Gimai Seikatsu - Days With My Step Sister

20th of July (Monday)

It was Monday morning of a new week. Upon entering the school's classroom, I could feel my vigor physically leave my body. It all looked like a black and white movie to me. I could hear bits and snippets from my classmates' conversations, but their voices seemed much more quiet than before. An idle atmosphere reigned.

The reason for this was simple. Halfway through this week, summer break will start. It's different from the mentality of next week will be summer break which was the case last week. The end-of-term exams were over, and summer break was right in front of our eyes. It's pretty much impossible to ask for people to show any kind of motivation for a throwaway match.

While I observed the passage of time inside the classroom moving a tad bit slower than usual, a single male student sluggishly walked into the room.

"Morning, Maru. Morning practice must be tough."

"Yo, Asamura…" Both his voice and even his expression were out of steam.

Although not many of our sports clubs compete on a national level, there's a lot of them who put in enough effort to at least reach the middle of the road solidly. My good friend Maru Tomokazu keeps up a competitive position in the baseball club, which is why he has morning and after-school practice practically every single day. Normally, he isn't as exhausted as how he looks right now, so maybe something else has happened.

"You're like a dried-up tree without your usual energy there. What happened?"

"We lost the second match in the local preliminaries."

"So you're depressed."

"No, not really. It just means that practice will be even harsher during summer break."

"Not the opposite? Normally, you'd practice even harder if you made it further in a tournament."

"Even if you put everything into your practice, there's a limit on how much actual skill you can acquire in a short period of time. You can take a break to improve your physical condition, you can avoid any risks or injuries from practice, that sort of thing. They rarely really go all out in terms of practice during big tournaments."

"I see. That sounds logical."

"Indeed… Mm." Maru sat down on his chair, devoid of any energy, and observed the inside of the classroom with narrowed eyes.

While watching our classmates making plans for the summer break in the midst of this sluggish atmosphere, Maru let out a mutter.

"Must be nice to be able to enjoy summer break."

"Are you the kind of person who'd get jealous about that, Maru?"

"Of course I am. Your free time is the greatest fortune you can have. Then again, I was the one who decided to pour my time into the baseball club, so I can't complain."

"Then what are you jealous of?"

"That I don't have much time to visit the movie theater. They release a lot of big titles during summer break, trying to target the free time families and young couples have. Since I'm stuck at practice, I can't enjoy them." Maru let out a deep sigh. It made me mentally let out a snicker, since this was very much like him.

I don't know how to feel about someone watching movie after movie because practice is slow during a big tournament, but that's how Maru Tomokazu is. His thought process is always a bit different from common sense.

"There's a lot of movies I was interested in as well."

"Like 'Azure Night's Interval'?"

"Huh? That's a standard tearjerker, dude. It might be good for girls who want their daily share of depression, or couples that need an excuse to flirt in public, but a movie maniac like me won't be satisfied by something like that."

"Are you seriously judging it without seeing it? That makes you a failure of a movie fan. I'll have you know it was pretty good."

"Wait, you've seen it, Asamura?"

Ah, I think I messed up. It'd be bad if he asked me Why? With Who? In what situation?, so I had to choose my words carefully.

"I was interested in the source material since I saw it at work, so I went to watch it alone after work."

"Asamura… You went on a date, didn't you?"

"Huh? No, what are you talking about?"

"I didn't even ask, and yet you specifically mentioned that you went alone. You always act independently, so there was no need for you to clarify that."

"What are you? Some kind of detective? You're reading too much into it." I tried to remain calm, but I could feel the sweat building up beneath my shirt.

Maru was looking at me through his glasses like a bird of prey would look at its next meal. It felt like he was staring directly into my soul, which made me feel really uncomfortable. It makes me think that I might be better off just confessing that I watched the movie with Yomiuri-senpai. Is this how a criminal feels when he's backed into a corner? Then again, he doesn't have any concrete proof for any of this.

"With Narasaka, Ayase, and now… Asamura, aren't you a bit too sexually frustrated?"

"I'm telling you, you've got it all wrong."

"Really now? I've heard reports of people saying you've been talking with Narasaka here and there. When was it, in front of the library room a while ago?"

"Huh, what, am I being stalked? It's a bit scary that you know about that."

"People have eyes everywhere. Your sins shall be revealed."

'The walls have ears', 'the sliding doors have eyes'; 'people will talk'—these are all sayings that suddenly sound much more credible than ever.

