It seemed that trouble wasn’t just seeping into my life; it had slowly found its way into Orihara-san’s as well. I received a call from her friend Shirai Yuki-san, and it sounded like she already heard most of the details about the situation. I thought she was calling me because she was worried, but for some reason, her attitude was pretty laid-back.
“You know, if you think about it, if your dad and Kisaki-san get married and you two become relatives...Hime will become your aunt.”
“...Yes, you’re right.” Orihara-san and I had prepared “Operation: Pretend We’re Relatives” in case we were seen by anyone we knew, and the plan was to say that Orihara-san was my auntie. Who would have thought that the lie would become the truth and she’d actually become my aunt?
Incidentally, there are two ways to write the kanji for “aunt,” and it changes depending on whether they’re the older or younger sibling of the parent in question. The way you write “uncle” is the same way. Since Orihara-san is the younger sister of my new stepmom, Kisaki-san, I would have to use the characters for “younger aunt” when referring to her in writing.
“Um... Can you please not say anything to Orihara-san about how she’s actually becoming my aunt? She’ll probably—no, she’ll definitely get upset about it, I think.”
“You’re right. She got really upset when I told her about it.”
“...” Looks like I’m too late and she’s already made fun of her... “P-Please give her a break. Orihara-san takes those things seriously, after all.”
“He he. I’m sorry. But, on the other hand, the fact that I was able to tease her means she was in a good enough mood to handle it,” Yuki-san said jovially. “It seems like you and Hime have been through a lot, but you’re doing better than I thought you’d be.”
“We’re getting by somehow.”
“Also, I heard that you proposed to Hime and said you’d get married to her when you turn eighteen.”
“...You heard that too?”
“Something was clearly off when I was talking to her, so I thought I’d try baiting her into telling me about it. She spilled the beans right away.”
Darn it, Orihara-san... Well, she does fall for that kind of thing really easily. Plus, the one tricking her was Yuki-san, so she didn’t have a chance to begin with.
“He he he. So, Hime, of all people, is finally getting married... I’m looking forward to two years from now,” Yuki-san said jovially. She was teasing me, but I don’t think there was any nuance of her mocking me. She sounded like she was enjoying herself, pure and simple. “As her friend, I was a little worried, but it looks like I don’t have to get involved. Truth is...I called to warn you, in case you were going to do something rash.”
“Something rash?”
“Something like saying you’ll quit school and get a job.”
“...Oh.” I did consider it a little bit. It’s a possibility I thought about for a little while and quickly dismissed. “It’s not like I didn’t think about that option...but I decided not to do it. It would probably just lead to an ending where no one would be happy. I’m just a kid right now, so no matter how much I may try to act like an adult, I won’t just suddenly become one,” I said with a grimace.
“...You are an adult, Momota-kun,” Yuki-san told me in a quiet voice, even though I’d said I was just a kid.
“I’m an adult?”
“You realize that you’re just a kid who’s trying to grab onto something you can’t reach. I think you’re way more mature than some people who think that they’re already adults.”
“...”
“Trying to reach past your limits isn’t bad, but the most important thing is keeping your feet on the ground... I’m sure you understand what that means.”
She was being abstract about it, but I kind of understood what she was trying to say. If I was going to try to grab something out of my reach, I had to stay grounded.
“In any case, I’m glad it looks like I didn’t need to worry about anything. Jeez, I wonder if this is what they call excessive worrying. I really am getting old,” Yuki-san said, muttering to herself. “Take care of Hime, Momota-kun. She’s one of my few precious friends.”
“...I will,” I said and nodded firmly.
Before I knew it, the dreaded weekend had arrived: it was the day that my new mother would be coming to stay the night. In the evening, my dad drove out to bring over Kisaki-san, and then my sister, my father, Kisaki-san, and I had dinner together.
“...I don’t know if it’s to your tastes.”
“Wow, this is great, Kisaki-san! I had no idea you were such a good cook.”
“Oh no, you flatter me too much, Shigeru-san.” My dad and Kisaki-san spoke like they were a newly married couple. Lined up on the dinner table was ginger pork, fried eggplant soaked in broth, boiled spinach, and enough rice and miso soup for everyone. Apparently, Kisaki-san had said, “I want to go with something Japanese!” so Orihara-san had come up with this menu for her.
“It tastes great.”
“R-Really, Shigeru-san?”
“Yeah, it’s really good, Kisaki-san,” my sister said. “It tastes so good I wish I could eat it every day. We should start living together starting tomorrow.”
“Kaede-chan... Th-Thank you.” Kisaki-san smiled happily from my dad and sister’s praise. Then she turned to me and said, “How is it, Momota-kun?” She had a very kind smile on her face, but the same couldn’t be said for the look in her eyes. I thought I could hear her inner voice saying, “Please give a good reaction. Also, don’t compare it to Hime-chan’s cooking, okay?”
“It tastes very good. You sure are good at cooking, Kisaki-san.”
“Thank you, Momota-kun. Now, don’t be shy and eat up,” she said, and we both beamed at one another.
Our banter was flawless. By all accounts, this was probably the kind of conversation that a stepmother would have with her stepson the second time she met him. Well... I don’t really have any other examples to compare this to, but I felt like we managed to have a normal conversation. The last time we had eaten together was a disaster, but when we were both prepared, we could put on a performance of this caliber. I felt relieved...however, we were oblivious of our fatal mistake.
“‘M-Momota-kun’?” said my dad, puzzled. “Kisaki-san...why are you only calling Kaoru by his last name?” Kisaki-san’s and my face twitched simultaneously.
Crap! I totally forgot about how she calls me that! Up until now, Kisaki-san has only ever called me “Momota-kun,” so that’s what slipped out. But calling me that in front of my sister and dad is definitely weird! It looks like a weird situation where my new stepmom is only calling me, her new son, by his last name! It’s like she’s insulting me in some kind of roundabout way and I’m being singled out!
“U-Um... N-No, it’s not what you think, Shigeru-san! It’s just... I just thought I’d sound too familiar if I suddenly called a boy who’s at a difficult stage of puberty by his first name. Isn’t that right, Momo... Kaoru-kun?”
You’re asking me to agree that I’m having a hard time with puberty?! That’s what you want me to follow up on?!
“Th-That’s right. Yeah, I’m at such a difficult age, all right. I was really hoping that she’d call me by my last name once to ease me into it...” Even though I was supposedly at a difficult age, I was speaking like I was being considerate of her. I didn’t know what I should do, and my dad gave us a strange look as we panicked.
“Hey, Dad, do you want a second helping of rice?” my sister said as she stood up and held out her hand.
“No, I’m already full.”
“Come on, it’s her first home-cooked meal, so why not eat some more?”
“Oh. Y-Yeah, you’re right.” Convinced by my sister, my father ate the rest of the rice, and it seemed like the topic of conversation had been diverted nicely. Kisaki-san and I let out a sigh of relief, and on the inside, I profusely thanked my sister.