CH 2

Chapter 2 : She’s Starting to Care

Shoichi’s school was located in a quiet residential area. The area in front of the station was well developed, but other than that, it was an ordinary neighborhood with no special features.

Some of the students used the station to go to school every morning, taking about an hour to get there. Fortunately for Shoichi and Amiru, their houses were not that far apart and they could walk to school.

Shoichi’s house was a rather large four-bedroom, two-story building located in a residential area.

In front of the entrance. Amiru was looking up at the Kashima household with her mouth wide open and a gleam of sentiment in her eyes.

“Wah~ It’s been so long since I’ve been to your house! It’s still so different from my house.”

“You live in an apartment, don’t you? I think a small space like that is more reasonable and easier to clean. Moreover, since it’s old and outdated, it’s more likely to be haunted, which makes it more valuable.”

“Ehh, I don’t want the ghosts to come out. I’ll be scared to live there.”

“What are you talking about? You’ll get the unique opportunity to study the occult scientifically. You can examine whether it is really a psychological illusion or whether it is something that is real…”

“You’ve always liked that kind of thing, haven’t you, Sho-chan?” After laughing, Amiru suddenly tilted her head at Shoichi. “By the way, no one seems to be home. Has Auntie or Uncle not returned yet?”

“Yeah, my mom and dad have been out of the country on business for a while now. Right now, I’m enjoying a comfortable life on my own.”

“Hee~… Then, that means it’s just the two of us tonight?”

“…Yeah.”

As he unlocked the front door, Shoichi froze. Certainly, it was not a good idea for a man and a woman of age to be alone together late at night. There were still a few people that remained at school, but right now, there wasn’t anyone left.

I brought her here on the spur of the moment, but I guess it was a bad idea…

Awkwardly, he looked at Amiru and found her scratching her cheek, and then nodding.

“Well, whatever, excuse me for intruding~”

“Is this okay?”

Shoichi hurriedly followed Amiru as she turned the doorknob on her own and went inside.

Amiru took off her shoes at the entrance and walked up the hallway, but her feet stopped dead in their tracks at one moment.

“Eh…?”

“What’s wrong?”

“There’s no ‘Bean-chan.'”

“‘Bean-chan?'”

“Remember the stuffed toy dog? You had it around here somewhere.” She motioned to the side of the hallway with a wave of her hand.

“Ah,” Shoichi nodded. “That tiny dog? I gave that to a relative of mine.”

“Ehh! You gave it away?!”

“Well, I wouldn’t have any stuffed animals at my age. It was a little bit after I got into junior high school.”

“Ehh, no way… I haven’t seen it in a while, so I was looking forward to it,” Amiru groaned in disappointment.

Come to think of it, this girl really liked that dog. Shoichi remembered, and for some reason, he felt guilty. Should he have left it for her?

No, I’ve been keeping my distance from this girl to begin with. I have no reason to go that far. As he was thinking about this, Amiru suddenly raised her voice suspiciously again.

“Nee~ Sho-chan.”

“What is it?”

“You know, this hallway…”

“This hallway?”

“Yeah. Um, you know, I just think it’s a little dusty.”

“Ah.”

Indeed, if one were to say, there was a thick layer of dust.

Shoichi gave a shrug of his shoulders.

“I haven’t done much cleaning or anything… It might be a little bit messy, but bear with me.”

“Yeah…”

Shoichi opened the door to the living room, passing by a stunned Amiru. The living room, dining room, and kitchen were all in one room, and he planned to teach Amiru her studies using the low table and sofa here.

“Come on in.”

“……”

Amiru was stunned. And she looked around.

Wondering why she was frozen and not moving, Shoichi looked around as well. There was nothing odd about it. except for a few books and magazines scattered around and some clothes left in the washing machine that had been forgotten.

“Ah. It’s looking a little messy after all. Give me a minute to clean it up.”

“……”

“Oh, there. There’s a cushion under the magazines. You can move them and sit. Don’t worry, the magazines act as a barrier, so I don’t think there will be any dust.”

“Ah, yeah.” Amiru nodded her head and did as she was told.

For some reason, she looked a little uncomfortable.

What is it? Maybe she doesn’t like the color of the cushions? What was her favorite color again? I’m pretty sure it was pink. When he was thinking about this, Amiru said to him in a dark voice,

“Um, Sho-chan.”

“What’s the matter?”

“There’s something soggy and wet on the edge of this cushion.”

“I guess I spilled something. Well, you can sit in the middle.”