"I think calling the fact that I talked to Narasaka-san a 'sin' is taking things a bit too far."

"For the men who've fallen for her, it's a serious crime… You didn't watch the movie with her, did you?"

"I didn't go with... anybody."

I was about to say 'with Narasaka-san', but I quickly corrected myself. In response, Maru clicked his tongue. What a terrifying way of guiding me to answer the question in the way he wants. This guy is dangerous.

"Well, you know. If you awaken to your desires to experience sensual love, just let me know. I'm the number one when it comes to human relationships, and I'll support your love as much as I can." He flashed his white, healthy teeth in a smile and gave me a thumbs-up.

In all honesty, Maru's resourcefulness is impressive enough to make any enemy his friend, but I don't feel comfortable at all having him as an ally.

"If that happens, I'll be relying on you."

"Aighto."

When I gave a brief response, Maru showed no intentions of questioning me any further. Thanks to his sensitivity and knowledge of other people, he must know that I actually went to the movie theater with someone else, but instead of letting his curiosity get the better of him, he instead is prioritizing my own feelings on the matter. Knowing when to give up is very mature of him. He really is a great friend.

…Though telling him that to his face would be pretty awkward, so I won't do that.

Classes ended for the day. Maru quickly left for baseball practice, and the other classmates slowly but steadily filed out of the classroom shortly after. I watched them all as I remained seated. I held my phone in hand, spending my time reading up on social networks or news, waiting. Shortly after, the last group of two students, who had stayed behind chatting about this and that, finally left as well, leaving me alone in the classroom.

A raw summer heat blew in from the half-opened window, and the chirping cicadas in the distance assaulted me with a sense of nostalgia. I guess that all Japanese people have this feeling under the right circumstances. Maybe Japanese people have an automatic reaction in their genes to reminisce about their hometown as soon as summer rolls around?

Or so I hypothesized to myself, and eventually stood up from my seat with a sigh. I wasn't just wasting time, of course. Ever since Ayase-san and I became step-siblings, we decided that we should go home at times as far away as possible. Since we both had to go back to the same home, our path home would overlap. If we ended up walking next to each other, it'd just be awkward, so I want to avoid that sort of thing.

…However, this decision decided to stab me in the back today.

"Ah, Asamura-kuuuun!"

"Huh?"

After I put on my outdoor shoes and was about to step out the entrance, someone called out to me. When I turned around, a girl with a bright hair color tapped me on the shoulder.

"How you doin'? What a coincidence meeting you here!"

"Narasaka-san?"

This female student was Narasaka Maaya. And past her shoulder, I could see another student—Ayase-san. Huh? Why is she still here? The second that question popped up in my mind, Narasaka-san spoke again.

"Let's go home together!"

"Eh… Um, why?"

"Huh? Why? I mean… since we're here already?"

"I don't know what that is supposed to mean. Do you need to go in the same direction?"

"Totally the same. After all, I'm visiting Saki's place."

"Huh?"

I glanced over at Ayase-san, seeking an explanation. She put her hands together in apology.

"She'll be teaching me."

"Ahh, I see. But… are you fine going home together, Narasaka-san?"

"Totally. Why would I be against it?" Narasaka-san said with no hesitation whatsoever.

That's the king of normies with a hundred friends for you. There's absolutely no psychological hurdle for her to talk with a member of the opposite sex. It's true that in my life so far, I've never had much contact like that, but it's not rare for groups of boys and girls to head home together. Since both Ayase-san and I had to hide our relationship to avoid any misunderstandings, I was probably just being worried for nothing.

"Since you go to the same place, there's no need for us to leave at different times. Right, Saki?"

"Well, that's true…" Ayase-san glanced over at me.

…I guess it can't be helped this time around. I nodded in resignation, and Ayase-san sighed.

"Maybe I shouldn't have asked Maaya after all." She muttered.

After that, the three of us stepped out of the entrance. The awkwardness of walking home with two girls next to me made my throat dry up. I can't shake off the anxiety that someone might be watching us. In the end, Narasaka-san's conclusion was more accurate. When we stepped out of the school gate, we still encountered a few students here and there, but none of them turned towards us, let alone stared at us. Seeing a single boy and two girls walking down the street must be something that's so normal they don't even pay attention to it.

