"Don't worry. It's not what you think," said an exasperated voice from
behind Akiko.
It was Saki—no, Ayase. She was also holding paper bags in both
hands, and she sounded exhausted.
"Mom has a hard time saying no, so she bought everything the sales
clerk recommended."
"Oh, I see…," I replied.
"Hey," Akiko cut in. "You're making me sound like a useless adult."
"You are, though," Ayase shot back.
"What?! That's not true, is it, Yuuta?!"
Now I was being dragged into it.
Personally, as I stared at the leg of prosciutto, I thought Akiko sounded
like a pushover. But all that vanished from my mind when she looked at
me with a childish pout.
That didn't mean I was ready to lie and say she didn't have a problem,
though. Ayase's eyes were silently telling me, "Don't pamper her." I felt
like middle management, stuck between mother and daughter with no
good options.
"Come on in," I said. "I'll take your bags."
I figured ignoring them was the best option. A wise person once said
the ability to ignore is indispensable for achieving happiness.
Akiko handed me the paper bags and smiled sweetly, unbothered by
my change of topic.
"Thank you. It's nice to have a man around."
"Ah-ha-ha."
I flashed her a neutral smile, turned on my heel, and offered them both
newly bought slippers as I invited them inside.
Akiko cooed in joy as soon as she stepped into the living room.
"Mmm, it smells fresh and citrusy."
"Wow, you keep the place pretty clean," said Ayase.
She also appeared impressed and exhaled. The air was fresh, and the
wooden floor had been polished to a shine.
"We did a rush cleaning job," I began. "It isn't usually—"
"It's just like Taichi said," Akiko interrupted. "You two do like to keep
things clean."
"—They say you need a healthy environment to nurture a healthy
mind," I finished, swallowing my denial and quickly agreeing instead.
That was close. Dad had been telling Akiko good things about us to impress her. Of course, it would serve him right if she found out the truth
and her impression of him went down the drain, but I felt bad getting in his
way when he was finally recovering from his old wounds and trying to be
happy. For now, I decided to go along with it.
Meanwhile, Ayase was staring at me like she thought something was
up.
"Do you always keep the place this clean?" she asked.
"Oh yeah, of course. It's our family motto to exterminate everything
without leaving a speck of dust."
"That sounds kind of scary."
I was telling the truth. My grandmother out in the country was always
saying those words came from one of our ancestors—some lord from the
Warring States period. I recalled smiling as I listened to her and thinking
that it was almost certainly a lie.
"But wow, Taichi truly is amazing," Akiko said, smiling. "I know he
pays a lot of attention to his appearance, but even his home is wonderful."
"His appearance…?" I asked. "You're talking about my dad, right?"
"Of course! The first time he came to our bar, he seemed down-to-
earth, probably because he was there with his boss. After that, he always
wore lovely cologne and a nice tie from a high-end brand like an elite
businessman."
"Oh, I see."
Come to think of it, there was a period when Dad started spending a lot
on clothes and cologne. At the time, I'd told myself it was just the price of
participating in adult society. I'd never imagined he was trying to woo a
woman.
"H-hey, Akiko. Saki!"
Just then, Dad came out of his bedroom. The spray bottle of air
freshener in his hand had just revealed his middle-school-level ploy to
impress. I froze.
"D-Dad…"
Put that away already, I thought. I'm doing my best to go along with
your plan. Don't show off the evidence.
Since I couldn't tell him out loud, I tried to communicate through eye
contact. But my efforts were in vain, and he flashed a smile I was sure he
must have practiced a hundred times in front of his mirror.
"Welcome to our home! W-we'll be living under the same roof now,
and w-we're going to h-have a w-wonderful life together!"
A home run. He'd said it all—a veritable exhibition of cringe.
His wording was creepy, he stuttered, he tried too hard to sound
enthusiastic, and the practiced look on his face was almost painful to see.
"Thank you for the big welcome!" Akiko exclaimed. "Here, this is
from me!"
"A whole leg of prosciutto? Mmm. We'll have a real party tonight!"
They were an easy-to-please couple if that was all it took to get their
spirits up.
Akiko hadn't noticed the Febreze, and Dad was fine with all the bags
she had brought. They were both a little odd, but maybe that made them a
good match.
"Hey, Asamura?" Ayase said.
"Hmm?"
"Will you show me to my room? I'd like to see it."
"Oh, um, yeah… Okay."
Leaving the adults and their weird, cheery atmosphere behind, Ayase
and I put the department-store shopping bags in the living area and headed
to her room.
"This is it," I said.
"Wow…"
"We set up the bed and curtains, but we didn't know what color sheets
you liked, so you can change them if you want. I thought a desk by the
window would be typical, but tell me if you want it moved someplace
else."
"Thanks. You really went to the trouble to set everything up for me…
I'm impressed."
She slipped past me and walked into the middle of the room. Though
her tone was flat, her eyes were busy taking in her surroundings like a
curious cat.
A girl my age was standing right in front of me. She was a rare beauty,
with her brightly dyed hair and fashionable appearance. I wasn't sure if it
was her shampoo, pheromones, or some special power at work that a
virgin like me couldn't understand, but a sweet scent like roasted honey
permeated the air.
She turned around, that scent lingering in her wake.
"It's so spacious," she said.
"Is it? I think it's pretty standard."
"Our last place was a shabby studio apartment. I didn't even have my own room."
"Oh, so you and Akiko had to spread out futons every night…or
something?"
No wonder all the furniture looked new.
"Not exactly. I had the place to myself at night. I went to school during
the day, and my mom worked at night, so our routines were completely
reversed."
"It must have been pretty carefree living like that, though. Now you're
going to have to deal with two extra guys in the house. I apologize for the
inconvenience."
"…That's okay, but…can I ask you something?"
"Of course. What is it?"
"The way you talk."
"Huh?"
"Why do you sound so formal? Not that I want you to change your
beliefs or principles or anything."
Did she think I was in some weird cult? I guess I did unquestioningly
accept the idea that you should be polite to people you were meeting for
the first time or those of higher rank, which might be some kind of
Japanese religious thing I wasn't aware of. But that aside…
"I'm actually not sure…," I said.
"We're the same age. You can be casual with me. You don't have to go
out of your way to be polite."
"That's all the more reason to be formal."
"Huh? Isn't it weird to talk to your friends and classmates like they're
above you?"
"That kind of attitude is for outgoing, successful people."
In my sixteen years, I'd barely ever talked to girls, particularly eye-
catching ones like Ayase. It might sound easy to her, but it wasn't so
simple for me to act casual and friendly.
"You think so?" she asked. "Well, I won't complain, but you don't
have to try to please me if that's what this is."
"No, it's not about that… Oh."
A thought occurred to me midsentence.
I recalled the day we first met when we were leaving the restaurant.
Ayase had suggested we not expect anything from each other.
No expectations. I repeated these words in my mind as I posed a
question to her.