Chapter 98 – Once Again, Asanagi’s Family (5)

Before having our 'talk', we had breakfast first.

The main dish for breakfast was miso soup made from yesterday's leftovers, omelet and rice. I noticed that Asanagi's family's omelet was saltier than ours, maybe it was to follow Daichi-san's taste.

"You didn't eat much last night, right, Maki-kun? You should eat a lot now to make up for it. Umi too."

"Y-Yes… Thanks for the food…"

"M-Mm…"

It was hard to resist her after what just happened, so we obeyed Sora-san and ate. The dessert was fruits and like the rest of the food, we also cleaned them up. Everything was delicious.

After breakfast, Sora-san gave us a warning.

She was mainly angry toward Umi. Apparently, Sora-san had persuaded Daichi-san to let us sleep together on the pretense that we would only sleep and nothing else. She also notified my mom about it.

"You should have told me about all this first, Umi…"

"I mean, I thought that if we were to kiss sneakily, they wouldn't notice~ Besides, I wanted to do it with you, Maki…"

"I-I see…"

"M-Mhm…"

"You two…"

""Y-Yes! We are sorry!""

We were doing seiza inside the room next to the living room. We bowed our heads to Sora-san, who was also doing seiza in front of us.

She had her usual smile, but the pressure coming from her was no joke.

"Very well… I'm not saying that it's forbidden for you two to kiss or anything, but you have to choose the right time and place first."

"Right… Otherwise, things might escalate further than that… Right?"

So they were afraid that we might be getting caught up in the moment and accidentally go further than kissing…

"Hehe, correct. You don't want to make the same mistake as we did, right?"

"Huh? Same mistake?"

Umi turned her gaze from Sora-san to Daichi-san, who was relaxing inside the living room.

"Mom, don't tell me, you…"

"Well…"

Sora-san continued as her cheeks turned red.

I turned my gaze toward Daichi-san.

"Um… Back when we were in high school, your dad was visiting my parents' house, but at that time, I was the only one at home–"

"Are you talking about me right now?"

"I'm not, maybe it's just your imagination, Dear."

That was a lie of course. Anyway, it seems that Umi's parents had quite the history.

Come to think of it, they were supposed to be in their forties, but Riku-san was twenty five years old already, no? 

"Anyway, this is all I want to say. Maki-kun, if you're going to do it, choose the right time and place. Umi, you need to fulfill your promises, don't get caught up in the atmosphere, stop messing around, focus on your exams, learn how to cook while I'm still able to teach you–"

"Why am I the only one who's getting the long lecture?! Besides, I can learn how to cook anytime I want!"

This showed how much Sora-san cared about us.

Considering the future, I needed to have a good relationship with her. This was for Umi's sake as well, so I needed to do my best.

Eventually, Sora-san's sermon came to an end and I was about to let out a sigh of relief when…

"Maki-kun, can I talk to you alone for a minute?"

"Cough!"

The breath I was about to exhale was violently sucked in.

"Don't be scared. It's just a small talk."

"I-It won't be a small talk with your fists, right?"

"If you prefer it that way, we can arrange that."

"N-No thank you."

Daichi-san took me to the garden. Umi stayed by Sora-san's side because apparently Sora-san hasn't done with her yet. By the way, Riku-san was still sleeping in his room.

We both sat down below the eaves.

"My wife and daughter told me everything last night."

"…Um… I'm sorry about last night…"

"I don't mind. It's a matter that will make even us adults cry too. I imagine that it would be worse for you, you're a high school student after all. You've been holding it together by yourself for so long… Maki-kun, you did a great job."

"…Yes…"

He placed his large hand on my head. His kindness almost made me cry, but I held my tears back. Once was enough, I didn't want to look that pathetic again.

"But at the same time, you pushed yourself too hard. Being considerate of your parents is good, but that doesn't mean you have to hide your feelings like this. If you keep that up, your heart will eventually break."

That was what happened yesterday. It was thanks to Umi that the worst didn't happen. If it wasn't for her, I don't know what would have happened to me…

"But, even if I acted selfishly, it wouldn't have mattered, right? They already decided to divorce, my cries and screams would only annoy them…"

"You're correct. Nothing will change even if you scream at them. They were probably long past the point where they would listen to the words of a single child."

"Then, what's the point? Acting selfishly will be useless…"

"No, it won't be useless."

"Eh?"

"At the very least, it will make you feel better, am I wrong?"

"Ah…"

His words became clear to me.

It was difficult to change others' through one's action, but it was more than possible to change oneself through it.

"People will say, 'Think about how your parents feel', or 'Be more mature', but in the end, those are just the empty words uttered by unrelated parties. Ultimately, the only person who can help you, is yourself, so you shouldn't hold back. You might be a child, but adults shouldn't restrain you more than necessary."

"…But isn't being selfish bad? You won't tell something like this to your subordinates, right, Daichi-san?"

"Correct. Well, in our line of work, being selfish will be detrimental to our operations, though it depends on the situation."

"Being an adult seems troublesome…"

"Well, you'll experience it yourself after you graduate."

'There's no need for you to think much about it now', he continued.

"That's all I have to say. I know I sound preachy, but I want you to stay strong, Maki-kun. After all, your existence will make things a lot easier for me. Honestly, it's hard to keep up with both my wife and daughter at this age…"

"…I can see where you're coming from…"

In a way, both of us were kindred spirits.

"She's a selfish and mischievous girl, but Maki-kun, please continue to get along with her."

"Yes. Please take care of me in the future, Daichi-san."

We shook hands firmly.

My visit to Umi's house was quite fulfilling. I made a scene at dinner, followed by a sleepover in Umi's room, then we tried to kiss and got lectured together. Thanks to the Asanagi family's kindness, I managed to recover.

Now, I'm looking forward to Christmas.