Maru mentioned that someone saw Narasaka-san and I together, but now that it's the three of us in a group, we probably don't stand out as much. After leaving the school behind us, we walked down the road from Shibuya to Daikanyama, which was known here in the area as the 'Peculiar Hill' road. Even though school had already ended, the sun still stood high, which caused the asphalt to boil. Sweat started building beneath my clothes, which caused me to feel a bit dejected.

Ayase-san walked next to me, wiping her neck with a handkerchief. Even though she's a normal human just like me, I've never seen her breaking a sweat or making a face, so I feel like I've made the discovery of a century.

Then I heard an electronic sound, resembling something like a click. When I turned around, I saw Narasaka-san a bit behind us, grinning to herself with phone in hand.

"Ah, don't mind me. Just keep walking naturally like that!"

"Are you taking pictures? Even if you're a friend, I won't allow candid photos." Ayase-san said.

"No no no, not in the slightest~ I'm taking a video. Totally different."

"The idea behind it is the same. Give that to me. I'll delete it."

"Ahhhhh! Don't take it from meeeee! My smartphoneeee!" Narasaka-san begged, but Ayase-san snatched it away without hesitation.

She checked through the camera roll and deleted the video.

"You really hate having pictures taken of you, Saki. There's no need to go crazy like that. I was going to delete them anyway~"

"Don't wanna. I don't like it. If you decided to not delete one, I'd have to complain to you. That's lame, and I don't want to doubt you, so I'll just delete them all myself."

"I'm in big trouble, Asamura-kun! Saki is bullying me with logic!"

Why are you expecting me to back you up? I don't mind joining in on your conversation, but at least do so when the topic is a bit more comfortable. Of course, my answer was predetermined.

"Pretty sure I'm siding with Ayase-san here."

"You betrayer, Onii-chan! You don't need to agree with her just because you resemble each other as siblings!"

"I don't remember becoming your ally, and could you stop calling me 'Onii-chan'?"

That kind of thing is something you'd say to blood-related siblings. Of course, since we're not blood-related, we're very different from each other, but thanks to us living together, I feel like our senses of values and habits have started to overlap ever so slightly. Maybe that's what she's talking about?

"Also, you're not making any sense. Why did you suddenly start taking pictures?"

"I thought you two walking next to each other would make a buzz online. How about you become one of these YouTuber couples? 'A blonde-haired gal and an antisocial boy became siblings', or something along those lines? It'd definitely go viral."

"There's no way we'd do that. There's no way anybody would enjoy watching that." Ayase-san said with no hesitation, and I nodded.

"Agreed… Also, Narasaka-san, even if you're right, hearing you call me 'antisocial' to my face hurts quite a bit."

"Ah, don't get the wrong idea, I wasn't saying it to insult you. I just saw a lot of these 'Bad Boy' tags on Insta, and they're all super handsome and very popular with the girls."

"Now you're calling me super handsome? That just sounds fishy if you ask me."

"Ahhhh, that's where you're wrong. You're not a handsome guy by nature, but you'd definitely become hot if we put makeup on you, see."

I feel like she's going to fall no matter which direction she goes. I'm sure that Narasaka-san has no ill intentions, but it's really hard to single out one thing there to tell her she's wrong about.

"Also, there's a lot. A lot of people watch these YouTuber couples' live streams. Like, a whole lot. It's hard to get a lot of viewers right now since there's so many people doing it, but siblings doing livestreams together is rare! Let's try to make enough money with ad revenue to buy a mansion!"

"Ad revenue… You can earn money?"

When this money-related word appeared in Narasaka-san's passionate speech, Ayase-san showed a slight bit of interest.

"Of course! Once you're popular, it just comes rushing in!"

"Rushing…"

"Wait, Narasaka-san, Ayase-san, calm down."

I immediately stopped the two girls, who had suddenly started to drive in the same lane. I know I shouldn't bother them when they're having a friendly chat, but I'd feel guilty remaining quiet while they're chasing a feeble dream.

"There's a lot of people who are uploading videos like that, and celebrities and even corporations are joining in as well. This world isn't so kind that it'd let you make it big that easily. …At least that's what someone who's familiar with the Internet said in their video."

When Ayase-san asked me to search for a well-paid part-time job, I looked into this video service thing and the ad revenue you get from it. The ones who make it big make boatloads of cash, and streaming ranks really high in polls for what profession grade schoolers want to be when they grow up. However, as brightly as you may shine temporarily, it is a cruel and harsh industry, to the point where everything depends on your view count. It slowly eats away at you, leaving you frustrated and depressed.

