As I stared, my brother blew a puff of air out of his nose.
“One week should be plenty of time for you to think things through,” he said, still facing away from me. “I can tell…that ‘Yoshida’ guy is trustworthy.”
My brother looked a little embarrassed admitting this, but it filled me with so much emotion that I couldn’t help leaning over and giving him a great big hug.
“Thank you!”
“Whoa! Be careful!”
It had been a long time since I’d been this close to my brother, and though he smelled like the same old cologne, he was very warm.
I felt tears rising in my eyes, but I held them in.
“I’m back.”
Sayu looked calmer when she reentered the apartment.
“Welcome back,” I replied.
She seemed a little happy as she shuffled tentatively into the living room. Then, with awkward motions, she plopped herself down on the carpet.
“He’s…letting me stay here a little longer.”
“Really? …How much longer?”
“He said…a week.”
“Right…”
One week.
When Sayu’s brother showed up, I was filled with worry that he would take her home right then and there. But it seemed he was more considerate of her wishes than I’d anticipated.
Perhaps it wasn’t my place to think such things, but I was extremely relieved.
“In that case…you’ll have to try your best over the next seven days.”
Sayu nodded slowly.
“Yeah… I’ll make sure to think through everything properly.”
“Good.”
Our conversation ended there, and silence filled the apartment.
I got the feeling something was off with Sayu. She would shift her gaze toward me as if she wanted to say something, then look away just as quickly. She did this several times.
“What is it?” I asked, no longer able to sit and watch. Her shoulders jerked with surprise.
“Uh, it’s just…”
“Go on.”
Her mouth opened and shut a few times as she struggled to find the words. Finally, she seemed to come to a decision.
“…I wondered if you were gonna ask.”
“About what?”
“…About my past,” she replied.
I sucked in a long, slow breath, then exhaled.
I’d intentionally avoided broaching this topic since Sayu and I met.
“…Do you want to tell me?” I asked in a slow, steady tone.
Sayu swallowed hard, then nodded.
“I want you to hear…everything that’s happened to me.”
I felt my entire body tense, then slowly relax again.
Sayu had finally brought up the subject herself. That made me…truly happy.
“Okay… Let’s hear it.”
I tried to make my reply sound as natural as possible, but to my surprise, my voice came out a little shaky.
I looked up at Sayu, wondering if she noticed, and was met with a mischievous smirk. She definitely noticed.
“Sorry… I’m a bit nervous.”
I realized there was no use trying to hide it and told Sayu the truth. She responded with a forceful nod.
“It’s okay. I’m nervous, too,” she said, coming to sit beside me.
“All right… Here I g—”
No sooner had she begun to speak than we were interrupted once again by the doorbell.
“Who is it now…?”
“Maybe it’s my brother again.”
Sayu was sitting closer to the front door and began to stand up, but I waved her back down and made my way over instead.
It was hard to believe I had yet another inconvenient visitor. But I didn’t remember ordering anything, and the intercom just kept ringing. It was enough to make me suspicious, even without Sayu there.
I unlocked the door and slowly pulled it open.
“G’morning, let’s get this party started! …Oh, Yoshi. Why are you home?”
“Oh, it’s just you…”
“Whaddaya mean, it’s just you? Don’t you have work today?”
“I’ve got the day off.”
“Oh? How come?”
“I…”
I cast a glance back toward Sayu. She was waving at Asami, who was peeking through the doorway.
I turned to face Asami again, debating whether or not to explain the situation. It was a tough call, since I didn’t have Sayu’s permission.
“Uh, this isn’t a great time, actually… Sayu and I are about to have an important conversation, so…”
Asami was blinking at me, obviously curious. I felt bad, but I had to turn her away. Then Sayu walked over from the living room and tapped me on the shoulder.
“What?”
“It’s all right. Let her in.”
“Uh… Are you sure?”
“Yeah… I want her to hear, too.”
At that, Asami looked from Sayu to me, then tilted her head to one side.
“Huh? What’s going on?”
“…Come in,” I said. “We’ll talk inside.”
As long as Sayu was okay with it, there was no reason for me to protest.
Asami had no idea what was going on, but she clearly sensed the unusual mood. She timidly shuffled into the entryway and took off her shoes.
We headed into the living room and all sat down together, not too close and not too far apart.
I thought it best to start by explaining the situation to Asami. I looked to Sayu for her approval, and once I had it, I launched into a retelling of the day’s events.
Asami looked shocked at first, but her expression soon evened out as she listened to the story.
“I see… So…” Asami looked around a bit as if trying to pick the right words. She continued carefully. “…That means Sasa has to go home in a week.”
“…Yeah.” Sayu nodded solemnly.
Asami sucked in a deep breath, then collapsed onto the bed with her belly facing the ceiling.
“Awww, I’m gonna miss you so much!” she said cheerfully, flailing her legs up and down.
Asami was so mature. Even when faced with news like this, she never made a sour face; instead, she purposely acted upbeat so as not to bring Sayu down.
Suddenly, she sat up from the bed and looked straight at Sayu.
“…But I’ve gotta support my homegirl coming to terms with her past. Or else what sort of friend would I be?”
Sayu choked up for a moment at Asami’s words, then nodded and responded in a nasal voice. “Yeah.”
Seeing the two of them together made me glad Asami had shown up.
I was hardly the most tactful person, and I doubted I’d know what to say in response to Sayu’s story on my own. I probably would have made the mood even heavier.
I glanced at Asami’s bag. She’d brought a backpack crammed full of textbooks. She must have come over to study with Sayu. It may have been a coincidence, but as far as I was concerned, her timing couldn’t have been more perfect… That said, I felt a little bad about ruining her study plans.
“…Okay, lay it on me,” Asami said, increasing the tension in the room once again.
“I’m…ready to listen, too,” I said, nodding.
Sayu sucked in a quiet breath, then slowly exhaled.
“…Okay. Well…here goes, then. Let me tell you about my past.”
And poof—just like that, I could sense Sayu’s demeanor change.
The look on her face was calm, but I couldn’t help feeling a gloomy aura had enveloped her shoulders.
Gradually, she began her story.
“When I was in eleventh grade…I was all alone.”