Ch.35Chapter 5. What It Means to Like Someone (7)

…….

What now?

I mean, if you’re going to leave, at least take me with you. If you just leave me here like this, I’ll be the only one feeling awkward.

And of all people, the remaining family happens to be Yuka’s family, so I can’t just slip away or say I’m going home.

Plus, looking at Yuka’s expression right now, I feel like she’d follow me if I said I was going alone.

I looked up at the sky.

It felt like it should be night, but today was Saturday. Even if this all happened after school ended and I was hanging out with friends, everything took place in broad daylight.

The rain had stopped briefly, but it was still humid and hot, and the sun hadn’t completely set. The sky, tinged with a slight sunset glow, seemed to be asking, “Going home already?”

“That person… is your mother?” Yuka asked, choosing her words carefully.

I suppose that makes sense. If she let her guard down even a little, she might have badmouthed Kagami right in front of me.

Well, she is my mother on paper.

“…Yeah.”

“Is she always like that?”

“……”

Strictly speaking, she’s not always like that.

When we’re not in front of others, she speaks to me politely and even grants most of my requests.

And somehow, I think I know who that person really is.

I don’t know about the yakuza setting. I’ve read about Japanese yakuza online occasionally, but my knowledge and image of them is limited to what appears in famous Japanese yakuza games.

It’s probably quite different from reality, but then again, “the reality I used to live in” is different from here too.

Besides, rather than just being an extra… given her connection to Kagami, wouldn’t she appear somehow in the later parts of the story? The way she looked at me with pity suggests that. She seemed to have some kind of relationship with the cult.

And… yes, if Miura died as in the novel, it would mean that the Yamashita family and Mr. Miura, who seemed to have something going on behind the scenes, would be connected to the story.

“Kotone Kurosawa” is also in the same class.

…What if Miura was the one who neutralized Yamashita and Fukuda, who had plenty of reasons to go astray? Looking at how good he was at fighting, he might have been like Liu Bei between Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.

That’s something I should look into later.

“Kurosawa?”

Whatever Yuka thought of me spacing out, she called my name again with a very worried expression.

“…I’m fine as long as I don’t cause trouble.”

That’s what I said.

Even though Kagami had set things up, I didn’t want her to look too much like trash, so I said that.

“What do you mean by ‘not causing trouble’?”

But for some reason, Yuka asked with what seemed like indignation.

…Oh.

Could this have come across as me being brainwashed or something?

“That thing she mentioned about bringing a man home, what was that about? There’s no way you would have done that. Is that also considered ‘trouble’? Has there been more since then?”

“What are you talking about?” Yuka’s father asked with a concerned expression.

I barely managed to hold back a groan.

Even with Kagami setting things up, she went too far, making it impossible for me to escape the “poor child” frame no matter what I did. If I had just been presented as a completely neglected child, it wouldn’t have been this bad.

Though that would have been serious enough.

“Yuka.”

Yuka’s grandfather placed his hand on her shoulder as if telling her to calm down. Yuka pressed her lips together.

Actually, Yuka probably knows. I told her about it before. I had to resolve the situation. Because of that, Yuka even came to where I live.

It seems like Kagami’s words have twisted the story somehow.

“…But I’ve been fine since then. Nothing much happened.”

“Nothing happened… Hah, never mind.”

Yuka exhaled deeply while running her hand over her face.

“……”

A moment of silence.

As I stood there, seriously wondering whether I should be grateful to Kagami for doing a good job or resent her for setting things up too extremely, the grandfather spoke with a kind smile on his face.

“Since we’re already out, why don’t we have dinner before going home? You must need some replenishment after all that physical exertion.”

When I looked at the grandfather, he looked back at me steadily and said:

“There’s a good yakiniku place nearby.”

To be honest, part of me wanted to decline.

My body and mind were already too exhausted. Even if wounds heal, getting hurt isn’t exactly pleasant.

Besides, on days when I suffered major injuries, my body would feel particularly tired, as if the healing process drained a lot of energy. It happened yesterday too.

But when it comes to meat, that’s a different story.

If I’ve used energy, shouldn’t I replenish it? The grandfather is right. According to the second law of thermodynamics, the energy used in my body won’t regenerate on its own.

When I nodded, the grandfather smiled and led me to the car.

Yuka seemed to be debating whether to feel sorry for me or be bewildered as she watched me with sparkling eyes.

“We could just use our spare room…”

I got a bit creeped out hearing Yuka mutter that.

No, I’m not a stray cat. You can’t just take me in and keep me.

Though depending on the menu, I might be a little persuaded.

*

“Ah, that stalker from before.”

Yuka said with her eyes closed.

Because of Kagami’s expression about “bringing a man home,” Yuka must have thought something else had happened in the meantime.

Or maybe she had other thoughts. My situation was pretty dire, after all.

“Have you seen him since then?”

To be honest, I’m not sure what really happened. Even Kagami wouldn’t have chosen to kill someone, right? If that stalker was an ordinary company employee living a normal life, the disadvantages of killing him would far outweigh the benefits.

“He hasn’t shown up since then.”

