The only thing we could do today was to collect the items that were already bagged up. There were too many to leave at the dump, so we had a contractor come to the front of the apartment, sorted them to the minimum, and handed them over.\n
That alone was hard work. After all, there was so much stuff that it covered the entire living room. I spent a lot of time just going to and from the apartment.\n
I arrived home around 6:00 p.m., exhausted.\n
I took a shower first since I had been touching the garbage all day. Then I started to prepare dinner.\n\n
When I finished dinner and was washing the dishes, Sayaka spoke to me.\n\n
âShitty brother.â\n\n
I thought her voice was lower than usual.\n
I turned off the water and looked at her face.\n\n
âWhatâs wrong?â\n
Today, it seems that she had been watched over her studies for about two hours. The time she got home was almost the same as mine.\n\n
âIâve asked you before, but is shitty brother dating that beautiful girl?â\n
âWhat?â\n\n
I couldnât understand what she was saying. Iâve already told her that itâs impossible. When I said that, Sayakaâs face turned sullen.\n\n
âOh, so youâre not dating huh. You go home together sometimes, but youâre not dating.â\n
âThatâs right.â\n
âI heard that that beautiful girl doesnât talk to other people at all, but she talks to shitty brother a lot. And yet youâre not dating her.â\n
ââŠâŠâ\n
âToday, for some reason, it seems like you were shopping together, but still, you guys arenât dating.â\n
ââŠâŠ Wait, how do you know about that?â\n\n
Iâm sure I hadnât told Sayaka or anyone yet. But I quickly remembered.\n
I crossed in front of the school on my way to Enami-sanâs house after leaving the home center. What if they had seen that scene?\n\n
âWere you watching âŠâŠ?â\n
âYes, I was.â\n\n
I broke out in a cold sweat inside. I hadnât thought of that possibility at all.\n
Of course, I had no bad conscience. But what would they think when they saw me?\n
I had left my sister in someone elseâs care, while I was taking care of another girl. And yet, I didnât tell them about it. Itâs a bad impression, no matter how you look at it.\n\n
ââŠâŠ Hey, were you the only one then?â\n\n
Sayaka shook her head.\n\n
âOf course not. Fujisaki-san was with me.â\n
It was the worst. I prioritized my business with Enami-san and forced Fujisaki to take care of my sister. Iâm sure I made her feel uncomfortable.\n
Maybe the rumor would have gotten out, and Fujisaki would have heard about it anyway. I regret that I should have said something sooner. It was too insincere.\n\n
âSorry, âŠâŠ.â\n
It was natural for Sayaka to be angry.\n
âIâll ask again. Are you going out with that beautiful girl?â\n
âNo.â\n
I told her that I was only doing her a favor. I told her that I had originally planned to finish it in a week or so and that I was going to watch Sayakaâs study afterward, so as not to make it sound like an excuse.\n
Whether or not she would be convinced was another matter.\n\n
âI want to ask my shitty brother something, okay?â\n
Her quizzical gaze was still piercing me.\n
âWhat is the relationship between Fujisaki-san and my shitty brother?â\n
âThat isâŠâŠ.â\n
The reason why I have trouble answering is that I havenât sorted it out properly in my mind. I heard the sound of water dripping into the sink.\n
âMy closest female friend. âŠâŠâ\n
That was the answer I came up with. None of the other words that came to mind rang true. Sayaka looked up at me, irritably rubbing her arms.\n
âFujisaki-san is cute, kind, and a really nice person. I could tell that she was really looking out for my shitty brother. To betray someone like that is the worst.â\n
âYes. But itâs not like I betrayed her. âŠâŠâ\n
âShut up.â\n
I couldnât say anything. I could tell that she was very upset about it.\n\n
âToday, Fujisaki-san helped me with my studies and I came to really like her. Even though my understanding was slow, she was kind to me without making a face of displeasure. Even though she should have been angry at my shitty brother, she said, âOokusu-kun has his own situationsâ. What a good person she is.â\n
ââŠâŠ Oh, so she wasnât mad at me.â\n
âDonât get carried away.â\n
âYes.â\n
âHereâs another question. What should my shitty brother do tomorrow?â\n\n
Even I, as expected, understood what Sayaka was trying to say. I answered immediately.\n\n
âIâll apologize to Fujisaki first thing tomorrow and explain the situation again.â\n
âGood.â\n\n
Itâs no excuse to say that you didnât expect to be seen. I have no choice but to sincerely apologize.\n
She might say that she doesnât care about it, because itâs Fujisaki. But I shouldnât take her word for it. I think I should apologize in some way.\n\n
âBy the way, what are the circumstances?â\n\n
Sayakaâs question was enough to stop me from thinking.\n
It reminded me of something I saw today. I met Enami-sanâs mother. I saw a terribly dirty room. I felt like I saw a part of what Enami-san was carrying.\n
That is not something I can share with anyone.\n
I must not even say anything that might give off even a hint.\n
Otherwise, there would be no reason for Enami-san to trust me.\n\n
âIâm sorry, but itâs a very private matter and I canât tell you.â\n\n
Thatâs all I could do. Thatâs all I can talk about.\n\n
âReally.â\n\n
Sayakaâs face turned sullen again.\n
âWell, shitty brother. Good luck tomorrow.â\n
âAa.â\n\n
I apologized in my heart as I watched Sayakaâs back as she left. I felt like I should watch over her studies. But since I took on the job, I also wanted to fulfill my responsibility.\n
I turned on the tap and let the water run. I scrubbed the dishes with a sponge.\n\n
The temperature of the water on my hands felt colder than usual.\n\n
<hr class="wp-block-separator is-style-wide">\nTN: Only one chapter today.. Iâm just lazy.\n\n