Chapter 8 The Food Got Cold

The Food Got Cold

“I’m home.”

“Ah, welcome back, Shuu. Thank God! You came back.”

When I left Aoi-senpai and went home, I found my mother, Aika-san, standing there. She had tears in her eyes and her face was distorted.

“What’s it? Mom.”

“I was afraid Shuu would never come back.”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry for your worry. But I’m sure I’ve contacted you? …”

“But I’m still worried.”

“I see.”

I’m sorry for what I did. But at the same time, I wonder why she was so worried about me. She should’ve used that concern for my sister. Worrying about me should be pointless.

After waiting for my mother to stop crying, she asked me again,

“Shu, Shuu? May I ask where you’ve been?”

“I went a little far away. I did some sightseeing.”

I told my mother exactly what Aoi-senpai said.

“A little far away? Sightseeing?”

“Yes.”

I put my shoes in the doorway and went into the house, and as I was about to go back to my room, my mother asked me,

“Shuu, why don’t you come into the living room?”

I thought about saying no, but she insisted that she had made dinner for me, so I obeyed and went into the living room.

“Did you have fun, Shuu?”

“Have fun?”

“Um, yes.”

When it came to Aoi-senpai, I answered, “I don’t know,” and it ended up getting Aoi-senpai in trouble, so I thought it would be better to answer, “It was fun.” I opened my mouth like this.

“I think it was fun.”

“Ah, yes. I see, Shuu had fun. That’s good.”

Mom made an indescribable face. A look that seems to be happy or complicated, and a look that makes me think she might cry again somehow.

Ah, I was wrong again. Once again I think that the son who makes his mother’s face like this is no good for the family.

After a few minutes of silence between us, I begin to think that this isn’t the right place for me to be, so I decide to leave the room.

“Oh Mom, is it true that you found Nii-san? Is it true that Nii-san is home? Is it true?”

It was my younger sister Yoka, who is known as a genius and loved by our parents, who came into the living room and said that. Why is she in such a hurry? And she even said something about looking for me.

Yoka’s eyes turned to me, and after staring at me for a moment, she fell on the spot.

“Yo, Yokata!”

I seem to have caused Yoka some trouble. I caused trouble for a good little sister. I bowed my head to my sister, thinking that my parents must be very angry.

“I’m sorry, I seem to have caused you some trouble.”

As I bowed my head and apologized to Yoka, her face turned bitter, tears filled her eyes, and she began to cry. Mother saw it too, and her face changed into a complicated as well.

I wonder how many people I’ve made cry in the past few days.

I decided to leave the living room, passing by Yoka’s side.

“Mom.”

“Ah, yeah?”

After Nii-san left, the living room was still silent and heavy.

“I wonder if it’s no good anymore. Can’t we start over?”

“… It’s okay, Shuu will understand.”

“But …”

Even though my mother said that her face was as clouded as mine.

“It’s okay, we’re family.”

“But… Nii-san thinks he’s … I wonder if he thinks of us as a family like that?”

“I know…”

“But mom and dad, including me, treated Nii-san like that. I couldn’t believe him, and even though I should’ve known, I didn’t reach out to him.”

“It’s the same for me.”

“If it wasn’t for me, Nii-san would’ve been loved by both mom and dad.”

“Oh, no, you can’t say that. Don’t say that. It’s our fault, we didn’t believe him, we didn’t pay enough attention to him.”

The atmosphere is even darker.

“… By the way, where was Nii-san?”

“He said sightseeing.”

“… Sightseeing?”

“Yes. And …”

I stared at my mother, who said nothing. Under pressure, she opened her mouth again.

“Shuu said … He also said he was having fun…”

“Having fun?”

“Yes.”

“Did Nii-san say that?”

“Shuu said so.”

I was stunned and stared into space again when I was told that.

“… Did you hear who he was with?”

“No, I didn’t hear.”

“If it was a woman, then Nii-san might be betrayed again, and this time he would really be gone. Besides, there’s a rumor going around the school that the student council president and someone were seen going somewhere.”

“Hahh.”

“The woman Nii-san was dating also betrayed him and destroyed him. And we just keep quiet.”

“Ah…”

“So, no more. I’ll take care of my Nii-san. … I thought he would break down again.”

So I won’t let that happen again.

I grumbled as I got up and left the living room.

In the living room, the cold food was still there.