Later, after returning from Maaya’s birthday party, I was up preparing for the next day’s classes. Gentle music mixed with ambient noise drifted out from my headphones.
My eyes darted back and forth over my textbook, but I wasn’t focusing, and information was slipping out of my mind as soon as it entered. I was getting nowhere. That said, there weren’t any problems to solve in advance in my Japanese History textbook. You’re just making excuses, Saki.
I finally lost all will to concentrate and looked up. The clock’s display had just changed to 23:33, or 11:33 PM. That’s three 3s in a row, I thought idly. Even that was distracting. I was truly in no mood to study…
I decided to take a bath. Giving up on studying for the night, I headed for the bathroom.
First, I drank a glass of water to hydrate myself, then got into the tub for a soak. I stretched my arms and legs and felt the tension in my body slowly dissolve into the hot water.
I sighed deeply.
“I swear, that Maaya…”
I recalled what Maaya had said when Asamura met us at the front of her apartment. “I can give you two young people time alone if you want.”
I puffed out my cheeks in indignation. I hoped Asamura hadn’t heard her.
What were we supposed to celebrate without the birthday girl? For goodness’ sake.
I wondered just how suspicious she was of us—of Asamura and me. To be fair, we were siblings. It was natural for someone to comment that we were close, and teasing us about it wasn’t a problem. Maaya was close with her brothers, too.
Our relationship was the same. You could touch your sibling without it being weird. If Asamura were a kindergartner, I could tussle with him just like Maaya did with her brother, right?
What was Asamura like when he was in kindergarten? Probably cute, like Maaya’s brother. I’d tug and poke his soft cheeks… Wait, Asamura’s cheeks? No, I could never do that.
I shook my head and chased the fantasy away. What was I thinking?
I decided to try focusing on something else. Asamura’s birthday was coming up the month after next. So was mine, but his birthday would come first. I’d have to think of a birthday present for him.
As I mulled this over, the timer I’d set earlier went off.
Twenty minutes was perfect for a good soak. I needed to get out of the tub before I started to sweat. Any longer and my skin would start drying out.
Once I dried off, I put on moisturizer. Without it, my skin, warmed from my bath, would start losing all its moisture.
I got into my pajamas and took the clothes I’d worn that day to my room (I couldn’t just leave them in the basket in the changing area). Once there, I put on a bed jacket and headed into the kitchen, where I poured myself a single cup of cold barley tea.
Just then, I heard the front door open. My mom had just gotten home.
“Oh? You’re home early tonight,” I said.
Mom worked as a bartender, so she usually came home late at night or early the next morning. I hadn’t expected to see her back so soon.
“Yeah…”
“Aren’t you feeling well?”
“Oh, I’m fine,” she said as she sat on the sofa. “I’m not sick, and I don’t have a cold. It’s the usual. It’s a little heavy this time.”
“Oh.” I nodded, understanding. “It must have been cold outside. Want some hot tea?”
“Sure. Thanks.”
I turned on the electric kettle and then sat down across from Mom. “I’m glad you’re actually resting.”
Before, Mom used to continue working nonstop even if she felt bad, so this was a change for her. And that change had come when she remarried.
“I have Taichi now, so I can afford to take some time off,” she said, glancing toward her bedroom.
“Because you have Dad?”
“Yes. And, Saki, you’re becoming more dependable, too,” she said with a gentle smile.
Her praise embarrassed me and, at the same time, made me ashamed that I’d been a burden in the past.
But now things had changed, and she felt she could take a day off. If a member of our family fell ill, someone else would help them. Knowing she had a family to count on had made her stronger.
The kettle went off, and I made a cup of decaffeinated tea, then placed it in front of Mom.
“You don’t have to just rely on Dad. I’ll help you out however I can.”
“Thanks, Saki.”
I shook my head. Not at all.
She’d been through so much, and there was almost nothing I could do for her. Not like Dad, the man she could place her whole trust in…
“Have you eaten?” I asked.
“A little. I’m fine.” Smiling, Mom picked up the remote and turned on the TV.
The lively sounds of a news variety show spilled out; the screen showed celebrities happily browsing stores with dazzling orange-colored decorations and lights. It appeared to be a program related to Halloween.
“Oh yeah,” she said. “Halloween is coming up.”
“I guess so,” I said absently.
The show must have reminded her.
“At first, Taichi and I were talking about going out to dinner somewhere, since it’s a holiday.”
It’s not really a Japanese holiday, though.
But, as she went on to explain, she would likely be out all night since bars in Shibuya would be extremely busy.
“Is Halloween that big a deal?” I asked.
I’d thought it was just for people who liked to dress up in costumes.
“Taichi wants us to celebrate as a family, but I told him we should just wait until Christmas, since it’s almost December. I’m planning to take off Christmas Day, so let’s celebrate both of your birthdays with a bang.”