Similarly, even if you do a couple's stream, there's potential problems you can't avoid precisely because of that premise.

"Even if you succeed, constantly having success is much more difficult. You hear stories about that sort of thing a lot lately. The couple breaks up, and the channel they built together falls apart immediately."

"I mean, that's true, but that's exactly why I'm saying this."

"Huh?"

"Unlike lovers, you two are siblings, so you won't break up! It'll be a channel where people can watch you flirt! Could there be any greater type of relationship!? I say no!"

"Now that you mention it…"

"It's not happening. Asamura-kun, why are you suddenly letting yourself be influenced by her?"

"Sorry."

Ayase-san gave me a sharp scowl, and I apologized immediately. Those who are successful advocate for you to move quickly when faced with a challenge, but I feel like these words are much more accurate when you've failed in any way. If you feel even a slight bit of an uncomfortable atmosphere, swallow your pride immediately and apologize. I want to live with the motto 'Apologize in an instant'. I might be contradicting myself, though, since discontent and grumbling are just how some conversations work.

Ayase-san ran her fingers through her hair, letting out a sigh as she continued.

"There's no way we'd do that. It's not like it'll actually work out."

"I'm sure it'd do great! Both you and Asamura-kun are really clever."

"That doesn't feel like praise since it's coming from you, Maaya. You got better overall scores than either of us."

"No no no, I'm not talking about exams. How do I put it… It's like Zhuge Liang clever!"

"Still impossible. Even if we tried to do it for real, we don't know how much time it would take, and I'll miss out on time to study."

"Booooring. I can guarantee you'd be popular. Also more importantly, I wanna see you two being lovey-dovey!"

"So it's all for your own benefit. I keep telling you that it's not like that."

"Either way, it'll never work out. There's a lot more problems beyond that, as well."

Right now, the only person at school who knows about the relationship Ayase-san and I have is Narasaka-san. If we actually were successful with our channel, it'd basically reveal it to everyone. Also, we're siblings, so how would we explain to my old man and Akiko-san that we're acting like a couple on camera?

Of course, you have to keep in mind that Ayase-san is beautiful, logical, and always considerate, which gives you the distance when you need it, so she's very comfortable to live with. If there were a lover's relationship that stemmed from this, it might end up in bliss and happiness.

That being said, she's my step-sister. On top of that, this isn't the world of fiction, but reality. She's my real step-sister. I can't even see any other option other than having things stay like they are currently.

"I see, what a shame. Well, you don't have to become YouTubers. You can try anything! Finding something you're good at can lead to a job with high pay, you know! You should try Insta, Asamura-kun."

"Why? I don't have any skill for taking stylish pictures."

"You just have to upload pictures that'd be good under the 'Bad Boy' tag! I'm sure it'd be perfect for you!"

"No thanks." Or so I said with my back to her, but I was actually downloading the Insta app on my phone.

While Narasaka-san and Ayase-san walked ahead of me, I followed a little ways after them, setting up my account. I was guided through the tutorial screen and created a profile. If this really could make you popular quickly and efficiently, and let you make easy money, then I'll definitely tell Ayase-san about this.

…But on the way home, thanks to bad cell reception, I couldn't tell which users were popular right now. I had gone out of my way to create the account, but I feel like it'll rot away in the passage of time.

We arrived at our home. When I opened the door to our apartment, my tense muscles relaxed, and I could feel my fingers suddenly lightening up like I had put down something heavy I had been forced to carry. Walking home from school as a group of three was totally different from my usual routine. Telling me to relax would have been a waste of breath.

For the random offchance that Narasaka-san would accidentally wander into my room, I locked the door. I turned on the air conditioning, loosened my necktie, and took off my uniform. The cold air blowing against my sweat-drenched body felt good indeed, but I kept myself from carelessly saying anything out loud.

Right now, Narasaka-san was here. Even if I blurted out something embarrassing, Ayase-san would ignore it out of consideration, but I don't want a total stranger hearing it. Following that train of thought, I realized something. I had naturally assigned to someone the label 'total stranger'. Basically, that required the premise that there were other kinds of strangers out there.

Ayase-san is a stranger, and there are other strangers different from her. The fact that I'm making this distinction means that she's gradually moving closer to becoming 'family', right?