“Hah~…”

Shoichi tilted his head again at her words, which were somehow less crisp than before she came in, but he reminded himself that he had things to do at the moment.

He then took out his study kit.

“Well then, let’s get back to studying. The first thing we need to do is a review of middle school geometry… I need my junior high school textbooks. Hang on, I’ll get it.”

“Yeah.” Amiru nodded while squirming uncomfortably.

○ ○ ○ ○ ○

It was quite the challenge to teach Amiru the formula for calculating the area of a figure. Still, he patiently taught her. Fortunately, she was not lacking in motivation. He taught her little by little, and before he knew it, it was completely dark outside.

“Okay, let’s take a break.”

“Yatta! I’m so tired.”

Relaxing her shoulders, Amiru slumped down on the low table–but braked in midair as she tried to do so. Shoichi noticed, too, that there was a layer of dust.

I know I should have cleaned up a little–but then again, Amiru is a highschool gal with a light personality, so I thought she wouldn’t mind this much. As he was having a somewhat prejudiced thought, suddenly, his stomach rumbled.

“It’s already this late. Why don’t you have dinner here?”

“Oh, dinner? What’s for dinner?

“Just wait here. I’ll check first.”

“Ah, wait. I’m coming too… !?”

Amiru’s face tightened as she and Shoichi walked around the living room to the other side of the kitchen counter.

On the cart near the dining room, there were crumb-stained plates and cup noodle containers left unattended. There were spoons and plates left in the sink too. There was not even a sign of the dishes being washed.

“Um, this is, um…”

“Ah, yeah. Today is not the day to wash the dishes. I wash it once every three days.”

“……”

“More importantly, Amiru. What do you want to eat for dinner? My recommendation is… Ah, this jelly is good. It’s nutritious and doesn’t take much time. It’s very efficient.” Saying so, Shoichi pulled out a nutritional supplement jelly from the refrigerator.

When Amiru received the jelly, she stared at it and murmured quietly. “…Sho-chan, do you always eat this stuff?”

“Yeah, I’m rather busy with my studies. I don’t want to spend too much time on my meals.”

“Mmm, all I see is this…”

“Ah, you think my dinner is boring, don’t you? It’s not though. Jelly’s got a collection of different flavors. And I don’t just eat jelly, I also eat cup noodles and cornflakes in rotation, so there’s a good variety to choose from…”

It was at this moment.

Amiru, who had her face down, muttered to herself.

“I’ve…limit.”

“Yes?”

“I’ve reached my limit! I’ve been patient, but this is now NG, New Good!”

“O-Oi, what are you talking about? What’s with the NG? Shouldn’t it be No Good?”

But Amiru didn’t answer, instead she gathered up the dishes and quickly carried them to the sink. Turning on the faucet, she filled the washing basin with water and dipped them into it.

Then, looking around, “There it is!” She shouted with glee and pulled out a bunch of garbage bags from the plastic bag hanging next to the cupboard. She took out one and threw the cup noodle containers into it. She then went around to the living room and picked up the trash that was strewn about.

Shoichi was surprised. He was surprised because Amiru’s actions were agile and completely different from the light-hearted atmosphere he had been used to. As she finished collecting the trash, the shock of the gap brought him back to himself.

“O-Oi, what are you doing at someone else’s house…?”

But Amiru turned around with her cheeks puffed out. “‘What are you doing?’ That’s not right! What is this room!? It’s dirty and dusty… At least throw out the trash properly! What if you get cockroaches or something!?”

“Ah, no, that’s…”

“And what’s with all the jelly, cup noodles and cornflakes!? You’re going to get sick from that! It’s not good for your nutrition, you know!?”

“No, that’s why I’m getting my nutrition from jelly…”

“You should eat a proper meal! I really can’t take it anymore…”

When Amiru had finished collecting the trash, she went back to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. She mumbled, “Ah, there’s really no good ingredients.” She then went to find a notepad and scribbled on it with a pen. Tearing off a sheet, she handed it to Shoichi.

“Here you go!”

“Huh?”

“Go buy them, now!”

“Bu…buy?”

“I think the supermarket near here is still open. Auntie gives you living expenses, doesn’t she? There should be some things available that aren’t that expensive, so hurry!”

“Y-Yes!” After saluting, Shoichi looked again at the note handed to him. “300 grams of pork (the kind sold at a special price), onions (a set of three), spinach (the cheapest one)… What’s this?”

“Come on, just listen and get them!”

