Gimai Seikatsu - Days With My Step Sister-Chapter 114: June 12th (Saturday) — Asamura Yuuta

My old man, dragging a large suitcase, stood side by side with Akiko-san at the front entrance.

I could see the blue sky behind them from where I stood in the hallway. The rainy season would probably start in just under a week, but today, it was sunny and pleasant. If you listened close, you could hear sparrows chirping from the treetops below.

"Um... So, Yuuta, we'll be off now."

"Take care of the house, okay?"

My old man looked worried, while Akiko-san seemed rearing to go.

"Yes, everything will be fine."

I turned a forced smile towards Akiko-san and shot my old man an annoyed look, as if to say, "You don't need to worry so much."

"Are you absolutely sure? Don't forget to lock up, alright? And don't skimp on your meals just because it's a hassle, you have to eat properly. It's not cool to skip them just because it's a pain, you hear?"

"Yes, yes. Leave it to me."

Ayase-san, standing beside me, chimed in too.

"Don't worry. I'll cook, and lock the doors too. Yuuta-niisan and I will make sure to watch over the house while you're away."

Yuuta-niisan. Just hearing that got my heart racing a bit.

"Yuuta-niisan" was a special way of addressing me that Ayase-san and I decided on about ten days ago, to use exclusively at home. We told our parents some vague reason like, "We've been living together for a year, so it's a good time to change."

It wasn't technically a lie, but not the whole truth either. We were just supposed to be step-siblings, but our feelings for each other have grown beyond that. After an undefined relationship over the summer, we confirmed our feelings for each other on Halloween. Since then, our relationship had changed from just being step-brother and step-sister to also being lovers.

On the flip side, though, there was my old man and Akiko-san's relationship to consider. They'd both been single parents for a fair while before remarrying and had finally created a family together. It wasn't something Ayase-san nor I wanted to jeopardize. It's not like we could be shameless enough to ignore the fact we were step-siblings, even if it was just by marriage.

That was probably why, ever since we were put in the same class at school, we'd struggled to gauge the proper distance between us. Without realizing it, we'd reached a point just shy of codependency. We couldn't go on like that. We felt that something had to change, hence why we decided to reconsider our boundaries at home. So, at home, Ayase-san would call me "Yuuta-niisan." It's a bit more intimate than "Asamura-kun," but by adding "niisan," it serves as a reminder of our roles. Ayase-san wanted to tone down the excessive displays of affection at home. As for me, I chose to close the gap a bit and call her "Saki," sans honorifics.

But, even though we decided on it together, I'm still not used to Ayase-san calling me "Yuuta-niisan."

"It sounds a bit awkward, doesn't it?" Akiko-san pointed out, causing my blood to pump faster.

"W-what does?"

"You seem a bit uneasy whenever she calls you 'niisan', Yuuta-kun."

"It's not like that, right, Yuuta-niisan? That's right, isn't it, Yuuta-niisan? You're used to it now, aren't you, Yuuta-niisan?"

She was being a little too forceful. Repeating it over and over again feels kind of counterproductive. My old man was giving us a weird look, too.

"Uh, well, yeah. I guess I'm used to it."

I tried to just brush it off with a vague answer, and Akiko-san sighed, saying, "Well, it's fine."

"Anyway, you two don't need to worry about Saki and me. It's a rare chance for you to go on a trip alone together, so just enjoy yourselves."

My old man and Akiko-san were about to go on a one-night, two-day trip, for the first anniversary of their remarriage.

The first I'd heard of it was five days ago, on the anniversary of us all living together. Though, I'd since heard my old man's feelings on it from Ayase-san—via Akiko-san. Apparently he'd intended to cancel this trip. Although they'd planned it, the fact that both of them had remarried and each brought along a minor from their previous marriages (Ayase-san and I) made him consider giving up on the trip. Us preparing for entrance exams might've been another reason. But that's when Akiko-san had told him it would only make us kids feel bad if they canceled.

"But still, leaving the two of you alone at home feels kind of irresponsible..."

"It's fine, Taichi-san. There've been times when both of us weren't home, haven't there? Isn't that right, Saki?"

Ayase-san gave her a sharp nod in response. Akiko-san smiled warmly when she saw her daughter's face. She playfully smacked my still-reluctant old man on the butt to hurry him along.

"C'mon, Taichi-san. If we don't leave soon, we'll get stuck in traffic."

He finally started to wheel the suitcase towards the elevator. Even then, he glanced back at us. Ayase-san and I waved until the two of them got onto the elevator. Once they were out of sight, we went back inside.

"My old man's such a worrywart."

I locked the front door as I thought about the look on his face.

For the next two days, it'll just be Ayase-san and me. Alone.

"Should we eat now? If we wait too long, it'll be lunchtime already," Ayase-san said.

"Sounds good."

I took out my phone to check the time—just past 7:30.

Cooking on weekends usually falls on Akiko-san and my old man. But since both of them were away, it was up to us to cook for ourselves. Today was Ayase-san's turn, and tomorrow would be mine.

We both headed to the dining room.

"I'll help with prep."

"Nah, it's mostly done, so just sit down at the table."

I felt guilty about doing nothing, so I took care of the little tasks I could do. I wiped down the table, served up the rice, and got us drinks as per usual. I took out a pot of barley tea we'd been chilling in the fridge. When I poured it into a glass, beads of condensation quickly formed on the surface. It was already mid June, so it was warm even in the mornings. We had the air-con going.

