Chapter 1 Patience for Another Year and a Half

Patience for Another Year and a Half

I was not in any club activities, nor was I particularly devoted to anything, so I left school and went home.

I don’t have any friends. If you’re a kid my age, you probably think about going to karaoke after school, or if that store just released a new product, why don’t you go buy it? It would be nice to have one or two stories like that, but I’m not normal, I’m a failure compared to my younger sister, and I seem to unintentionally cause trouble for my family and others around me.

I’m causing trouble for someone without even realizing it. I don’t remember doing anything in particular. But before I knew it, it was my fault and I was the bad guy. This happened quite often.

When did my parents’ love for me begin to fade? I think I received affection from my mother and father until my younger sister was born, but after she was born, my parents’ affection gradually waned. My sister and I are one year apart in age, but the difference between us became more pronounced after she entered elementary school.

My sister was what you might call a genius. No matter how hard I tried, there was nothing I could do to match her. Since elementary school, she had won prizes in competitions and solved problems that elementary school students could not.

There was a time when I tried hard to get even a little recognition from my parents, but apparently, it was too hard for me. I cause trouble at school, and I always feel sorry for my family.

In middle school, I got into trouble because I was falsely accused of molestation. Fortunately, I was cleared, but that didn’t change the fact that I caused trouble, and when I wasn’t cleared, I made them say, “I wish you had never been born in this house.”

Even more recently… Well, I’m not going to talk about that. I won’t have any contact with her in the future, and it’s probably best for both of us if I don’t think about her.

While I was thinking about such unimportant things, I arrived home. I opened the front door and entered to find a mother named Aika.

“Mom. I’m home.”

“Oh, welcome back, Shuu.”

I made eye contact with my mother, who was looking at me, and greeted her. In the past, I had briefly called her by her name, thinking she didn’t like being called Mom, but she had asked me to call her Mom, so I left it that way.

I’m really sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable.

“Hey, hey, Shuu? Let’s have dinner together tonight, okay? Yoka wants to, too, and Dad and I would have more fun if Shuu were with us.”

She says that to me, but it’s no good, Mom. You shouldn’t care about me. Besides, my presence would only ruin the atmosphere and make you feel bad.

Even I, who am an idiot and a nuisance compared to my sister, can understand that much. I know that she is just trying to be nice to me, a family member.

All right, I’m going to say no, so don’t make that face.

“Thank you for your concern. It’s okay, Mom. The three of you enjoy eating together. I’ll eat later, too.”

I replied with a smile, trying not to use polite language as much as possible, took off my shoes, and went upstairs. I should be considerate like this since they let me stay at their house.

However, I will be able to leave this house in another year and a half, so from their point of view, it will be a little while longer. I hope they will be patient with me, even though I am being selfish.

I put my bag in its place, do some schoolwork that I don’t have to do, and then continue to study for various certifications. I have to find a job when I graduate from high school.

There is no harm in studying for as many qualifications as possible.

My high school is supposed to be a vocational school, but I’m sure only a small percentage of the students get jobs. The teachers have asked me several times about my career path, but when they realized that I had no intention of changing, they looked at me with a somewhat resigned look on their faces.

I feel like I’m sorry, but it was more of a problem for my family, so there was nothing I could do.

As I quietly studied for my certification, my stomach rumbled. I looked at the clock and before I knew it, it was after 10 p.m. I went downstairs to check on my father, mother, and younger sister, Yoka, who were probably back in their rooms by this time.

When I went into the living room, only my mother seemed to be there, and my father and Yoka were not there.

I took out the food my mother had cooked for me from the refrigerator and served it with a bowl of white rice.

I wondered if she was watching me, and then she came up to me with a look of fear on her face.

Have I done something wrong?

“Shuu? I know you have said before, but can I heat up a side dish?”

“It’s okay. It’s a waste of electricity. I think I should reduce it where I can, even if only a little. …I think. It’s a waste of money to spend on me.”

When I said this, Mom’s face scrunched up and clouded over.

We had had this exchange before.

When I studied in the moonlight without turning on the light in my room, or when I refused to have a cell phone because I thought it was a waste of money… That time, that time, that time. …

I had made her make a face like that.

That’s why I feel again that I’m a failure compared to my sister. There is no way that a son who makes his parents look like that should be allowed to be a part of the family.

I’m sorry, but please wait a little longer.

Please be patient for another year and a half.