As Saito lay in bed reading his book, Akane entered the bedroom, having just finished her bath. As always, even in her own home, she was impeccably composed, leaving not even a moment’s impression of vulnerability.
Akane set her smartphone on the headboard and sat down at the edge of the bed. “Where is Shisei-san?”
“She’s still playing games. I found a guest futon in the closet and laid it out in the living room. She’ll fall asleep eventually.”
There had even been pajamas in Shisei’s size stored in the closet—their grandfather likely had anticipated her visiting the new house from the start.
Akane let out a quiet sigh. “Finally, we can talk—just the two of us.”
“Huh? You wanted to talk alone with me?”
Akane quickly corrected herself. “N-not like that! I just have a bunch of complaints I couldn’t say in front of Shisei-san! It’s awkward saying that stuff around her!”
“You pick fights with me in front of her at school all the time, though,” said Saito. Akane never seemed like someone who knew the meaning of the word “restraint.”
“Sh-sh-shut up! If you keep poking at me like that, you’ll make me angry!”
“You’re angry already,” said Saito. As far as he was concerned, he hadn’t even poked at her in any particular way—he’d just asked a normal question. “Whatever. Just get in already,” he said, lifting the edge of the blanket in invitation.
“Wha—! Stop doing that!” blurted Akane, her ears turning red.
“Why not?”
“It feels…indecent!”
“You know it’s not.”
“It is! I-it’s just, inviting a girl into bed like that, that’s…” Akane, utterly flustered, cupped her cheeks with both hands as if trying to contain the heat.
Saito panicked at her unexpected reaction. “I-I wasn’t inviting you to bed or anything! It just seemed like your complaints were going to take a while, so I thought you should get in bed before you catch a chill!”
Akane narrowed her eyes in caution. “Y-you’re being suspiciously kind all of a sudden… What are you scheming?”
“I’m not scheming anything! I just don’t want to deal with you getting sick again—it’s a lot of work to take care of you!” shot back Saito.
“Hmm… Maybe I should’ve bought a bomb for self-defense.”
“That’s not self-defense—that’s overkill.”
“A bomb probably wouldn’t even scratch you.”
“Don’t place that much faith in my durability!”
Despite all the back-and-forth, Akane eventually climbed under the blanket. Saito turned off the main light with the remote, and the room was gently illuminated by the soft orange glow of the nightlight. Akane’s hair, still holding traces of warmth from her bath, spilled smoothly over her pillow.
“Okay, lay it on me,” said Saito.
“Okay… Well, first of all, you forgot to take out the trash again this morning.”
Saito grinned mischievously. “Hee hee… I didn’t forget. I’m conducting an experiment to observe the organic phenomenon that occurs when trash is left for a full week.”
“Please stop. That’s absolutely going to end in disaster.” Akane shuddered.
“You can’t know until you try. Have you ever confirmed it with your own eyes?”
“I don’t want to!”
“I have. It was a glimpse into the mystery of life itself,” gushed Saito.
“Then you don’t need to experiment anymore! You’re just using that as an excuse to cover up your crimes!” said Akane.
Saito admitted defeat. “Yeah, fair. You got me.”
“Of course… Honestly.” Akane sighed in exasperation.
“Sorry. I’ll take it out tomorrow,” said Saito.
“Please do.” Normally, Akane would’ve been a lot angrier—but tonight, her tone was oddly mild. It felt like the complaints weren’t the real point—she just wanted an excuse to talk with him.
Or maybe I’m reading too much into it. Saito felt embarrassed by his own self-awareness.
“Anything else?” asked Saito.
“Well…you bought that cat game for me, didn’t you? I wish you’d told me about it sooner,” said Akane softly.
“I just figured you seemed super busy with studying. I didn’t want to get in your way or anything.”
“I’m not that busy. I mean, sometimes I want to take a break too. And…I wanted to be the first one to play it,” Akane mumbled.
“Oh, you wanted to get good before I could so you could beat me up in-game? That’s pretty malicious,” said Saito, feigning fear.
“That’s not it! I just…I wanted to play before Shisei-san…” Akane fidgeted with the blanket as her sentence trailed off.
“So you wanted to beat her up too. That’s even worse,” said Saito.
“That’s not it either! I mean—ugh, I don’t know! Why did I want to go first so badly?!” said Akane, flustered.
“Don’t ask me! I’m not a mind reader!” said Saito, responding to the classic, shameless Akane-style dodge.
“Well, you should know! What are all those grades of yours good for?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?!” exclaimed Saito.
“It’s like strapping the latest computer tech to a fishcake. Totally wasted!”
“I don’t recall turning into a fishcake!”
“Poor thing,” taunted Akane. “You don’t even remember the transformation. But I assure you, you are 100 percent fishcake now.”
“That’s not funny!”
The two bickered late into the night. The noise and energy—though chaotic—brought back a sense of familiarity and comfort.
Akane stretched her arms above her head, visibly refreshed. “Ahhh… That felt so good.”
“Feeling refreshed after a fight? That’s pretty messed up,” said Saito.
“Well, I need to yell at you at least once a day to keep myself balanced.”
“Oh, so you’re using me as a sandbag for your mental health?” But Saito could feel the tension lifting too. Maybe it was better this way—letting her vent rather than having her silently stew in resentment. It made him feel like he’d gotten just a little closer to understanding what was on her mind.
“That all for complaints?”
“Oh, there’s one more,” said Akane.
“What is it?”
Akane averted her gaze, looking uncomfortable. “W-well…it’s about Shisei-san.”
“I’m sorry for letting her stay over without warning,” said Saito.
“No, that’s not it! I wanted her to eat dinner with us, and she is really cute. It’s just…I kind of think you’re too attentive with her, Saito.”
“Akane, she’s the kind of person who’d literally start eating pebbles off the street if you leave her alone. Is that a problem for you?”
“No, it’s not a problem, really. I mean, it’s not exactly a problem, but…huh? Why am I complaining? Ugh…” Akane’s voice trailed off awkwardly.
“Okay, let’s dig into that a little more, shall we?” Saito leaned in.
“No need! That’s the end of this conversation!” Akane snapped and turned her back on him with a dramatic roll.
“You’re not getting away that easy. I want to know more about you.”
Akane was jolted, shoulders going up in surprise. “M-more about me?! Why?!”
“Well, since we’re living together, it’ll go smoother if I have a solid understanding of my cohabitant, right?” Saito reasoned.
“O-oh, I see… Yeah, that makes sense!” Akane nodded stiffly.
“So why are you panicking?”
“I’m not panicking at all! Don’t get full of yourself!”
“I didn’t think I was…” muttered Saito, confused.