As I sat down at my seat, I snuck a glance at Ayase-san's back while she cooked. She was wearing an off-shoulder white top under her apron, adorned with small ribbons on both upper arms. Instead of comfortable loungewear, it looked more like an outfit for going out, minus her accessories—like a choker and earrings. Just like a year ago, she looked impeccable as always. That being said, our relationship had changed a lot since then.

"Alright, should we eat?"

I quickly looked up, startled by Ayase-san's voice. Everything was ready. The two of us put our hands together and said "itadakimasu" before digging in.

Grilled salmon slices, rolled omelet, rice, and miso soup—probably the most standard combo we've had over the past year. It was the kind of breakfast you'd find at a ryokan[1]. I was curious about the ingredients peeking out from the miso soup, so I stuck my chopsticks in and stirred it lightly before speaking.

[Ryokan: A traditional Japanese inn, often with tatami-matted rooms, onsen baths, and traditional meals.]

"There's cabbage in here."

"Yep. Spring cabbage and new potatoes[2]. It's miso soup with seasonal veggies. Is it weird?"

[Shin-jaga, or "new potatoes", refers to young, early-harvest potatoes with thin skin and a sweeter, waxier texture. ]

"Nah. I'm just not used to having cabbage, let alone potatoes, in miso soup."

When I think of cabbage, for whatever reason I picture it shredded and served next to tonkatsu[3]. Or cut into bite-sized pieces and stir-fried with onions, carrots, and pork.

[tonkatsu: Breaded and deep-fried pork cutlet.]

"I figured it was normal to put it in miso soup too. Anyway, if it feels strange, you can think of it as stew."

"You mean like, think of it as a miso-flavored stew?"

"Exactly."

I swapped my mental image of the miso soup in front of me to Western soup and looked down at it again, and strangely enough, the weird feeling vanished. Ah okay, so this is what prejudice feels like.

"By the way, is it cabbage season at the moment?"

I got a nod in reply.

Spring cabbage, as the name suggests, is cabbage sown in autumn and harvested in spring.

"It's more like early summer than spring now, but it's still in season."

"It's around that time in the north, isn't it? I don't really know, honestly. But they had it labeled 'spring cabbage' at the shop, so I'm sure it's right. Same for the new potatoes. Besides, it's fine if it's off by a month or two, right?"

I feel like if it's off by two months, the season would have changed, but that's fine I guess. What matters is whether it's delicious or not.

I lightly stirred the soup to even out the flavor before taking a sip.

"This miso soup... or should I say miso stew? Either way, it's delicious. You can really taste the sweetness of the veggies."

I picked up some cabbage and new potatoes with my chopsticks and took a bite. They were cooked just right, with the cabbage retaining its crunchiness and the potatoes maintaining their fluffiness. That meant the timing for cooking them had been spot on. And that subtle taste on my tongue was…

"Ginger?"

"Yeah, just a touch."

"Wow, it's refreshing."

"Thanks for saying that."

Maybe I'd overdone it with the compliments, as Ayase-san's response was a bit indifferent as she quietly started eating too. Over the past year, I'd learnt that when Ayase-san acted like this it was likely down to her shyness.

"So, Asa—Yuuta-niisan, what're your plans today?"

"It's okay, you can call me Asamura now. Our parents aren't around."

"No. If I call you that, you'll feel too much like a stranger. That's the reason I decided to call you 'Yuuta-niisan' in the first place."

So, for Ayase-san, this was like some magic spell she used to avoid getting too touchy with me at home.

Abracadabra. Alakazam. Brothers and sisters shouldn't hug each other and what not at home, off we go.

But just keeping her away from me won't solve anything. If I do that, she won't see me as "special and close family." So, I have to get a little closer.

"Uhm, my plans… I have work in the afternoon. What about you, Saki?"

Hearing me use her name, Saki's face relaxed and she smiled, her usual poker face crumbling. If changing the way I address her relieves her stress, I'll gladly do it... at least, I think I can.

"I'm just going shopping today. We're running out of detergent, and we need more veggies too. I also have homework to do, so I figured I'd get it done on Saturday."

"I'm gonna be near the station for work anyway, so why don't I buy what we need?"

"Alright then, I'll make a list of what we need later. If anything comes up, I'll shoot you a message."

"Got it."

"..."

Huh? She's looking at me with such expectant eyes.

"Got it, Saki."

"Uh-huh. Thanks, Yuuta-niisan."

Alright. I think this is probably the appropriate distance between me and Ayase-san right now. I feel like that worked.

"What's wrong?"

"What do you mean?"

"You have this look like you've just finished a task or something."

"Do I?"

"But you know, in times like these, you tend to forget the important stuff. You sure you're okay?"

"I think I'm okay... I hope."

I was feeling a bit anxious now, if I'm honest.

After that, we chatted about what had been going on in our lives over the past few days while eating the typical Japanese breakfast.

We talked about how our throats were dry when we woke up in the morning, how summer was already here, and how swimming classes were starting. Speaking of, Ayase-san mentioned that she might need to buy a new swimsuit this year because the old one might not fit anymore. Midway, Ayase-san seemed to realize who she was talking to and hesitated. Her candidness was probably a remnant from when her only conversations at home were with Akiko-san. It goes to show how I've become someone she trusts and can be comfortable around. Though, even if I were her real brother, swimsuit sizes probably wouldn't be on the list of conversation topics. Perhaps this was a manifestation of her uncertainty about our closeness.

