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Chapter 5 – To Move Forward\nVolume 2\n<hr class="wp-block-separator is-style-wide">\nThere was probably no one else who would go with him other than us. If you go once, you’ll never want to go through that again.\n\n
“By the way, don’t ever tell him about this.”\n
“Ah, that’s right. It’ll be trouble if he gets to know.”\n\n
My father loves karaoke. If he knew we were going, he might try to follow us no matter what. In addition, considering the disastrous state of affairs when I invited Fujisaki to my house, it is conceivable that he might say, “I’m greeting my future daughter-in-law”.\n
…It’s really no good. We have to hide it no matter what.\n\n
“If by any chance our father comes with us, it will be a traumatic experience for Fujisaki. I don’t want anyone else to have to go through that.”\n
“Yes, yes. We can’t have any more victims.”\n\n
Strangely enough, my father has been doing karaoke a lot, but he never seems to get any better. The reason why I know this is because when he comes home, he tells me what his score was, even though I didn’t ask him.\n
Generally speaking, the score is quite low, but my father doesn’t realize that. He is a happy man.\n\n
“Even when he hums, I get these chills. No, like I don’t know how he can hum so out of tune.”\n
“I try to stay away from him when he’s in a good mood. Because I feel like my ears are going to break if I listen to his humming.”\n
“I don’t even know what song he’s humming, but it’s so obviously messed up that it makes me sick. It makes me nervous to think that Dad is humming that song at work too.”\n
“Ugh, that seriously sucks…”\n\n
It’s a kind of pollution. Once he starts humming, he can’t stop, so it doesn’t matter what you say. The only thing you can do is wait for it to end.\n\n
“It’s really annoying because we can’t stop the noise. I wonder if he really has any friends.”\n
“Maybe he does. Well, maybe they hate it even more than us.”\n\n
He’s not a bad person. It’s not that I don’t respect him as a father myself. I know I can rely on him at times, and he watches over me warmly.\n
But that and this are different things.\n\n
“Dad’s department is basically a desk job, so I’m sure his humming can be heard in all directions. Just thinking about it is terrifying.”\n
“The offices you see on TV don’t have any partitions. I bet they can hear it.”\n\n
I really don’t know how he could get married. My mother must have been a saint or something.\n
Sayaka fiddled with her phone.\n\n
“Well, I don’t care about that father anyway.”\n\n
She abruptly dropped the subject. I laughed bitterly.\n\n
“That’s a terrible thing to say.”\n
“How are things going with shitty brother and Fujisaki-san?”\n\n
My heart jumped at the sudden question thrown in. Sayaka’s gaze flicked back and forth between the screen of her phone and my face. “What are you talking about?” I blurted out.\n\n
“What do you mean… No matter how naive my shitty brother is, you should know that much, right? I’m talking about romance.”\n
“You also do this love-talk stuff huh…”\n
“Are you doing this on purpose from before to drag it on? Answer the question.”\n\n
Actually, it was on purpose. I was at a loss as to how to answer.\n\n
“I’ll ask again. How far have you gotten?”\n
“No, I and Fujisaki are not like that…”\n
“Liar. Don’t underestimate the sensors of a secret otaku. I’m usually monitoring people’s expressions, so I can understand a lot of things.”\n
“…what’s with that?”\n\n
Even though I was talking lightly, I searched for the best course of action. I didn’t want to tell anyone that she had done something similar to a confession.\n\n
“What do you think of Fujisaki-san?”\n
“You’re saying the same thing as our father.”\n
“D-don’t put us together like that! I’m not saying it in her presence.”\n\n
She really doesn’t want to be put together. My poor father…\n\n
“I don’t know why you’re asking me that in the first place. It has nothing to do with you.”\n
“It’s none of my business… but..”\n\n
She was gritting her teeth. Perhaps she got a hunch about something while interacting with Fujisaki. It’s true that Sayaka’s sensors are not stupid. She is sensitive to the changes in my expression.\n\n
“Fujisaki-san initiated this karaoke as well, didn’t she?”\n
“…well.”\n
“I think you should think about all this properly. Seriously.”\n\n
There is no mistake in what Sayaka is saying. I know that I have to think about it myself.\n
However, thinking about it also means facing the past. Will I be able to forgive myself? Do I have the will to move forward?\n\n
“By the way, if I’m to tell you my personal opinion…”\n
She turned off the screen of the phone she had been looking at earlier.\n
“I don’t think anyone could be that good. I was surprised to find out that there could be such a pure person. A high school student is bound to have a corrupt thought or two, but she’s not like that at all. Isn’t she a blessing for someone as helpless as my brother?”\n
“Regardless of whether I’m helpless or not, Fujisaki definitely has a good personality.”\n
“She’s kind, cute, smart, and she never talks bad about anyone. She’s like the ideal girl. Don’t you think so?”\n
“…”\n\n
I couldn’t answer anything. She continued as if to deliver a finishing blow.\n\n
“I like her better than that beauty.”\n\n
…She is completely aware of Fujisaki’s feelings. That’s precisely why she said that. She’s asking me to take responsibility as a man.\n\n
“Anyway, just do it right on Sunday.”\n\n
That was all she said, and then she turned to her computer. Without paying attention to my presence, she started up an otome game and put her headphones in her ears. I guess that means the conversation is over.\n
There’s nothing I could do about it, so I left her room.\n
Even after I returned to my room, I couldn’t get her words out of my head.\n\n
I have a responsibility. I’m well aware of that.\n
I can’t run away from this forever. I have to think about it seriously.\n\n
I ended up agonizing over it all night.\n\n
<hr class="wp-block-separator is-style-wide">\nTN: I’ll try to get back to the usual pace… :p\n\n