“The hell do you mean, shady?”
“I…I don’t know…working at a host club or something? You’ve been coming home really late at night for a while now.”
I didn’t actually think he was working at a host club, but knowing Kanba, he could easily find a way to pretend he was of legal age.
“What? Really?” Oginome-san’s jaw dropped.
“Wait, so Kan-chan is a male entertainer?” Himari asked with a frown, holding Penguin No. 3 in her arms.
“No, stupid! Of course not!” Kanba snapped. Then he downed his entire cup of tea.
“You know, I bet Kanba-kun would do well in that line of work,” Oginome-san mused thoughtfully. “He’d look really good in an all-white suit.”
I thought back to the tense smile I’d seen on his face once upon a time.
“Hey, quit making stuff up about me! I’m not gonna wear some tacky suit, damn it. Now let’s eat some meat! Shoma, get the eggs!”
“Well, okay. As long as your job isn’t making you do anything shady, I won’t pry.”
As I spoke, I passed out bowls and eggs to each person in turn, then poured the sukiyaki sauce into the pot. As far as I could tell, I confirmed that Kanba wasn’t working at a host club…but in that case, what kind of job was paying him this well?
“Oh, uh, guys? Before we get started on the meat, someone’s got an important announcement to make,” Oginome-san told us, shooting Himari a glance.
Nervously, Himari pursed her lips. Then she rose to her feet and disappeared into her room, returning moments later with a paper Yozawaya bag. She reached into it and pulled out two large parcels, each with a ribbon on top—one red, one blue.
“Kan-chan, Sho-chan, thank you for everything you do for me. Today, um…today’s Sibling Appreciation Day,” she explained, blushing faintly as she pushed the parcels into our hands.
“Can I open it now?” I asked.
“Of course!”
I pulled the blue ribbon loose, then unwrapped the parcel. Inside was a soft, brightly colored sweater.
“Whoa…”
“Oooh!” Beside me, Kanba admired the contents of his own parcel.
“Thank you, Himari! You were knitting these for us back in the hospital, weren’t you?” What a precious little angel. I could feel my eyes burning.
“You were?” Kanba’s jaw dropped.
“Uh huh. I wanted to surprise you, so I asked Ringo-chan to help me keep it a secret. Sorry for hiding it,” Himari explained with a smile. “The size might be a little off, though. Can you try them on real quick?”
I plunged into the soft wool and slid my shirt-clad arms through the sleeves.
“It’s perfect!”
The color was nicely accentuated by the raised rib stitches. The round neckline was the perfect size, too. All around, it was very soft and warm.
“How do you feel about the color and the design and stuff?”
“No, yeah, it’s…it’s pretty good. And toasty warm, too.” Kanba stared at the floor in embarrassment—a rare sight.
“Oh, I’m so glad!” Himari’s face lit up in a rosy smile.
“Looks like your surprise is a hit!” Oginome-san whispered into her ear. Smirking, Himari whispered something back.
“What’s with the whisper party?” Kanba scowled.
“It’s a secret.”
“Ditto!”
Then they both started to giggle. They were so buddy-buddy, I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Seriously, this sweater is really toasty. And it’s so flawlessly made, too.” I ran a hand down my chest, admiring the stitches.
“Guess what, Shoma-kun? I helped her pick out the yarn. We had a heck of a time finding a color that would look good on you!”
But I paid Oginome-san’s flirtatious comments no mind. “Himari, I promise, I’ll cherish this sweater for as long as I live. Thank you so much!” I exclaimed, wiping my tears away with one hand.
“Hey! Are you even listening?”
Yes, I was. I just didn’t know how to respond. In all my life, I’d rarely ever worn my emotions on my sleeve, and I couldn’t really picture myself changing that—couldn’t picture myself treating her like a girlfriend, for example. So really, it was no wonder that Kanba and Yamashita always called me a late bloomer. Before I could think of some way to change the subject, however, she reached up and grabbed my head in her hands.
“Wha?! Ow ow ow ow!”
“I said, are you listening?!” Oginome-san sneered, pulling me in close. Himari burst out laughing, and Kanba let out a knowing chuckle.
Had we finally found peace? Had we successfully switched tracks on the railroad of fate? I mean, just look at them. Everyone was smiling—real, genuine, happy smiles.
After we polished off the udon and the pot was empty, Kanba laid himself down on the tatami beside the table. “Turns out pricey beef is totally worth it.”
“Kan-chan, you shouldn’t lie down right after a meal or you’ll turn into a cow.”
Himari ate more than usual this time, slipping meat to the penguins when no one else was looking. Now she was humming cheerfully to herself.
“Mooooo,” he responded from the floor.
“Okay then…” I started to stack up the dirty dishes. Oginome-san quietly joined in.
“Wait, Ringo-chan! I can do that!” Himari moved to get up.
“No, no, that’s okay. You’re our VIP tonight, Himari-chan. You’re allowed to sit back and relax for a change.” With a smile, Oginome-san carried all the dishes to the sink.
I pulled on my apron and got to work, first filling the dishpan with warm water, then getting out my scrub brush and sponges (one for oily dishes only, and one for everything else). Of these, I grabbed the scrub brush first.
“Can I put this here?” Oginome-san asked casually.
“Sure. Thanks,” I replied with a smile. “I’ll do the oily dishes first, since I want to get this pot out of the way.”
“Okay, then I’ll wash the rest.”
“Oh, okay. If you want, you can use that apron over there.” I pointed to the pink apron that Himari usually liked to wear.
“You’re really good at cleaning, huh?” she asked as she watched me work.
“I’m just used to doing it every day,” I replied.
“Thank you for inviting me, Shoma-kun,” she continued in a small voice as she stood beside me. “I didn’t think you would, but…”
“Can’t have a party without guests, right? Besides, Himari wanted to see you. Really, don’t worry about it.”
“What about you?”
“What?”
“Did you want to see me?”
“Yeah.”
The word left my lips so fast, it sounded more like yah. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Oginome-san’s face light up.
“Glad to hear it.”