To avoid any awkwardness, I decided to change the topic. Anything would have done, but what came to my mind was…

"How you feeling about the sports festival on Tuesday?"

"Not too bad, I guess. But, I mean, at the very least I don't want to hold everyone back. You feel that way too, don't you Yuuta-niisan?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty rubbish at basketball."

"Oh really? Honestly, I never thought you'd choose basketball."

Hearing her call me "you" threw me for a loop. Is it because she recently stopped calling me "Asamura-kun"? She occasionally mixed in the pronoun "you" when addressing me now. Maybe "Yuuta-niisan" was too long for her, or perhaps she subconsciously didn't want to address me as a brother. Regardless, my brain hadn't adjusted to the unfamiliar phrasing yet.

"Yoshida invited me."

"Oh, you guys have been pretty close lately."

"We have, yeah, since we were together on the school trip."

"I saw you two practicing hard. Your shots were on point."

I chose basketball, and Ayase-san chose volleyball, so we both practiced in the gym. Meaning, we could see each other's progress.

"You saw that? I just got lucky with that one shot."

"But if you did it once, you can do it again."

"To do that, I need a lot more practice."

I'm not good at it, after all. Being more of an indoor person, I can't keep up with sports club members like Yoshida. That said, my endurance might be at least above average. Working at a bookstore is pretty physically demanding. It was a relief that I wasn't completely hopeless at sports.

"It probably suits you better than tennis though, right?"

"Now that I think about it, Saki, you nailed both receiving and returning the ball at practice. You've got some skills, I must say."

In basketball you only need to grab the ball, but in volleyball you need to return it, which seems more challenging to me. In fact, when I played it in PE, I was hot garbage at receiving the ball.

"I'm not good at it either. But if I'm going to do it, I don't wanna weigh down my teammates," Ayase-san said with a wry smile.

"Well then, let's just give it our best shot."

"Agreed."

In truth, both of us were surprised by our individual choices. Me choosing basketball and Ayase-san choosing volleyball. Until last year, we both chose tennis, a solo sport where we didn't have to interact with other people. And I remember when Ayase-san used to skip or slack off in the PE classes meant for sports festival practice.

To be fair, Narasaka-san, who claimed to have practiced, once showcased a spectacular home run during tennis, so the jury's out on how committed she was to it. I digress. The point is, both of us used to say we absolutely despised team sports.

And yet, both of us were participating in team competitions this year.

We shared a meal together in the morning light, occasionally trading words between bites. Time seemed to flow slowly. The TV in the living room was off, and there was no news or music to disturb us.

Every time she reached for the big salad bowl in the center of the table, Ayase-san's hair would cascade down from her shoulders. It's gotten longer, I thought. Her once-short hair had returned to its original length. Its brightly colored tips looked almost translucent as her hair caught the morning sunlight streaming in through the window.

"What is it?"

I quickly looked away after realizing I'd been staring. This was the first weekend I was spending alone with the step-sister who popped into my life a year ago. As Akiko-san rightly pointed out, there were definitely days when both of our parents didn't return home until late at night. In that sense, it was just like any other day really. But, I couldn't remember a single time both of them had been gone for an entire day. It was just the two of us. Whatever Ayase-san and I did, there was no one to stop us or tell us off. Not that we planned to do anything in particular, mind you.

"Thanks for the food," Ayase-san said.

"Looks like you finished eating quickly while I was spacing out. Sorry."

"It's okay. It's Saturday after all."

Ayase-san unhurriedly put the kettle on, likely to make some tea or coffee to finish up the meal.

"But I have work."

"What time are you leaving?"

"Like, 10. I start at 11."

Time was ticking. After cleaning up after the meal, I washed and hung up my work uniform. By the time I packed it into my bag, it was already time to leave. Ayase-san handed me a bento, saying she'd made it for me to eat during my break. I'd just planned on grabbing something from the convenience store, so I was more than happy to accept it. I should make something for her when she works tomorrow, I thought to myself.

I pedaled my bike towards the station. The noise of the bento box rattling around in the basket annoyed me, so I couldn't ride as fast as I normally did. I hope Ayase-san's handmade bento isn't ruined.

I walked into the bookstore where I work. I changed into my uniform and went to the office, where I saw an unfamiliar girl talking to the manager. But before I could wonder who she was, the girl looked at me and bowed.

"Nice to meet you. Starting today, I'll be working here. My name's Kozono Erina."

The girl bowing and introducing herself looked to be about one or two years younger than me. Most likely two, so maybe a first year at high school. The new school term had only started two months ago, and she still had a junior high schooler vibe about her.

She was short. Among the girls I knew—excluding cousins—the shortest I'd ever met was Narasaka-san. But this girl looked even shorter than that. I felt like I'd have to bend my knees a bit just to make eye contact with her. That's probably why she seemed even more like a small animal than Narasaka-san. The way her soft hair was tied up high on both sides of her head added to her childlike appearance. I wasn't up with women's hairstyles, but I'm pretty sure this was what they called "twin tails." The interesting part to me was that her hair was two different colors. It was mainly black, with dyed pink strands mixed in.

I had a hunch she might be a new part-timer, honestly. Yomiuri-senpai, who the store manager relied on most, said she'd be busy with job hunting and her graduation thesis. Seeing the drop in work hours coming, the manager mentioned he wanted to hire more student part-timers for weekends.

"Good morning, Manager."

"Uh-huh. Good morning, Asamura-kun."

The manager greeted me back with that usual gentle smile of his. I guess he'll introduce me.

