“They have a tataki…”
I gasped. I hadn’t meant to say that out loud.
Asamura’s dad’s house was large, and it was a kominka, probably built in the 1920s or ’30s. It had a tiled roof and an earthen floor at the entrance called a tataki.
Once we stepped over the agari-gamachi, a piece of wood marking the raised entrance to the house, I could see the wood lining the hallway. It shone like polished ebony—you could tell it was carefully maintained.
I loved old buildings and furniture, and I especially enjoyed looking at ones like this, that had been cherished and well cared for. They gave you a glimpse of all the things they’d been through.
A hallway circled the house. The storm shutters were all hidden away, and we could see right out into the garden bathed in slanted streaks of winter sunshine.
That was great and all, but I was starting to get a little—no, very nervous.
To be honest, I was terrified.
I started wondering why I’d agreed to come along. My interpersonal skills were so pathetic I wanted to cry. I wasn’t like Maaya, who could open her heart to anyone she met in three minutes.
Dad’s mother looked like a kind soul. She listened with a gentle smile on her face as Mom and I greeted her. But I was still anxious.
I heard people talking and laughing on the other side of the sliding paper doors.
“Oh my. Sounds like they’re having a good time,” my step-grandmother said as she opened the door.
People were sitting in a circle in a large Japanese-style room. A wave of pressure hit me, and I unconsciously stepped back.
“Taichi is here.”
“Ah! Finally. Tokyo is so far away,” an older man with gray hair said loudly as he stood up. He had to be Dad’s father. That would make him my step-grandfather. “Akiko, we haven’t seen you in a while. How have you been?”
“I’ve been well, thank you.”
All eyes were on Mom as she bowed. Then their attention shifted to me.
Their gazes didn’t feel 100 percent welcoming, either, and that weighed on me. It wasn’t that they were hostile, per se. They were just being cautious, unsure how to deal with me.
“Okay, okay, we’ll talk later. Akiko and Taichi are exhausted after their long trip, so let me show them to their room.”
My step-grandmother eventually helped us escape.
The sliding door closed, and I could finally catch my breath. I slowly unclenched my hands. Oh, no. I already feel like throwing up.
Was that just how it was for a second wife and her child at this kind of gathering?
Perhaps my clothes, which were perfectly natural for me, were too bold for a place like this. I sighed, wondering if I should have dyed my hair black. Was I just overthinking things?
It was tough being a high school kid. They were stuck in between two worlds.
If only I were Mom’s age or even just in college. Then I could dye my hair, use hair extensions, and wear makeup and jewelry without anyone looking twice. I was allowed to dress like this at my school, so I thought it was pretty normal these days. But despite my inner musings, I felt like I was about to be crushed by my new relatives’ gazes.
I took a deep breath. I had to calm down. I didn’t come here to fight.
The four of us were going to spend the night in a Japanese-style room about thirteen square meters wide.
When I saw the futons in the corner, it all began to feel real. Asamura and I would be in the same room. Of course, Mom and Dad would be there with us. But wait. Didn’t that mean they’d all see me sleeping and right after I woke up?
…Was this the only room they had available?
“I’m sorry. We weren’t able to prepare a separate room for the children this year. You see—”
As Step-Grandmother spoke, someone called out from the other side of the sliding door. A man, around twenty-five or twenty-six years old, stepped into the room along with a woman of the same age.
I could tell right away that they were a couple. The woman kept looking at the man. Asamura called him Kousuke.
He said Kousuke was his cousin and eight years older than him. That means he must be twenty-five, right? Just like I thought. He told Dad that the woman beside him was his new wife.
“Really?! Well, congratulations!” Dad broke into a huge smile.
Asamura’s mouth hung open. It was clear he hadn’t expected this. He probably hadn’t even known Kousuke had a girlfriend, let alone a wife.
Dad introduced Mom, then me.
“So, Yuuta, you have a younger sister now.”
“Um, yeah.”
“Wow. For a minute, I thought you’d gotten married, too.” His tone was teasing. He’d probably figured out I was Asamura’s stepsister the moment he stepped into the room.
“Of course not. I’m still in high school. It’s way too early for me to get married.” Asamura sounded calm, but I could tell he was totally flustered.
After pushing our luggage into a corner, Mom, Dad, and Step-Grandmother went back into the living room to greet the others.
Those of us left behind exchanged greetings.
Kousuke said he and Nagisa had met in college at their club. Apparently, they’d known each other for quite some time. He also told us why they’d decided to get a marriage license before holding a wedding.
Kousuke was being sent abroad—and Nagisa had decided to join him.
The wedding would have to wait; the process was so complicated there was no way to get it done before spring. I’d underestimated how complicated weddings were. Who would have thought you had to book more than six months in advance to secure the venue you wanted?
Getting married sounded like hard work. I wondered if I could handle it.
…The truth was, I’d never even considered whether I wanted to have a wedding.
The couple before me was only a little further along in life than I was. We were close enough that I could see my own future overlapping theirs.
I had a lot of questions I wanted to ask them, but then Asamura’s younger cousins burst into the room.
They were both elementary schoolers, an older brother and his sister. They had light-colored hair and pretty features. They were so cute the air seemed to brighten around them when they smiled. They appeared to be fond of Asamura and kept head-butting him, urging him to play with them. Looking resigned, Asamura gave in.
We decided to play a game and proceeded to a room with a TV.
Kousuke and Nagisa went back to the living room with the other adults, and Asamura and I hung out with the kids.
I had to hand it to Asamura. He was fantastic at handling the children. He’s like a young father…
I wondered if this was how Asamura would be if he had kids in the future. What am I thinking? How embarrassing.
First off, a guy couldn’t become a dad on his own. He needed a partner… Oh, crap. I’ve gotta stop thinking about this.
The two kids were good at video games.