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 don't 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 I'm going to wear them.
"I'm sorry about my son… No, no, it's fine, he seems energetic after all…"
After I finished getting dressed, I heard mom's excited voice. She was probably talking with Sora-san on the phone.
What was she so excited about, I wonder? I'm just going to stay for dinner.
"Yes. Then, I'll leave him in your care. Good bye."
"…You don't need to call her for every single thing, mom…"
"Right, but this is just for formality, you know? Besides, I've 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. I've been seeing a pile of cigarette butts inside the ashtray lately.
"Mom?"
"What is it? Do you wanna stay over at Umi's house? Then–"
"Did dad say something to you?"
Hearing that, her face instantly turned serious.
"What are you talking about? There isn't any–"
"Mom."
"…"
"I knew it, he said something to you."
I wasn't 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 didn't work that hard, we wouldn't be able to live comfortably like this, right?…"
"…"
She didn't respond to me.
Don't tell me…
"Mom?"
"…I'm sorry, Maki… Actually, your dad gave me enough money every month for us to get by… I don't actually need to work…"
"Then, why did you?…"
"I've never touched your dad's 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.
"I'm sorry, Maki. I've been hiding everything from you… And because of me, you've been lonely… But I'll try to change… From now on, everything will be alright… Me, your father and you will never be together again, but I'll always be at your side, Maki…"
"…Are you okay with that, Mom?"
"Mhm. I love my job, but you're much more important to me, Maki… I'll gladly quit my job if it means that you'll stay by my side."
She let out a weak laugh.
She must have had her own anxiety about everything.
But still…
"I've 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, I'll get back to my work. Oh, if you want to get married earlier, I'm 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 don't think her family will also give me the okay.
Also, for some reason she seemed certain that I'm going to marry Umi in the future.
…We aren't even lovers yet…
"Now, now, let's stop talking about this. Here's some snacks, I got them from work. Give them to Sora-san, okay?"
"Got it, but…"
"Now, now, you should leave quickly. You're going to make them wait."
"I got it, I got it… Then, I'm off…"
I got kicked out of the house, but I wonder if she's going to be alright?
This night will be a long one…
* * *
I've recognized the path to Umi's house since I've 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, we're going to have a hot pot for dinner. Do you have a food that you dislike, Maki?"
"Ah, I'll eat anything."
"Alright, then, I'll leave my carrots to you."
"I don't mind, but it's 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. There's 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. Don't be shy, come here."
"Please don't 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 don't look too good…"
"I'm 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, I'm fine. I was just surprised…"
I stood up, taking Umi's 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? Don't 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… I'm 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-san's words and sat on the sofa.
"Nice to meet you, Maehara-kun. My name is Daichi. Umi's father."
"N-Nice to meet you… I'm Maehara…"
As soon as I faced Daichi-san, I tensed up.