"That's Yuuta," he said, nodding in my direction.

I bowed my head slightly to her and glanced at the girl. It looked like he understood the meaning behind my gaze.

"I mentioned it before…"

"About a new student part-timer, you mean?"

"Yeah. She'll be helping us out starting today. Umm... Kosono, no wait, Kozono... is that right?"

"Yes, it's Kozono. In Kanji it's written as 'small garden'."

"Garden… Ah, isn't that written as 'sono'?"[4]

[The kanji for garden is "園" (sono), but when "小" (ko), meaning small/little, is added it changes to "zono", which is what Erina is explaining here.]

"Yes! Like 'ko-mado' is small window, or 'ko-bune' is small boat, 'ko-zono' is 'small garden!'"

"Got it. Kozono-san it is. I'm Asamura."

"Asamura-senpai? I might be inexperienced, but please take care of me!"

"Ah, no, same here."

Wait. What did she mean by "please take care of me"?

"I was only just telling her, but I'm thinking about leaving Kozono-san's mentoring up to you, Asamura-kun."

"Me, ah, wait, myself?"

"Haha. You don't have to force yourself, Asamura-kun. You're always so polite. It's okay to just say 'me.' No one's going to care, in this store at least."

I've been working here since my first year of high school, so it's been a full two years. That's a long time for student part-timers, sure, but there are people like Yomiuri-senpai and others who have been here longer than I have. Plus, in terms of age, Ayase-san and I are the youngest. That'll change though, with Kozono-san joining.

"I think it's easier to get advice from someone close to your own age."

"Well, I'm not that great of a teacher—"

"But Ayase-san seems to rely on you, so why not give it a try? And you must've learnt alot from Yomiuri-san the year before last, didn't you? Just remember all that. I don't expect you to do everything on your own, of course. I'm planning to ask Yomiuri-san to help as well, and I want you to get advice from her if you run into any problems."

The manager continued, saying that Yomiuri-senpai would be starting her shift in the evening today, which might not give her enough time to mentor Kozono-san very well.

When it was all laid out like that for me, I couldn't find a reason to refuse.

When I started working at the bookstore in my first year of high school, it was Yomiuri-senpai who took on the role of training me. Now, apparently, it was my turn to train someone else. One good turn deserves another, I suppose. What goes around comes around.

I was told that for Kozono-san, not only was this her first time working in a bookstore, but her first actual job in general. That's exactly how I started a few years ago. Knowing that my actions could shape her first impressions of working felt like a big responsibility to shoulder… but I guess I've just gotta do it.

"I'm not sure how well I can teach, but I'll do my best."

"Yes! Thank you so much!" She replied energetically, giving a little bow.

Bright and polite—that was my first impression of her. Almost like sunshine. No, that's not quite right. Narasaka-san always reminded me of a squirrel or a puppy. Kozono-san, on the other hand, seemed even smaller, kind of like…

"A hamster…"

"Pardon?"

"Ah, no, just talking to myself."

I was about to say that she was like an energetic golden hamster, but I quickly shut my trap. That was my first impression of this new small animal-like part timer.

"Would it be best to start with showing her around the store, Manager?"

"Yes, please."

With his instructions in mind, I started by showing her the layout of the store. I handed her the provided uniform and guided her to the changing room. While she was changing, I did a quick lap of the shelves, thinking about the order in which to show her everything.

Since it was a Saturday, I'd asked for a slightly longer shift today, and the manager had given me the green light. I'm sure it's fine to set aside time this time for Kozono-san's training.

After finishing my lap, I saw that Kozono-san had just finished changing and had come out of the changing room. She'd correctly pinned a "training" badge to her chest.

"Alright, come this way. I'll start by showing you the back of the store."

"The back… that sounds kinda sketchy."

"No, no, it's nothing like that. By "the back" I mean, um, the place where we keep our backup stock."

"Oh, the storeroom! I misunderstood when you said 'back'."

That misunderstanding was definitely on me.

I took Kozono-san to the warehouse.

"The books delivered by the distributor are stored here. A distributor acts as a middleman between publishers who produce the books and bookstores like ours."

"So like, a wholesaler, right?"

"Right, yeah."

I briefly explained the role of the warehouse and then returned to the shelves.

"The room where you and the manager were earlier is the office. During breaks, you can rest in the break room next door, the office, or even go outside for a little while. If you want coffee, tea, or water there's a vending machine and a water cooler in the break room."

"I don't really like tea, it's too bitter."

"Then you might wanna use the vending machine. It has juice too. But if you go outside the store, it's probably best to take off your apron and badge. If it's your meal break, you have to change before heading out."

After explaining all that, I shot a glance at the store's clock—just past 11:30. If we kept dawdling, lunchtime would sneak up on us.

"Alright, let me give you a rough tour of the store."

"Yes!"

I took Kozono-san towards the store's entrance.

"Every store has what's called a 'customer path'."

"Ah, umm...?"

"It means how people move around inside the building, the path they take."

"Oh, that's why we came back to the entrance."

From talking to her, I picked up that Kozono-san was a smart girl.

"I thought it'd be easier to remember if I showed you around following our store's customer path. You don't have to remember everything, but just try to get a rough idea."

"Understood."

What kind of people visit this store near Shibuya station? I told her that, while also explaining how the books were arranged according to customer demographics. We did one full lap. I remembered that, two years ago when I first started, Yomiuri-senpai had guided me just like I was doing now.