I finished changing out of my uniform and stepped out of the room. When I went to the kitchen to grab a drink, I saw Ayase-san in the living room, staring at her workbook, with Narasaka-san teaching her. Ayase-san was still wearing her uniform, probably out of consideration for her friend.

Both of them had serious expressions on their faces. Even after joking around on the way home, Narasaka-san was now diligently teaching Ayase-san. I quietly opened the fridge, trying not to bother them, and poured myself some barley tea. Trying to not be too loud, I returned back to my room.

I sat down cross-legged at the table, putting the cup down in front of me, and booted up a manga app on my phone. Since I've been so busy with exams, I didn't have much time to catch up with what I was reading, so I'm using that time now to catch up on a manga series. I didn't have any part-time work today, so I had some precious free time for myself.

After about an hour had passed, I had caught up with most of the series I wanted to read. I considered checking out that new series Maru had recommended, and was about to tap on the search button when my finger stopped. In the top left of the screen, I saw the time: 5pm.

I figured that this time would be when dinner preparations would start, so I stood up with my smartphone in hand. That'd normally be Ayase-san's duty, but since she has an important Modern Japanese exam tomorrow, she needs to study as much as possible. I headed to the living room, and Ayase-san raised her head.

"Ah, sorry, it's about time, right? Can I make something that won't take much time today?"

"It's fine, I'll do something myself. You keep studying."

"Eh. Really…?"

I tried to make a reassuring smile as I entered the kitchen, and Ayase-san relaxed her posture from almost standing up moments before.

"I don't have to worry about part-time work today, so don't worry about me. Go ahead and focus on your studies."

"…Thanks, that's a big help." Her voice had a faint trace of hesitation to it, but she did thank me properly.

Narasaka-san watched this exchange happen, put her palm beneath her chin like a detective analyzing a crime scene, and narrowed her eyes like a curious cat.

"How nice. You've got a great husband atmosphere to you, Asamura-kun."

"What kind of character are you acting like now?"

"An art critic!"

"I don't get it."

While holding a conversation that made absolutely zero logical sense and exchanged no real information whatsoever, I opened up a recipe site. When I was alone before, I would always make some instant curry from a powder, but I checked the contents of our shelf to be sure. I found a package in there which I had actually bought before Ayase-san and Akiko-san joined us, with the words 'Extra spicy' written on it, in deep red.

Since they had taken care of most of the cooking ever since they moved in, the number of instant or microwavable meals we ate had gone down drastically. Basically, I don't know how well she handles spicy food. When I thought back to the times the two of them cooked, they never used anything spicy. They even made dishes that relied on spices more on the sweet and savory ends of the spectrum, so I doubt they can handle too much spiciness.

Of course, this would be no problem if I could just ask her about her preferences. However, since Narasaka-san is here, I was hesitant to ask her bluntly. There's this saying 'Kid's tongue', which is used to make fun of people who can't handle spicy food. Announcing your own ability or inability to deal with spice has a good chance of hurting someone else's pride depending on their own.

So no curry tonight. I shall rely on the wisdom of the greatest housewives of history instead—and use one of the greatest blessings of the world, the Internet, to look up other recipes.

"Alright, this should do." I decided on a recipe and started working on it.

Spoiler alert: It ended in failure. Well, not quite. It's not strictly about success or failure. I overestimated my own ability, which was practically nonexistent. Every single term in the recipe was abstruse to me. The hell is cake flour? Is that any different from wheat flour? Season to taste? What kind of process is that? Get the hot plate ready? I don't even know how you're supposed to heat a plate. Boil it for five to ten minutes? How imprecise can you possibly be? How can you even tell when it's done?

As I should have guessed, my basic cooking knowledge was too low. I can't even read the recipe properly. I feel like this recipe is much more complicated than the Modern Japanese exam Ayase-san is dealing with. For now, I'll cook the rice. Even I know how to wash rice and put it in the rice cooker. Worst-case scenario, I can serve the cooked rice with tsukudani1 and somewhat hide my incompetence.

I postponed the hard work until later and focused on what I could do. With these thoughts, I started washing the rice. Of course, I know that I'm basically running away from reality. Ahh, the cold water feels good on my hands.

After I finished that, I set up the rice cooker, and someone walked into the kitchen.

"Asamura-kuuuun~"

"Narasaka-san? There's some drinks in the fridge, so help yourself."

