A wind started to blow, and shivering, we turned away from the water. The clear landscape was now behind a layer of frosted glass. We headed home without taking another look.
That night, after dinner, Ayase and I played another game against Takumi and Mika. This one was fast-paced and involved racing cars.
Ayase seemed better at this game than the one we’d tried the previous day, and she beat me several times. However, Takumi clearly had a lot of experience, and the rest of us didn’t stand a chance against him. He didn’t ease up, even when Mika started to cry, so we had no choice but to make him take a break. Ayase and I challenged Mika instead, giving her a chance to win.
We played for a couple of hours, but the two elementary schoolers eventually fell asleep.
Kids had lots of energy, and they didn’t hesitate to use up all their reserves. They just kept going right up until they zonked out.
“Oh dear,” said Aunt Kanae with a sigh. “I wish they’d go to their futons if they’re going to sleep.”
“It’s okay,” offered Kousuke. “Yuuta and I will carry them.”
Kousuke got Takumi, and I hoisted Mika onto my back. Ayase said she’d help, but I said to let us do the heavy lifting, and she backed off.
She said she was headed back to our room. Kousuke watched her as she left and smiled.
“She’s a good girl.”
“Yeah. I’m proud to have her as my sister.”
The words came naturally.
Aunt Kanae put the kids to bed, and Kousuke went to the main room to join the other adults. I was getting a little hungry and headed to the kitchen, hoping to grab a bite to eat.
There was food in the main room, too, but I knew that if the others got me involved in a conversation, it would drag on forever.
On my way to the kitchen, I heard Dad talking with my grandparents and came to a stop. They were in my grandparents’ room.
“How are things with her?”
Grandfather sounded worried as he mentioned the name of my biological mother. I gasped. Why was he asking something like that when Dad was getting along so well with Akiko? Why were they talking about her?
My biological mother was good at keeping up appearances. On the surface, she never had a single conflict with my grandparents and always had a smile on her face. They’d been stunned when the divorce was finalized.
Dad didn’t talk about it much and always defended his ex-wife, saying it was partly his fault. But I, for one, didn’t care for her. I mean, six months after the divorce, she’d married the man she had an affair with, and we’d never heard from her again.
Grandfather approved of Dad’s marriage to Akiko, but he said he still wasn’t completely at ease. It seemed that Akiko’s appearance, which was more glamorous than my biological mother’s, was one of the reasons for his uncertainty.
I could understand. When Dad first introduced her to me, I, too, had been worried about him being duped.
Dad’s previous marriage had suddenly fallen apart, despite seeming fine on the surface. And for Grandfather, who found the glitz and glamour of the city totally foreign, a flashier woman like Akiko, who worked as a bartender, probably seemed even less suitable.
Grandmother tried to appease him, but Grandfather kept pressing Dad for details. He said it also worried him that Saki, Akiko’s daughter, was just as flashily dressed and seemed just as cold.
At that point, Dad could no longer hold his tongue.
“It’s okay. Neither Akiko nor Saki are the kind of people you need to worry about,” he said firmly.
He was resolute, but Grandfather didn’t back down.
“I hear you, and maybe you’re fine with it, but what about Yuuta? He’s in high school, and now he suddenly has a new mother and younger sister. Isn’t he confused?”
“He isn’t—”
“Taichi. Can you really say that with conviction?”
“……”
Dad probably faltered because he didn’t want to speak on my behalf. That sincerity had made him incompatible with my biological mother, but I had a feeling it was also what had led him to marry Akiko. That was how I saw it now anyway.
I recalled my dad’s firm attitude from a moment before and called out to him through the sliding door.
The arguing in the room stopped.
I slid open the door, announced myself, and stepped out in front of Grandfather.
“I have no complaints about Akiko.”
Grandfather’s eyes widened. “Yuuta…”
“And the same goes for Saki.”
I couldn’t call her Ayase now. I needed to use her name so he knew exactly who I was talking about. And more than anything, I wanted to stress that I accepted her as my family.
“She isn’t the type of person you think she is. She’s a little awkward, but…I’m the same. She’s kind and honest…and a hard worker. That’s how our Saki is.”
“Yuuta…” Dad looked at me, tears welling up in his eyes.
Then my grandmother had her say.
“You know something, Gentarou? I heard something from Takumi. He said he taught Saki how to play that whatchamacallit game. She was painfully bad at it, but she tried her best. Because of that, he said it was worth teaching her.”
A wry smile threatened to creep onto my face.
“In other words, she did her best to get along with Takumi and Mika.”
“H-hmm.”
“You know, Gentarou, you were quite grumpy in front of her yourself.”
“Did you see the color of her hair? It was—”
“That’s normal these days. Remember when Kanae came home with her hair dyed bright red?”
Grandfather’s mouth closed into a tight line. Perhaps he’d decided that he couldn’t win an argument against his wife. Or maybe he’d finally given in.
Grandmother was staring at me, and it made me a little uncomfortable.
“Yeah, well…okay,” said Grandfather. “I understand. That’s probably how it is if you say so, Yuuta. You’ve always been so quiet that I didn’t expect you to speak your mind so clearly.”
“So, Gentarou, are you done?” Grandmother asked.
“Yeah, fine. I won’t say anything more for now. Oh…Yuuta, your birthday has passed, right? How old are you now?”
“I’m seventeen.”
“Ah. Then you’ll be coming of age next year… Why, you’ll be old enough to get a wife. No wonder you’ve matured.”
“A wife…? It’s too early for that.”
“Kousuke got married. And it happened so suddenly.”
Grandmother felt sorry for me as I clammed up. “Right. Okay. I think that’s enough, Gentarou.”
“Well then, Taichi. Let’s have a drink, and we’ll pick up where we left off.”
“Huh…? You know I’m not a big drinker, and I’m driving tomorrow.”
He and Grandfather returned to the dining hall, and I went back to our room.
I got under the covers and thought about what had just happened.
Even if everyone found out about Ayase and me, and our relatives weren’t entirely on board, I could just be stubborn like Dad.
Let’s do our best. I’ll give it all I’ve got, Saki.