It was her first job, so she must've been feeling nervous too, and there's no way she'd remember everything I told her all at once. So, I didn't expect her to remember everything I've shared. There's a method behind the madness of how the shelves are arranged. As long as she got the gist of it, that was good enough.

After that, I started teaching her the basic tasks and greetings. Lastly, I guided her to the cash register counter and briefly explained the cashier's duties.

Though, there was a bunch of stuff to remember about modern cash registers, so for a while, she'd start with tasks like standing next to the cashier and putting covers on books.

As expected, when I went over stuff like how to handle credit card payments, Kozono-san looked totally lost.

Well, this is probably the limit for the first day.

We returned to the office. It was just about 12 pm.

I should add, I also taught her how to punch the time card during breaks. Nowadays, some companies manage entry and exit with IC cards, but our store still used paper time cards.[5]

Insert the rectangular paper into the narrow hole of the machine. Push it in lightly, and the card slips in. There's a click, and the current time is stamped on it, before it smoothly comes out again. Your actual working hows are calculated based on this stamped time.

"It's interesting, isn't it?"

"Well, I think IC cards would be more convenient, though."

Even though payment at the front was becoming electronic, employee management was still analog. Well, that will probably change little by little too.

"With all that said, it's time for our lunch break. You get a whole hour. You can go out to eat if you like, but what do you wanna do?"

"I have a bento. Can I eat it in the break room?"

"That's fine."

"...I wonder what I should drink," she muttered.

Come to think of it, she did mention she doesn't like tea.

"You can buy something from the vending machine outside, or if you're okay with plain hot water, you can drink from the hot water dispenser."

"Thank you."

Kozono-san ran off towards the lockers where she had left her stuff.

The bookstore was usually open during meal times, so someone had to work during that time. I don't know how other stores manage, but here we staggered our lunch breaks according to who's available. We usually do it like that, but today I thought it might be better to eat too. Taking a peak at the crowd inside the bookstore, I saw that customers from downtown were also heading out to have lunch, meaning there were fewer of them. I figured I should eat now. If I waited, Kozono-san would just be hanging around twiddling her thumbs after finishing her meal.

I grabbed my lunch and headed back to the break room, but Kozono-san wasn't there yet. I decided to just start eating without waiting for her.

With some tea I made from the dispenser, I opened the bento Ayase-san had made for me.

"Oh, a three-color bento, huh?"

From the top, it was beautifully divided into three sections, like a flag. The middle white part was rice, the right was orange, and the left was yellow. The orange was flaked salmon layered over the rice. Clearly the grilled salmon we'd had for breakfast had been reused for lunch. She must've been thinking about what to put in the bento while she was making breakfast. The yellow part was scrambled eggs. I grabbed some with my chopsticks and tasted it; it had a dashi[6] flavor, was slightly sweet, and simply delicious.

There was a small Tupperware container that'd been stacked on top of the bento in the lunch bag. You could tell from the outside that it was filled with salad. It was packed with lettuce, onions, and shredded carrots. There was also a single cherry tomato. In the corner of the container was a tiny fish-shaped dressing bottle filled with an opaque liquid. Probably dressing. I drizzled it over the top and took a bite.

After polishing that off, I started on the bento. I scooped up the scrambled egg and some rice underneath it with my chopsticks and placed it on my tongue. The slightly moist egg combined perfectly with the somewhat dry rice, making it neither too dry nor too wet when chewed.

It was delicious. But also frustrating.

Ayase-san will work tomorrow, and I'd love to make lunch for her, but I reckon something on this level is way beyond me.

I heard the sound of the door opening and looked up. Kozono-san came in, holding her lunch bag.

"Excuse me. Oh, you have a bento too, senpai?" she said, walking past me and moving to the seat across from me.

As she sat down at the long rectangular table, Kozono-san glanced at my bento.

"It looks delicious. Did you make it, senpai?"

"Uh…"

What should I do? It feels wrong to lie.

"My family made it for me."

That was my response. It wasn't a lie, at least. But just because something isn't a lie doesn't mean it's the truth.

"Really?"

"What about you, Kozono-san?"

I might've been a bit too transparent in trying to change the subject, but fortunately, Kozono-san didn't pry any further.

"My mama made it for me," she said, opening her small bento with a snap. Kozono-san immediately froze.

The rice inside was covered with pink furikake[7].

"Ugh, I told mama I'm in high school now, so should she stop using sakura denbu[7]..."

It seemed like she was bummed about not being treated her age.

But, despite her complaints, she put her hands together, said "itadakimasu," and got stuck in with a cheerful smile as she moved her chopsticks contentedly. Seeing her like this, I kind of understood why her parents would sprinkle pink furikake on her rice.

The rest of our break went by without much chit-chat.

I showed Kozono-san how to organize the shelves again, and before I knew it, it was time to clock out. Well, that's probably how it is for the first day of a job.

We both headed back to the office. No one was around. Given it was nearly evening, the store was getting crowded. No doubt the manager and everyone else were rushed off their feet.

It's not like saying goodbye before leaving was mandatory or anything, but…

Just as I was wondering what to do, the door swung open, followed by the sound of humming.

"Hmm, hmm, hmm~?. Goooood mornin'! Junior-kun. How's it hanging!?"

It was Yomiuri-senpai, her long hair gathered in a bundle at the back, and dressed in a suit.

"Well, you're in a good mood."

"My interview went pretty well. Now you can praise me."

"Good job."

"That ain't really praise, now is it?"

"You did well."