"I came here to check up on you, Asamura-kun~ Aren't you having a hard time?"

"Did you set up cameras somewhere in here?" I looked around the kitchen.

"I'm not spying on you! I just realized you were cooking the rice, so I figured you might be having a hard time."

"I-It's not normal… to cook the rice first?"

"Depends on the family. In mine, we take care of the side dishes and everything else at the end."

"I see… But to be honest, this is pretty embarrassing to admit."

I resigned myself and explained everything to her. Namely, that I looked at the recipe and figured I might be able to pull it off, only to end up so stupid that I didn't even understand most of the words written on it—Yeah, explaining that would have taken way too long, so instead I said I wanted to start with something even I understood. Narasaka-san muttered a quiet 'I see~' with a nod, and then went back to the living room.

"Hey, Saki, you can do the rest with some repetition, right?"

"Yeah, thanks to you."

"Great, then you can fight this battle alone! I'll help Asamura-kun with the cooking."

"Eh? I mean, sure, but… I can't force you to take care of that."

"Don't mind me. It's time for Maaya-chan to show her wifey power, fufufufu~"

"I-I see. I'm looking forward to the result." Ayase-san gave me a bewildered glance.

Of course, my expression was equally confused.

"Alrighto, it's time to teach cooking-beginner Onii-san how to hold the reins! I'm looking forward to your guidance!"

"Ah… Y-Yeah."

Narasaka-san rolled up her half-sleeves even further to reveal her two arms. She approached me brimming with confidence and energy, so I could only nod. Normally I should be the one asking for guidance, but I didn't even have the energy to point that out.

"Then let's get this started. What's your basic goal for the dish?"

"The goal…? I don't really know, but I want something that'll let Ayase-san's head work properly during her exam tomorrow. So something with decent nutrition and protein."

"Gotcha. Sweet-and-sour pork is probably the best bet here. Let me see… Ah, found it." She opened the fridge and took out some pork.

A question came to mind.

"Huh? Do we have meat for sweet-and-sour pork in there? Don't you use that floppy kind for that?"

"Yup. It's easy to do with pork cutlet. But ribs work just fine. A lot of recipes actually use them."

When I looked up recipes with that, I found a lot of sweet-and-sour pork recipes that used ribs.

"What's important is the way you cut the meat." Narasaka-san puffed out her chest like a teacher teaching their pupil, but just this once I couldn't say anything back.

As a matter of fact, Narasaka-san's cooking skills were flawless. She took out the ingredients and seasonings from the fridge without even looking at the recipe, showing great progress unbelievably quickly. After that, she cleaned the meat and ingredients, all the while teaching me every step along the way.

The reason she could teach a beginner like me with no problem is because she had everything down to a T. She showed me firsthand what was important to consider so I'd be able to do it myself.

"You're crazy, Narasaka-san. You're almost like a home economics teacher."

"Can't you come up with a cooler example? Maybe a first-class chef who just came back from France?"

"That'd lose the part about you being a good teacher, though."

"Oh yeah!" Narasaka-san laughed without a care in the world. "But you're just as amazing, Asamura-kun. You learn everything so fast. It makes me want to teach you even more."

"I do think it's because of your ability to teach… Also now that I think about it, Ayase-san is a great cook, too… Am I the only person in our school year who can't cook?" My voice was filled with tension at the thought of me being the most sheltered out of everyone. Considering that the sample size for the test was only two individuals, it doesn't hold much statistical value, but the odds weren't zero.

"Ahaha, I doubt that~ I know it'll sound like humblebragging, but I do think I'm fairly skilled when it comes to cooking."

My faint glimmer of anxiety was blown away by Narasaka-san's energetic laughter… Thank goodness. I found myself sighing in relief from being able to avoid a serious injury to my pride.

"I have a lot of younger brothers. Since our parents are always working, I have to take care of the housework. Mom's at home today, so that's why I can visit Saki's place, but that's pretty rare in itself."

"That reminds me, you came here last month as well… But never since."

"Yeah. I guess once a month is the limit."

Only being able to enjoy one free day a month must be hard for a high school student her age. Not to mention her grades. She's either even cleverer than Maru, or she's a harder worker than she lets on. Because of her high tension and energy, I always thought she was a weirdo, but it seems like I need to reevaluate that assumption.