The power of the situation made Shoichi shout “yes” again, and he grabbed his shopping bag and ran out of the house.

In an unfamiliar supermarket, he asked the clerk about this and that, and bought the items, which were mostly ingredients, that were written in the note.

When he returned home, he saw something he couldn’t believe.

“Ah, welcome back, Sho-chan.”

It was Amiru, standing in the kitchen, who greeted Shoichi with these words.

Her tension seemed to have subsided, and her expression had returned to a relaxed one, but it didn’t matter to Shoichi at this point.

The problem was that she was wearing an apron, the one from his house, and holding a knife.

Her loose sleeves were rolled up and she was rhythmically chopping scallions on the cutting board. Steam was rising from a pot on the stove. An electric rice cooker was plugged into a nearby outlet.

All of these appliances were ones that even Shoichi, the current owner of the house, had never used before, but when Amiru used them, everything seemed to fall into place and fit perfectly.

She’s still as flamboyant as before, but the apron and knife look oddly good on her…

Shoichi couldn’t help but look at her. But Amiru didn’t notice, and after stirring the pot with a ladle, she turned around with a smile.

“I’m glad Auntie left some rice and scallions. I also found some miso paste, so I’ll make miso soup with the scallions. The soup stock is just plain broth, but bear with it, okay?”

“Ah, yeah?”

“And did you do the shopping I asked? OK. Just leave it there.”

As he was about to place the shopping bags on the table, Shoichi realized something. The dusty tabletop had been wiped clean.

No, not only the table, but also the living room and the hallway too. There was not even a speck of dust. Looking from the living room to the balcony, he could see the laundry being hung out to dry.

No way… She finished the cleaning and laundry while I went to the store, and is now cooking?

As he was mumbling inwardly, Amiru came over to his side and took out some pork, onions, carrots, potatoes, and spinach.

“It’s a bit tricky, but let’s make meat stew and boiled spinach.”

“Ah, yeah.”

From then on, it was uncharted territory for Shoichi.

In a frying pan, she sautéed the pork and chopped vegetables, then poured sugar, cooking sake and soy sauce over the vegetables and simmered them. In the meantime, she boiled the spinach, wrung it out, and added it to the broth and seasonings.

The miso soup with scallions was already finished.

When everything was done, the rice cooker beeped, and Shoichi served white rice in the bowl that Amiru had instructed him to serve.

A few minutes later, he sat down at the table where the food had been laid out. Across from him, Amiru, who had taken off her apron, also sat down and picked up her chopsticks with a smile on her face.

“Itadakimasu.“

“…Itadakimasu.“

Then, he savored a bite of white rice and meat stew. It was delicious. Next, he tasted the spinach and miso soup. It was also perfect.

It had been a long time since he had had a real dinner like this. Somehow, it made him feel warm and fuzzy.

At that moment, he noticed Amiru staring at his face.

“Wh-What’s wrong?”

“Mhmm, I just wanted to make sure it suits your palate.”

“Ah, that, it’s fine… It’s delicious.”

“Is that so? That’s good then.”

Perhaps at this point, Amiru finally felt relieved and began to eat her own food. “So you’re satisfied?” She asked and Shoichi nodded his head.

“I guess that’s that then. Ah, there’s more meat stew, so keep eating.”

“No, I can’t eat that much…”

“No, since you’re a boy, you have to eat well. Otherwise, you won’t grow.”

When Amiru pointed her finger at him, as if scolding a child, Shoichi nodded his head and said, “Yes.”

What’s with the different atmosphere from the Amiru earlier? Having said this, she was not the frightened girl he remembered from his childhood.

There was something homelike and maternal about her–to put it bluntly, she was like a mother. As he watched Amiru’s chest heaving with her hands on her hips, Shoichi thought about this and continued to bring the food to his mouth without interruption.

○ ○ ○ ○ ○

When the meal was over, Amiru washed the dishes quickly. Shoichi had said he would take care of it, but she refused by flapping her hands.

“I’ll take care of it. You go rest, Sho-chan.”

She winked at him, and her hands were very skilled, he would have slowed her down if he helped her.

Thanks to this, the dishes were done in a few minutes, giving Shoichi plenty of time to relax in the living room.

After that, they resumed their study session. It seemed that the proper meal had calmed him down, and he felt that he was able to teach more effectively than before. Thanks to his efforts, he succeeded in getting Amiru to solve one of the problems in just over ten minutes.

“Alright, that’s enough for today.”