"C'mon Junior-kun, that's so weak… I'm happy with your kindness and support, but it wouldn't hurt to hear 'You're amazing', 'You did so well', or 'You're a genius' once in a while. Seems to me like you're not giving me enough senpai service."

"What the heck is 'Senpai service'...?"

"I mean, it was real tough, y'know… hm? Oh my, who's this cute girl? Oh my, oh my, oh my."

Her voice rising an octave, she walked towards Kozono-san, who was shrinking back as if trying to hide behind me. She pulled back a bit as the unidentified creature—I mean unfamiliar senpai—descended on her.

Perfectly understandable, honestly.

"U-uh. Umm…?"

Yomiuri-senpai circled around Kozono-san, spouting things like "cute" and "adorable."

After fully appreciating the cuteness of her new junior, Yomiuri-senpai snapped back to her normal self and gave the confused newbie a warm smile.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Yomiuri Shiori," she said with a bow of her head.

She took off the clasp that held her hair together at the back, giving it a little shake and letting her long black hair cascade onto her shoulders like a fan.

As she straightened herself up again, the middle aged man vibe she had just moments ago was nowhere to be found. A classy traditional Japanese beauty with long black hair stood there instead, looking ready to head off to uni at any moment.

"N-nice to meet you, I'm Kozono Erina."

"Are you, by chance, the new part-timer?"

"Yes. Um, starting today I'll be working here, and um…"

"It's all good, we're both girls, so you don't needa be so formal. Relax a bit."

If you really don't want her to be nervous, don't gawk at the junior you only just met.

"U-uh…"

Kozono-san just looked confused. Clearly, she wanted an explanation about who this strange person was, who'd suddenly appeared and said whatever she damn well pleased.

"This person is Yomiuri Shiori-senpai. She's been a student part-timer here for a long time. I guess she's a senpai to you, Kozono-san."

"Don't make it sound like I'm an old timer."

"So then, you're a veteran?"

"Feel free to just call me 'senpai', okay??" Yomiuri-senpai said, punctuating the end of her sentence by marking a heart symbol.

"O-okay then. Um, Yomiuri-senpai!"

"Yeees! Uh-huh. So cute, so very cute."

"Really?"

"First off, your innocence is just lovely! And that hair! The inner color looks so good on you."

"Thank you."

Was she talking about the inside of her hair being dyed a lighter color? I just had to ask.

"So that's called an inner color?"

Yomiuri-senpai gave me a quick rundown. An inner color was a fashionable way of dyeing the underside of your hair a different color. Most Japanese people have black hair, which tends to give a gloomy impression around the face. But by dyeing the inside a brighter color, it can brighten up their complexion. That was the logic behind it, apparently.

"I do it too," Yomiuri-senpai said, casually flipping her hair with one hand.

"Huh? It just looks like a very natural black to me, though."

"Dear Junior-kun, you're the type who doesn't notice when things change in a display window, aren't you?"

…I remember Ayase-san saying something similar to me.

"I tried adding a bit of brown around my ears before the interview."

"Oh… really?"

That one had gone completely over my head.

"It brightens up the face, making facial expressions more visible to others. It's important in interviews that the interviewer can clearly see your facial expressions. It'd be a waste if you were smiling, but they couldn't see it."

True enough.

"But it's a kind of fashion thing, right? Won't strict companies get mad?"

"They might."

"You're okay with that?"

"You see, Junior-kun," Yomiuri-senpai said with a surprisingly serious face. "I know how I look to others, and I've maintained it because it's advantageous to me. But when it comes to long-term relationships, being two-faced just doesn't cut it."

"Ah, yeah, senpai, you've never been big on rigid things."

Right, yeah. Yomiuri-senpai's appearance as an elegant, long-haired, Japanese beauty was just for show. Kozono-san, who'd been listening into our conversation, chose that moment to chime in.

"Aren't you scared? What if you fail the interview?"

"You too, huh, Erina-chan. Oh, can I use your first name?"

Kozono-san nodded.

"Yes."

"Erina-chan, you had that hairstyle too when you went for the interview here, correct?"

"Well, I thought… even if I didn't get it, I'd just look for another job."

"Ditto."

"But—isn't that different? I feel like proper employment is different from a part-time job."

"If you're trying to be sincere, don't you think it's more sincere not to show a fake side of you?"

Kozono-san started to mull that over. She was apparently taking what Yomiuri-senpai said seriously, but the jury's out on if Yomiuri-senpai herself had given it that much thought. She might've just forgotten she even had an interview and dyed her hair on a whim.

"Mmm. Ah, well, I… up until junior high I just had completely black hair. I never even thought about changing my hair color or anything. But, once I was accepted into high school and saw myself in the mirror wearing the school uniform, I felt like… this isn't really me. Once I felt that way, I couldn't resist," she said, reflecting on her past.

"Yep, yep. That hair color suits you. It's perfect for the bright and energetic Erina-chan. Dontcha think, Asamura-kun?"

"Yeah, I think it really suits her."

"Thank you."

She really is a genuinely sweet kid, I thought to myself as I watched Kozono-san bow with a delighted look on her face.

And it made me realize that a person's appearance is made up of various things all tangled up together. Yomiuri-senpai and Ayase-san were both the type to have a different inner and outer appearance. But, their perspectives on their appearances couldn't be more different. Yomiuri-senpai doesn't care if she's seen as a quiet girl and leaves it at that, while Ayase-san doesn't want to be seen that way and be underestimated. And then there are types like Kozono-san, who actively try to bridge the gap between appearance and inner self by changing their hair color.

