My breath was white under the gray sky, and the cold air stung my cheeks.
It was a little past six in the morning. The eastern sky was gradually brightening, but it was still dark out.
The fact that we had to leave so early in the morning reminded me that Nagano was quite far from our apartment in Tokyo. The bullet train could get you as far as Karuizawa, the famous tourist resort town, but Dad’s hometown was tucked away in the mountains.
We were only staying for two nights, but things had gotten hectic just before we headed out. The whole family had been running around the apartment, saying they’d forgotten this or didn’t have enough of that.
It had been a while since I’d seen such chaos in our household. The last time was probably when Ayase and Akiko moved in. Back then, we’d also gone over the whole apartment, checking various things.
Actually, that had been a lot crazier than now, but it was the first time we were all going on a trip together, and the commotion was novel and refreshing.
Akiko was the most stressed out of everyone. She and Dad hadn’t had a wedding, so this would be the first time she’d be meeting most of his relatives. She’d already met his parents (my grandparents), of course, but only for a single dinner.
Marriage between an adult man and woman required only the two parties’ mutual consent. Even their parents couldn’t object. So if my dad’s family decided they didn’t approve of her now, she didn’t have to pay them any mind. Our parents’ union had already been decided under the law.
But in reality, such things did matter. It was harder to cut ties with relatives than with mere acquaintances. If they didn’t like you, it would be a source of stress. And that was true whether it was your grandparents, your cousins, your parents…or even your stepsister. They might hate you, but it was difficult to avoid them entirely.
Akiko would be leaving her home turf for foreign ground, so she’d prepared for the trip very carefully. She didn’t want to lose before she even started fighting. The battle had already begun, as it were, and she was headed into enemy territory to begin the siege.
We were bringing all the travel essentials—our wallets, snacks and drinks for the trip, and extra clothes and toiletries. But more important were the gifts we’d prepared for Dad’s relatives. We had three boxes of sweets—enough for three households—stuffed in a large suitcase so we wouldn’t forget them.
Akiko was staring at a list and checking our luggage. I took a peek and saw mention of New Year’s money for the children, along with names and how much she and Dad would be giving them.
Akiko had been working in hospitality for a long time, so she was a pro at stuff like this. She’d probably asked Dad for the names of all his relatives’ children who we were likely to meet. I was reminded that being mindful of others and planning ahead were important social skills for adults. If you kept those around you happy, it would give you more freedom down the line. You had to grease the wheels, as it were.
I couldn’t imagine being expected to do stuff like that after I got married. I could feel my body start to ache just thinking about it. I loved my cousins, but that didn’t make it any less of a pain. I wished someone would develop a program or something that could automatically send an avatar to attend ceremonial occasions like weddings and funerals in my place.
As I entertained these silly thoughts, I continued to pack.
I wasn’t taking that much. All I had was a single sports bag. I didn’t need to bring many changes of clothes, and the only thing I couldn’t afford to forget was my homework. When I was younger, I’d get restless if I didn’t take at least four books. But these days, I could read whatever I wanted on my phone. Hooray for progress!
“Okay, guys, let’s get going.”
At Dad’s words, we headed out to the apartment’s parking lot.
Once we were outside, he continued, “This is the first time the four of us are going on a trip together.”
Akiko nodded. “Yeah, now that you mention it.”
Since we lived in Tokyo, we rarely traveled by car. This would be our first time taking a drive as a family.
“It’ll be my first time experiencing Dad’s driving,” said Ayase.
“Don’t worry, he’s a safe driver,” Akiko assured her. Apparently, he’d driven Akiko around before.
By the time we headed out, the sky was halfway between dark and light. Resisting the desire to go back to sleep, I settled into my seat in the car. We’d put on the snow tires since we were headed to Nagano in the winter.
The trip along the Kan-Etsu and Joshin-Etsu Expressways took four hours even without accounting for snow and traffic, and at this time of year, we were bound to have both. We were leaving quite early, but it would still take us until the afternoon to reach our destination. We couldn’t afford to sleep in.
“Next year, I imagine it will be just Akiko and me taking this trip, since you two will be busy studying. And once you get into college, you’ll have other things to do. It might be difficult for us to go somewhere all together like this again. That’s why I wanted the four of us to go this year. But I hope it’s not too boring for you out in the middle of nowhere…”
Akiko agreed with Dad, sounding sentimental. “I can’t believe it’s almost time for your college entrance exams. My, how time flies.”
Dad’s words had caught me off guard. Could this really be our last trip together as a family? As I fastened my seat belt, I thought about it.
Our last family trip.
I glanced at my stepsister in the seat next to mine. She had her earbuds in, and she was looking out the window at the brightening scenery. Perhaps noticing my gaze, she removed one of her earbuds and shot me a questioning look. Her medium-length hair spilled over her shoulder.
“What is it?” she asked.
My heart skipped a beat. “Oh, uh… We had to get up pretty early. Are you okay? You aren’t sleepy?”
“Um… Well, maybe a little.”
Dad heard us and said from the driver’s seat, “You can sleep if you want, Saki.”
“Thank you. But I think I’m good.”
She put her earbud back in and waded into a sea of music. She was looking out the window, not at me. Our elbows were almost touching, and yet it felt like she was out of reach. It made me a little sad.
Come on, settle down. This is how we’re supposed to act.
Ayase and I were high school–aged siblings living with our parents. We couldn’t do anything that went beyond the boundaries of brother and sister or even act like we wanted to.