I shook my head.

“……”

Yuka watched me silently as I chewed on the meat, then said:

“…So back then, your mother also…”

“Was like that.”

“And you think that’s your fault?”

“……”

Hmm.

Because of what I said earlier, it’s hard to deny it now.

So I chose to silently eat my meat instead. It was delicious. I can’t remember the last time I had grilled meat.

“Living expenses?”

Yuka asked.

“How do you earn your living expenses?”

Yuka’s expression looked quite serious as she asked.

Why? I just work part-time jobs. Isn’t that what people normally think?

…No.

Come to think of it, light novels from this era often had strangely provocative settings. Plus, in reality, if a child who lives alone without parental attention says they “earn money,” some people would definitely find it suspicious.

“Part-time job at a cafe.”

So I made sure to be clear about this.

“…I see.”

Yuka still looked a bit suspicious, but she didn’t probe further.

“Come now, come now.”

The grandfather said.

“Since we’re here, let’s enjoy our meal. Miss Kurosawa must want to rest too.”

“…Yes, Grandfather.”

Yuka replied.

And only then did she put the meat she had been holding with her chopsticks into her mouth. So she hadn’t forgotten?

*

Fortunately, Yuka didn’t insist on following me home.

Yuka is still a person with common sense. Even in the novel, she didn’t follow the protagonist around like a yandere.

While she was quite worried and emotionally rich, she still thought within the bounds of common sense.

Though her muttering earlier is a bit concerning.

Very thankfully, Yuka’s family drove me all the way home.

For people living in Ota Ward, the southernmost part of Tokyo, Saitama Prefecture was in the completely opposite direction and quite far.

But they showed no complaints and drove me to my doorstep as if it were the most natural thing to do.

They’re really nice people. Truly befitting the protagonist and her family.

“Call me if anything happens.”

Yuka opened the car window and said to me with a serious expression.

“I mean it. If there’s anything I can do to help, I definitely will.”

“…Okay.”

“I’m serious.”

Yuka said that while looking at me with a serious expression, almost appearing angry.

I nodded repeatedly.

Yuka also nodded seriously and then got back into the car.

“Come visit us again sometime.”

Yuka’s father, sitting in the driver’s seat, said with a kind smile.

“Thank you.”

As I bowed, the grandfather waved his hand.

The large car, which looked about 5 years old but was clearly well-maintained, moved away from me with a smooth engine sound.

I watched until the car turned sideways and completely disappeared from view, then went inside.

“…Still looks old no matter when I see it.”

I muttered.

But I felt a bit more at ease.

The house had a soft futon, a TV, a game console, a rice cooker, and a refrigerator.

A home where I could properly rest my body. It definitely had that atmosphere. And since I lived alone, I wouldn’t bump into anyone.

There was still some time left before the day ended.

After wondering what to do, I decided to lay out the futon and lie down.

Yes, let’s just sleep for today.

With all the events that had rushed at me at once, I felt like I wouldn’t be able to concentrate on anything anyway.

As soon as I got under the thin summer blanket, my consciousness immediately cut off.

*

Riiing.

When I opened my eyes, it was almost noon the next day.

I didn’t wake up because of sunlight coming through the window or anything like that. I woke up purely because of the noise.

The phone I had carelessly thrown near my pillow before getting into bed yesterday was ringing.

As I pushed aside the thin blanket and got up, confirming that I had fallen asleep still wearing my sailor uniform, the phone continued to ring without stopping.

I rubbed my eyes and picked up the phone. My vision was blurry from just waking up.

After blinking to make it a bit clearer, I looked at the name displayed on the phone.

[Yuu Yamashita]

I wasn’t the type to save friends’ names with nicknames in my phone, and besides, I had registered this number not long after meeting Miura, almost on the same day. That’s when I also saved Fukuda and Yamashita’s numbers.

Still, simple communication would usually be enough with emails, so calling like this…

I had an ominous feeling.

No, it wasn’t that I thought something unusual had happened to Yamashita. If that were the case, she would have contacted Fukuda or Miura rather than me. After all, both of them now roughly knew the truth about the incident.

The fact that she called me specifically meant there was something only I could help with.

Riiing.

…Well, I can’t just not answer.

Let’s hear what she has to say.

“…Hello?”

As I opened the phone and put the receiver to my ear, I heard someone taking a small breath on the other end.

After a moment of hesitation, the person spoke.

[…Kurosawa?]

It was Yamashita.

“Yeah.”

The other side went quiet again for a moment, then finally spoke.

[Can you let me stay for a few days?]

“……”

I pressed my forehead.

Yes, I had a feeling it would be that kind of request.

For people in their mid-20s or older, living alone isn’t that special. Of course, if you hear someone owns a house in their name, you might start looking at them differently, but there are quite a few people who just pay rent and live alone.

If you need to be far from home for work or studies, what choice do you have?

But that’s only after becoming an adult.

Usually, when teenagers hear someone “lives alone,” they look at that person with a strange sense of admiration.