It's probably meaningless to symbolically look at appearances and apply stereotypes to them. By the same token, I thought it might be rare for someone like me to not care about "how I'm seen." Well, that might be why I stand out when I'm standing next to Ayase-san. Maybe I should care a little more.

"...Anyway, I can't stay any longer. I have a curfew, so I have to head home now!"

"Oh, curfew! What a nostalgic word. Mmhm. Well, in that case, hurry up and go!"

"Yes. Um, Yomiuri-senpai, I look forward to working with you!"

"You too. Take care on your way home."

"I won't be here tomorrow, but I'm sure someone else will probably help you."

"Yes!"

She bowed deep, her twin tails bouncing with the movement of her head. She spun around and quickly pitter pattered her way out of the office.

"Ah, well then, I'm going home too."

"Alrighty. Say hi to Saki-chan for me."

I left the office, leaving behind a waving Yomiuri-senpai.

Before getting on my bike, I checked my LINE and saw a notification from Ayase-san, asking me to buy groceries. It was mostly veggies—potatoes, cabbage, and other heavy stuff.

While shopping, I thought ahead to tomorrow's meal, my turn, and grabbed some extra stuff not on Ayase-san's list.

When I got home she was flipping through flashcards in the living room. As I washed the bento in the sink, I told her, "It was delicious."

"Really? Glad to hear it."

"I'll make one tomorrow, so if you'd like, you can take it with you."

"...You are going to make a bento, Yuuta-niisan?"

"Yeah, I am."

"...Should I watch you make it?"

"It defeats the purpose if I get your help. Don't worry. I'll look up the recipe and make it exactly as it says."

Despite my insistence, Ayase-san looked like she was thinking, "Can he actually pull it off?"

"If worst comes to worst, I'll make rice balls."

"Ah, okay. If you say so."

Does she think I can't make anything more than rice balls? I was a bit shocked at first, but then I remembered the times I was on cooking duty and I messed up so much that Ayase-san had to step in and help. Like, for instance, when I overcooked the fish and more than half turned into an inedible charred mess. Or when the ingredients I put into the pot were too big and took forever to cook, leaving our stomachs growling. There was also the time I miscalculated the amount of vegetables needed for a stir-fry, and it was stir-fry for breakfast, lunch and dinner after that.

"You don't trust my cooking skills, huh…"

"Hmm. Are you just eyeballing it when you cook?"

"I try to measure everything according to the recipe, both the amount and the time."

I was met with a look that said, "You must be kidding." To be fair to her, it's true that when a recipe says "to taste", I tend to use more rather than less.

We chatted away like that as I washed the dishes, and Ayase-san came into the kitchen and began putting the groceries away in the fridge. More than likely she noticed the stuff I'd bought that she hadn't asked for, so she probably had a good picture of what would be in her bento.

"You're gonna study now, right? I'll make you some coffee."

"Thanks. Should I grab your cup too, Saki?"

"Yes please."

We chit-chatted while brewing the coffee, and then, cup in hand, I retreated to my room. I had to study hard to make up for the time lost to work.

I had a feeling I'd need to either quit or cut back on my job after summer, but for now, I wanted to save up as much money as possible. Truthfully, a high schooler's part-time wage wouldn't go very far towards paying for uni, but depending on which one I got into, I might need to start living on my own.

I still have tomorrow, Sunday, so I'll put off preparing for the lessons. I had already finished my homework.

I pulled up my study schedule for entrance exams on my computer. I used spreadsheet software to list down all the subjects I needed to review for them. Nowadays, you can save files online, and there are apps for it too, meaning I could pull this spreadsheet up on my smartphone. Although, it was way easier to manage it on my computer.

"Maybe I'll study physics today..."

I put a checkmark to track my progress, opened the textbook from my first year, and started reviewing the sections marked with sticky notes.

Roughly speaking, my plan was to review the first year material from April to June, the second year material from July to September, and of course, the third year material from October to December.

The problem with that method was I might forget the stuff I reviewed at the start when I reached the end. My plan to avoid that was to tackle some anticipated questions from the older stuff every now and then. If I made a mistake, I could just re-study the summarized part.

I started my study session by reading through the textbook, referring to my old notes, and solving the example problems.

***

"A new part-timer?"

Sitting across from me, Ayase-san's chopsticks stopped in mid air.

I nodded and continued talking.

"Remember, the manager mentioned it before. That Yomiuri-senpai can't work as much because of her job hunting, so he wanted to hire another student."

It was dinner time. As usual, we chatted about our day while eating. Today, however, aside from when I went to work, Ayase-san and I had spent the entire day at home together. That meant there was a limit to the interesting topics we could talk about. So, when my conversation repertoire ran out, I started talking about the new part-timer.

"A girl?"

"Yeah. She's a first year high school student. Kozono Erina, I think."

"Kozono? Oh, like 'kozo' plus 'no' for 'field' in kanji?"

"How do you write 'kozono' in kanji anyway?"

"I'm not sure. Wait, was I wrong?"

"It's 'small' and 'garden'."

Ayase-san used the tip of her chopstick to write kanji in mid-air, then stared at me with a face that said, "Aha!".

"First of all, there's no such word as 'kozo,' is there?"

"...No, apparently there is."

The stuffed goya[8] she was about to put in her mouth stopped inches from it. She hesitated, before eventually biting into it. After silently chewing and swallowing, Ayase-san spoke.

