desired.
Thinking back to when we first met, where he seemed devoid of any human qualities, seeing Kagami grow this much made my heart feel slightly warm.
As Yu sat there with a bit of a nervous expression, Kuro hopped up onto his lap.
“Meow.”
Then, like asking for scratches, Kuro rubbed his cheek against Yu’s hand.
Having frequently visited our house, Yu was accustomed to petting Kuro behind the ears.
Thud.
In the meantime, Kagami finished the call and handed the phone back to Kuro.
“The call is done. Just live here for as long as you want.”
“…Thank you.”
Yu said as he received the phone with both hands.
“Well then…”
Kagami looked up at the clock.
Lunchtime had already passed, and there was still a bit of time before dinner.
“You didn’t bring any food, did you?”
“If I eat out…”
“Well, there might be a few times a week where that would be fine. But I doubt your mother’s budget will support that every time, right?”
At Kagami’s words, Yu momentarily lost his words.
Fair enough.
It seemed he didn’t plan on just depending on his father for support. After all, if he ran away all the way here to live alone, he would have thought about managing on his own. On top of that, he even mentioned paying rent.
“Then, shall we go look for groceries? To make a meal for one person, we’ll need some ingredients. Do you have any favorite side dishes?”
“Um, I…”
As he followed Kagami, who got up from his seat, Yu stammered a bit, clearly flustered.
“Anyway, you don’t know how to cook, right?”
“…”
Yu was completely at a loss for words.
“If you only eat takeout or instant food, your body will deteriorate in several ways. Let’s try to have meals together for a bit.”
When Kagami said this in a gentle voice, Yu stared blankly at him for a moment before nodding.
It seems he’s still not used to such a caring Kagami.
Given how often they meet, he likely sees her more as “somewhat of a relative aunt” than “a mother and daughter.”
He may have distanced himself from Mom-like behavior in front of his friends, but in those situations, it often highlighted her unique character more than motherly affection.
In the end, Yu was drawn into our grocery shopping trip by Kagami’s inexplicable strength.
*
“The way you’re looking at me feels a bit different than usual.”
Kagami said with a slightly proud expression.
“…I’ve noticed a bit of a change.”
Even a doting parent can vary in type.
Some parents only think of their children while ignoring others, causing backlash, while others can care about others’ circumstances and situations while loving their own children.
Although Kagami had never shown the former’s traits, it still felt moving to see her display such a side.
People can change this much, huh?
“That’s something I often think while seeing Koto Ne too.”
“Let’s agree to not talk about each other.”
At my words, Kagami laughed softly.
Her hands moved quickly to prepare the food, now fully accustomed to it.
“Is it good if I learn to cook someday?”
“…That might be a good idea.”
Kagami answered to that.
I mean, even if we spend our lives together, Kagami and Koko would likely outlive me.
If any independence was considered, that time would definitely be shorter.
“I’ll learn later.”
Kagami nodded as if she were proud of me for that.
This too is a part that has changed. Changing and changing again.
Back when she was in high school, just thinking about such things made her tear up.
While Kagami was cooking, Yu fidgeted restlessly behind her.
If I told him directly, he’d probably get mad, but honestly, his fidgeting was somewhat cute that I couldn’t help but chuckle.
He couldn’t quite glare at me, making a vague expression.
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