It’s a time when they’re full of sensitivity and developing independence, so they might think it’s incredibly exciting to live alone without family interference. They can have friends stay over as much as they want, and they can watch movies or play games all night without anyone caring.

Of course, living alone is harder than people think, but those without experience wouldn’t know that.

“…Why?”

[……]

Yamashita was silent for a moment, then said:

[…I have nowhere to go.]

…

I thought about it.

But I didn’t have the persuasive power to send Yamashita back home. If I refused, she would definitely take it as me “not liking her.”

Judging from her attitude yesterday, Yamashita doesn’t seem to like her father much either, though for different reasons than mine. Maybe he’s quite patriarchal and stifling at home. I can’t just tell her to go back without knowing her circumstances.

…What happens to runaway teenagers? Thinking of a few possibilities, none of the outcomes were positive.

I rubbed my face and said:

“…Alright.”

I heard Yamashita inhale on the other end.

[…Really?]

“…But you’ll be disappointed.”

[As long as it’s a place to sleep, I don’t care.]

Yamashita’s voice sounded a bit tired. Maybe she ran away right after yesterday and has been somewhere all night.

But where?

I only found out after coming here, but Tokyo has a curfew for minors. It’s not just a recommendation; it’s explicitly prohibited by local ordinances. I probably didn’t need to worry about it when I traveled to Japan because I was an adult.

Plus, even in Korea, teenagers can’t be in saunas or PC rooms in the middle of the night. That’s not to say there aren’t runaway teenagers in Korea or Japan, but…

I quickly stopped that train of thought, feeling uneasy.

[Where should I go?]

“Omiya Station.”

I answered as I got up.

[Got it.]

Yamashita replied.

*

I don’t know if this is fortunate, but Yamashita’s condition didn’t look as bad as I expected.

Her clothes were all properly worn, and she didn’t look much different from when I last saw her yesterday. She was even still wearing her school uniform.

However, she looked extremely tired. She had a bulging bag on her shoulder, and while it seemed like she had packed a lot, it didn’t look like it could hold that much.

“What did you do last night?”

“…From convenience store to convenience store. And family restaurants too.”

“…Ah.”

So Yamashita “literally didn’t sleep at all.”

Didn’t she run into the police? Well, maybe she knew how to hide. Even 20 years after this era, there were kids openly sleeping outside as “Tokyo kids” or whatever, so it might be difficult to crack down on each one in the middle of a big city. The ones who get caught are just unlucky.

“It’s about a 30-minute walk.”

“……”

When I said that, Yamashita just looked at me silently.

There’s nothing I can do about that.

I’ve never taken a bus since coming here. Partly to save money, and partly because unlike the subway with its detailed maps, bus routes are somewhat ambiguous to search for one by one. If I at least had a computer at home, I might have figured something out.

“Okay.”

Sensing that I was serious, Yamashita eventually nodded.

It was a sunny day for the first time in a while. Fortunately, I didn’t have to make Yamashita walk in the rain for 30 minutes.

But it was still hot, so by the time we reached home, both Yamashita and I had backs soaked with sweat.

“…This is it.”

Yamashita stared blankly at the apartment I pointed to for a while.

I thought that maybe the size of an entire floor of this apartment might be smaller than Yamashita’s house. After all, she lives in Minato Ward. And her father is a yakuza boss too.

A light novel yakuza would definitely live in a Japanese-style mansion with a grand entrance. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if her father wore something like a hakama inside.

“Let’s go up.”

When I said that and took the lead, Yamashita silently followed.

Fortunately, Yamashita had time to come to Saitama Prefecture, so I was able to tidy up the house a bit before leaving.

Still, it’s good that it looks much more like a lived-in home than when Teacher Suzuki visited.

Though Yamashita still looked a bit shocked.

“Bathroom, feel free to use it if you want.”

“Ah, okay.”

It was a bit funny seeing the rare situation of Yamashita being flustered.

“…Um.”

Yamashita, who had gone into the bathroom, peeked her head out and said:

“Can I use the bathtub?”

She did well to recognize it as a bathtub.

It was a square bathtub where you’d have to sit cross-legged to fit in, but I still use it occasionally. It’s pretty good when you’re feeling tired.

When I nodded, Yamashita closed the bathroom door, though her expression suggested she had a lot more she wanted to say.

…Alright.

First, I don’t think I need to feed her. The food I have at home is just cheap cup noodles, rice, a few pre-bought croissants, bean sprouts, and the minimum sauces needed for seasoning.

Besides, she said she spent the night at convenience stores and family restaurants. She probably couldn’t stay in one place for too long. I don’t know what she was wearing last night, but Yamashita had “high school girl” written all over her face. If she stayed too long, the store owner might have recognized her as a runaway teenager and called the police.

To avoid drawing attention, she probably bought things. And the best way would be to buy something and take her time eating it.

She wouldn’t have left without any money, so she probably ate quite a bit.

So I just unfolded the futon I had put away.

Mr. Yamashita will probably come to pick her up in a few days, but for now, I should make sure she eats and sleeps well. She is someone else’s precious daughter, after all.

…

But what am I supposed to do while she’s sleeping?