“Yeah, that was a long time. I feel like I’ve studied for a lifetime.” Amiru was back to her usual light-hearted self, smiling wryly as she said this.

Somewhat curious, Shoichi asked her as she plopped down on the low table in the living room.

“Hey, you’re really good at cooking. Do you do it all the time?”

“…Ah, yeah. Well, I like doing housework and stuff.”

“That’s surprising. You didn’t do these things when you were little, did you?”

“Well, it’s been a while. I just started doing it. These days, I like to take care of people around me, not just myself.”

“Take care…?”

“Right. The neighborhood kids, they love it when I make them sweets and stuff. I also cleaned my friends’ rooms… Everyone looks so happy, and it’s fun to watch.”

After saying that, Amiru smiled at Shoichi from her lying position, looking at him only in the face.

“Sho-chan, it’s been a really long time since I talked to you. It’s only natural that you don’t know about these things.”

“Yeah… I guess so.”

“I’m growing up in a lot of ways. Not only do I cook and clean, but I also do my own laundry and shopping, and I love doing it! By the way, my favorite word these days is thirty percent off!”

“Ah, that’s…”

Shoichi remembered that during the day, the topic had suddenly shifted to radishes.

Amiru showed the back of her hand. “30% off on radishes at X*X Supermarket!” was written. It seemed to be a note.

“I tend to forget things, so when I see a flyer for a product I want to remember, I write it down.”

“By any chance, were you planning to buy radishes today? Well, I’m sorry then.”

“Ah, it’s fine. It wasn’t something I really wanted… But don’t tell anyone, okay? It’s kind of embarrassing to have a note in your hand about a sale.”

“…Embarrassing?” Shoichi tilted his head.

It certainly reeked of life, but he thought to himself that it was reasonable and fine.

However, Amiru seemed to be really embarrassed and her face was bright red, so he assured her, “I won’t tell anyone.” She then seemed relieved and smiled wryly.

“Thank you, Sho-chan, you’re so kind. I love you.”

“Ah, yeah.”

The word “love” stunned Shoichi for a moment, but he soon realized that Amiru meant it as a friend. At the same time, he was shocked at his own heart’s reaction.

No, no, no, what is wrong with me? Even though we’ve been estranged, I’ve known Amiru for a long time. Her atmosphere has changed quite a bit, but… There’s no reason for me to be nervous!

He was just startled by the unfamiliar words. That’s what he concluded, and decided to accept.

At that moment, the expression on Amiru’s face, which had been out of sorts, changed drastically, and now she looked around sternly.

“Still… Sho-chan, it’s a little too dirty in here.”

“Eh, eh? But you just cleaned it up for me?”

“That was just a stopgap measure. I need to clean up better and get all the dust out of the corners. Even the furniture has to be moved and dusted. If we leave it like this, the room will be infested with bugs, and when that happens, Sho-chan will really get sick.”

Amiru looked at him and made her mouth into a pout. Again, she was in her mother mode.

When Shoichi shrugged, she suddenly clasped her hands together as if she had come up with a good idea.

“Ah, that’s right. I’ll clean up Sho-chan’s house for a while… No, I’ll just take care of Sho-chan.”

“What?”

“Yeah, it’s decided, I like the idea. From now on, I’ll be Sho-chan’s substitute mother!”

“N-No, no, wait a minute! You don’t get to make decisions like that! I don’t need you to do that for me!”

“Mou~, You don’t have to be shy, Sho-chan~ I like taking care of people, so I’ll do it because I like it. Besides, Sho-chan teaches me how to study, so it’s only natural for me to do something in return, right?”

“Eh, Ah… That’s true… But.”

“Alright then, it’s settled! I’ll make you dinner again tomorrow. Look forward to it.”

“Ah, um…”

He could have refused, but remembering the taste of the food he had just eaten, Shoichi was reluctant to part with it. It could be said that he was baited.

Besides, as Amiru herself had said, it made sense for her to thank Shoichi for his tutoring.

We-Well, it’s give and take… It should be fine.

In return, he’d do whatever he could to improve her grades.

When he had made up his mind, Shoichi held out his hand to Amiru.

“All right, we have a deal. And in exchange, don’t tell anyone about this. Because it’s kind of uncool to have a girl my own age taking care of me.”

“OK, I also like to take care of the house, but I’d be embarrassed if my friends found out. It’ll be our secret.” Amiru nodded in a light-hearted manner and smiled happily.

Firmly and warmly, they squeezed their hand.

Thus, their lives, which were never supposed to cross again, began to intersect once again in a strange way.