"What does 'kozo' mean?"

"It's an old word, but apparently it was used to mean 'last year.'"

I looked it up on my smartphone on the table then turned the screen towards her.

『Last year: Kyo-ne-n. Synonym: Sakunen.』

"Oh, you're right. Wait, did you just look it up in the dictionary?"

"Well, yeah."

Isn't this a common thing for novel readers? When you see a word you don't know, you get curious, and as you search, you end up down the rabbit hole.

"I guess that's why your vocab is better than mine, Yuuta-niisan. Maybe I should start looking up words in the dictionary?"

"Online dictionaries make it easy these days. I do recommend it. I think knowing more words is definitely an advantage for both modern and classical literature."

For me, it's more like a hobby thing, though.

I also took a bite of the stuffed goya. The outside was seared and crispy, and when I bit into it, the trapped juices from the ground meat slowly seeped out. The onions and the egg, used as a binder, combined with the bitterness of the goya. All those flavors came together to strike a perfect balance in my mouth.

I used to dislike the bitterness of goya when I was a kid, but at some point, I started to find it delicious.

"But anyway, I don't think there's a last name that writes 'field' with 'last year'."

"'Small' and 'garden' is more common, right? I wonder why I didn't think of that."

I'm not sure why either…

"So, I'm supposed to show the new girl the ropes. You're working the same shift I did tomorrow, aren't you, Saki?"

Ayase-san nodded slightly.

"You might be the one training her tomorrow then."

"That's... fine. But that means you'll be spending all your shifts with her for a while..." She said, glancing up at me.

"Ah, I don't think it'll be the entire time."

I have my own job to do, too. But why was she glaring at me like that?

"I'm jealous."

"Huh?"

"Sorry. It's just jealousy."

Hearing that word, it finally clicked. Outside, we're closer, but at home, we're farther apart. When I'm outside, I always wanted to be close to Ayase-san. But now our work shifts were all over the place, meaning we had less chances to talk. And at work, Kozono-san was physically closer to talk to me than Ayase-san. That's how it must look to Ayase-san.

"But, given the circumstances, it can't be helped, can it?"

Even as I said that, I could tell from her face that she was feeling a bit anxious.

This is the first time I've seen Ayase-san being so openly jealous about me having a female coworker. I mean, Yomiuri-senpai is a female coworker, too. And there'd been jealousy-worthy stuff with her—like when we went to the movies and hung out at night. It wouldn't have been strange for her to be jealous about that, but she never really showed it. On the outside, at least.

Obviously, back then, we'd just become step-siblings, and there was no romance to speak of, so the circumstances were different now. But still, she seems a bit oversensitive.

I mulled it over as I alternated between miso soup and rice, coming to the conclusion that it was just better to ask than to keep guessing. I think it's better to clear things up.

"You don't have to worry so much, I'm not doing anything more than just interacting normally with a coworker."

"I... know that."

"So—"

Before I could ask why, Ayase-san sighed and said, "It might've had a bad influence on me."

"Huh…? What did?"

"A special feature."

Special feature?

When I tilted my head in confusion, Ayase-san started explaining that she had watched TV while I was at work. She was fine with being alone while studying in her room, but apparently, she felt lonely while she was cooking or doing chores, so she put the living room TV on for background noise.

"It's called a wide show, I think? Something like that."

"Ah... the one that airs in the afternoon?"

"Wide" means wide-ranging. In Japanese, we call them "wide shows" because they cover a wide range of topics. It's a term that probably doesn't translate well in English-speaking countries. Seems they named it that because they wanted to cover a variety of topics without sticking to one genre.

"They were doing a special feature on cheating."

"Cheat—Well, yeah, if they're covering all sorts of topics, I guess that makes sense? It really is wide, huh."

I feel like they didn't really have to go down that route, though.

"They were saying that the workplace is a common place for infidelity and cheating to start. Apparently, sixty percent of cheating is with coworkers!"

Gotta wonder where they pulled those numbers from.

"I think that's probably what stuck in my head. I've always wondered if it's easy to get close to coworkers at work, but we've always tried to keep a certain distance from each other. We even made sure not to be on the same shift… And yet, here's this girl who's always close to you now."

"We're not... we're not that close."

"I know, but..."

"So, when I brought up Kozono-san, you thought about that wide show's special feature and worried about us getting too close?"

"I think so. I'm sorry."

"No, it's better if you tell me when you're worried. Well, I don't really see my junior coworkers that way, and I don't have any intentions like that in the first place."

"Okay. If you say so, Yuuta-niisan, I believe you."

Ayase-san calmly explained the reason behind why she was feeling anxious. And, after we ate and each had our turn in the bath, she didn't seem bothered by it anymore. I let out a sigh of relief, believing it was put to bed now.

If you say so, Yuuta-niisan. If a brother says so, it's different from when a lover does. If a brother gets all cozy with a coworker, it might be uncomfortable for his sister, but it doesn't go much further than that. Generally, a brother isn't a romantic interest for his sister.

But, if it's her lover Yuuta, it'd be more than just uncomfortable for Ayase-san. She started calling me Yuuta-niisan to make sure we didn't go beyond just a brother-sister relationship at home. But back then, I didn't realize that in some situations, it might end up restraining Ayase-san's feelings.

Words hold power. They might merely influence one's mood, but that mood can guide one's actions.

But at the time, I felt pretty good about being able to keep a decent distance—not being too clingy but also not avoiding her.

The night with just the two of us ended without much happening.

Or so I thought.