“Geez. High school’s already halfway over,” I muttered.
I’d said the words under my breath, but my best friend sitting one desk ahead of me had apparently overheard. He turned his big body around and— Hey, come on! Homeroom is still in session!
“That’s right, Asamura,” Maru said in a whisper. “Next year, we’ll have to get serious about our college entrance exams.”
At the front of the class, the teacher was advising us about various dos and don’ts ahead of winter break. I was still listening, but I winced when Maru brought up exams.
“We’ll be adults before we know it,” said Maru, sounding somewhat resigned.
“I don’t mind growing up,” I replied.
I didn’t have any desire to remain a child. Children were always being protected, and that, in turn, meant they couldn’t protect anyone else.
…Being an adult does sound kind of exhausting, though.
Dad’s face popped into my mind.
Well, maybe it’s not so bad.
Ever since he got remarried, he’d worn nothing but goofy smiles. Because of that, memories of the hardships he’d faced after his first wife left him seemed fainter every day.
“Are you the type who’s in a hurry to grow up, Asamura?”
“Aren’t you?”
“I don’t know. There’s a lot I still need to learn. I wish I could hole up in a practice room and freeze time for just a little longer.”
“Oh yeah?”
Was he talking about baseball? If he was serious about pursuing the sport, no amount of time would be too much.
“There’s so much anime I haven’t gotten around to yet.”
“Wait, that’s what you meant?!”
“Just kidding.”
I flopped down on my desk. I couldn’t tell if Maru was really joking or not.
I could feel the sun on the nape of my neck, and I turned my head toward the window. The sun was visible through the upper part of the glass. It was still low in the sky, even though it was almost noon, and light poured into the classroom, reaching all the way to the third row of chairs where Maru and I sat.
It was warm…and because of that, I felt drowsy.
The teacher’s words were like a lullaby, but I had to hang on. School would be over in only a few more minutes.
At last, a chime played over the speakers, signaling the end of the day.
The teacher’s lecture was finally over, and every student exhaled at once. Cheers broke out, but they were a bit subdued; the teacher was still in the room, after all. Looking a little fed up, he issued one last warning not to get carried away over break, then left the room.
“I don’t think he needs to be so worried about Christmas. We’re second-years now.”
“Huh?” I shot Maru a puzzled look.
“He was talking about improper sexual relationships between students. He probably doesn’t want to spend New Year’s cleaning up some youthful indiscretions.”
“I don’t blame him. I’d hate that if I were in his shoes.”
“But aren’t you worried? You know, as a big brother?” Maru teased.
He’d caught me unawares, and my eyes went wide. “Huh?”
“I bet Ayase has plans tonight, right?”
“Tonight?”
“Well, Christmas dates usually take place on the eve, don’t they?”
It took a while for his words to sink in. Was Maru trying to suggest that Ayase might have plans to go out on a Christmas date? It was true that no one knew about our relationship; maybe someone would take advantage of the holiday season and attempt to ask her out.
If we wanted to keep up appearances as siblings, it would be weird if Ayase kept turning other boys down. I could imagine her finding it difficult to say no over and over…
No way. That wouldn’t happen.
Just then, I felt something vibrating against my chest. I straightened up and pulled my cell phone out of my pocket.
I had a text message from Ayase. The preview message read: I’m gonna pick up some groceries on my way home.
See? She’s not going anywhere.
“What’s the matter?” asked Maru. “Was it from Ayase? ‘I hate you, Big Brother!’”
“This isn’t an anime. She doesn’t talk like that.”
“So it was from Ayase.”
“Urk.”
“You’re so easy to read.”
“And you’re way too perceptive.”
“Aren’t you going to send her a reply, Big Brother?”
“Nah.” I put the phone back in my pocket and stretched.
Maru grabbed his bag and got on his feet. “Okay, then. See you.”
“I guess it’ll be next year by then, so have a happy New Year.”
“Yeah, no reason to meet up during the break. Happy New Year, Asamura.”
Maru turned around and waved on his way out.
After watching him head off to baseball practice, I glanced around the classroom again. Half the students had already left.
Maybe I’ll stop by a bookstore on my way home.
I felt tired from panicking about Ayase when there was nothing to worry about. Come to think of it, we were supposed to celebrate Christmas as a family today.
The walls in the kitchen were spotless.
I wasn’t the only one to contribute, however. Akiko had taken the day off and declared she’d start her end-of-the-year cleaning early. Ayase and I had then volunteered to help.
Since Dad and I hadn’t cooked much before Ayase and Akiko moved in, the kitchen wasn’t all that dirty. It took the three of us about two hours to finish cleaning it.
We took a snack break around three in the afternoon, and then Akiko made an announcement.
“Okay, I’ll start making dinner, so, Yuuta, you go and get some rest.”
She said she wanted to cook with her daughter since it had been a while, then she kicked me out of the kitchen. Left with no other choice, I headed to my room. I pulled the book I’d bought on the way home out of my bag, opened it to the first page, and started reading.