"Say, Asamura-kun, is there really nothing going on between you and Saki?" She suddenly asked out of the blue. She had finished preparing the ingredients for the sweet-and-sour pork and prepared the miso for the miso soup, teaching me the ropes the whole time.

"It'd be bad if there were, right?"

"I mean, you're practically strangers. No blood relation and all that."

"As long as we have a connection in the family register, it's totally not okay. Also, why are you this curious about my relationship with Ayase-san?"

"Why? …That's a pretty hard question to answer. I just felt like Saki had changed."

"Isn't that just your impression of her?"

"It is, yeah? How can you have an opinion without having a personal impression of something?"

"…I guess you have a point."

She defeated my argument with her feelings and emotions. Only people with weak communication skills like me need logical adjustment. Someone like Narasaka-san probably doesn't need to adjust at all. She just works with intuition and reacts to the conversation.

"For example, Saki's been using more perfume as of late. Did you know that?"

"I had no idea."

"Thank God. If you did, it would have been pretty gross."

"Can you not ask me a trick question like that?"

I'm glad I answered correctly the first time. Of course, I am conscious of girls my age, particularly someone who's practically a stranger who's living in the same house as me, but I wouldn't stare at her all the time, let alone be conscious of what she smelled like.

"So, what can you tell me about how much perfume she's wearing?"

"It's summer right now, right? You start sweating just from walking around, so it's a troublesome season for us girls. Since we don't want to smell nasty from the sweat, we put on more perfume, use a lot of sweat wipes, and use shampoo with a stronger scent. Girls do a lot… At least those of us who have interest in the opposite sex."

"I see."

"Last year, Saki used wipes at most. Then again, she never sweated all that much, so using the wipes was enough."

"So you're saying she's using more this year."

"Right! It's like she's using everything at her disposal! Her actions must be influenced because of someone she's interested in! Or so I, Private Detective Maaya-chan, have deduced based on my intuition, Watson-kun!"

"Huh."

"What do you mean 'Huh'!? You don't feel anything after hearing that such a cute girl might be conscious of you!?"

"Even if you say that… I mean, it makes sense that she'd be conscious of me…"

"See! I knew it was in the romantic sense!"

"Again, no." I completely denied her assertions before she could get more excited. "She's living with someone of the opposite sex who had been like a stranger to her up until now, so of course she'd be conscious of her smell. She's trying to not be rude towards me."

I'm the same way. When it was just me and my old man living here, I could walk around the apartment with messy hair, baggy eyes, and smelly pajamas no problem. But that won't do anymore. Ayase-san and Akiko-san are here. Since there's the ever-present possibility of being seen by these two women, I don't have enough courage to show myself with a sloppy appearance. That's something I've been thinking about just recently, myself.

"Huh~ I guess that is true~"

"You'd feel the same way in her position, Narasaka-san."

"Hmm… Ah." She pouted and glanced over at the living room, but caught her breath upon seeing something.

She gently poked her elbow at my side and spoke with an energetic voice.

"Did you see that just now? Saki looked over at us."

"Ayase-san did?" I looked over at the living room myself.

Because of this, Ayase-san and I made eye contact. Her mouth opened for a second, and she averted her gaze right after. Aside from that odd reaction, neither her expression nor the color of her face changed. She just looked down at the reference book in front of her again.

"Maybe she just heard us talking about her? Your voice is fairly loud, Narasaka-san."

"Ehhh? I totally think it was a gaze of LOVE."

"Aye aye, let's keep the gossip at that. Even someone as nice as her will get tired of you after a while."

"It's a shame, but she's always annoyed at me, so annoying her more won't change anything~"

"Then why are you trying to agitate her even further?"

I really don't understand this normie's attitude. She's not a bad person, but sometimes she takes it a tad bit too far. While I was thinking that, the miso soup finished cooking, and so did our preparations for dinner. When I looked at the time, it was half past 6pm, and the rice cooker let out a sound to indicate that the rice was done.

"Nice timiiiin. This concludes Maaya Cooking." She said 'Nice timing' with a weird intonation, took off Ayase-san's apron that she had been wearing this whole time, and headed towards the living room. "Studying suspended. Replenish your nutrients, Lieutenant Colonel Saki." She said, jumping onto Ayase-san's back and clinging to her.

Ayase-san must have been listening to music. She took out her earbuds, speaking up with an annoyed tone.

"Why did you assign me a rank at the end? …But thanks. I feel bad for having you help with dinner even though you're a guest."

"No worries, no worries. It's time for me to head home, anyway."

"Huh? You're not going to eat with us?"

"Mom is taking care of everything at home, but I should at least eat dinner with them. I want to enjoy her food when I can." Since she can say that with a smile on her face, they must be a happy family.

To someone like me who has grown up while watching my parents always fighting, she looked so dazzling that it made me want to cover my eyes. She packed up her things with a soldier-like speed and stepped out of the living room with a 'See you~'. Right when she passed me at the front door, she flashed a grin and leaned in to whisper with a voice only I could hear.

"I'll give you some alone-time~"

"Again, that's not…"

"Anyway, bye-bye~"

I tried to object, but I was given the chance to do so, and she just waltzed out the door with her hand waving at me. I stood at the door in a daze, watching after her. Ayase-san stood up and approached me with a questioning gaze.

"What's wrong? Did she tell you anything weird?"

"No, it's fine. It's just…"

"Just what?"

"I think she's a weird girl."

"You can say that again."

She actually agrees with me? This might honestly be the first time we've shared so much empathy since we started living together.

"Ah, delicious."

7pm arrived. In the end, the two of us wound up eating dinner alone again. Ayase-san stuffed a piece of sweet-and-sour pork into her mouth, and her eyes opened wide. Rather than pure 'Heck yeah!' happiness filling my chest, I was relieved more than anything.

"I'm glad you like it."

"I feel like you chose sweet-and-sour pork out of consideration for something."

"…You sure are perceptive."

I guess someone who cooks every day can pick up the intention behind the choice of menu.

"Thanks. I'm really happy."

"You're welcome. That being said, Narasaka-san deserves the most gratitude."

"Maaya made all of this?"

"Honestly speaking, I made it. She taught me practically every step of the way, but she made me take care of the main parts… I really feel like she has enough talent to be a teacher."

"Totally. If it were me, I'd just take care of everything if the other person was taking too long."

"I know, right? I feel like that would be the safer choice as well."

Yet Narasaka-san did not break her teacher's stance all the way to the end. I feel like she'd be a great grade school teacher, or considering her grades, even a teacher in higher education. I felt warm inside imagining Narasaka-san taking care of children with a smile.

"How are your studies coming along?"

"Thanks to your help, I solved all of Maaya's mock exam questions."

"I'm glad to hear that."

"When I told Maaya about my Modern Japanese studying method, she was all 'Isn't taking detours like that really inefficient?', you know."

"Well, it's probably one of the more time-intensive studying methods, for sure."

Even if you can't fully understand the text in front of you, as long as you understand the contents at the most fundamental level, you can puzzle it out. However, this way of solving problems is most beneficial to those who possess the actual know-how, but that only works if there's a definite answer to the question that the majority of people can understand.

Any thorough, rational level of thought equates to a lack of flexibility. Since Ayase-san is that kind of person, if she encounters questions that allow for vague answers, she'll probably freeze up automatically. That's why this roundabout drastic treatment was the only way for her to succeed in Modern Japanese, without forcing her to accept vague answers.

Earlier, Ayase-san had praised her friend Narasaka Maaya-san's flexibility. She attributed this as the reason she was so popular in class. They say that people are attracted to people who are the exact opposite of them. That would explain why Ayase-san got along so well with Narasaka-san. And it's not just that. This also shows that she accepts diversity at a mental level. She doesn't rely on stereotypes, instead having an attitude that allows appropriate conversation.

I figured that this was because of her father's prejudice, since she had seen her mother being suppressed mentally by him, but that probably isn't all there is to it. Everything following this is just my own assumption. I can't confirm this with her directly, so these are my deductions as an outside observer, so to speak.

If I had to guess, she's fighting and resisting: Against the blood of her father, which she cannot respect. Her train of thought is solid, written in stone, which doesn't allow any vagueness, allowing only black and white, consenting to everything from her own perspective, which drives her to this tendency of wanting to do everything herself.

That's why, in order to keep this stern flexibility, she wears this thick armor… Of course, this is all just conjecture on my part.

"There's no need to worry. Everything's going fine. I should be okay for the real exam tomorrow."

"…I see."

Ayase-san gave me a reassuring smile. She must have guessed the reason why I suddenly became quiet. Since I couldn't tell her about my thought process just now, I don't have much proof for that, though.

"I'm sure you can do it, Ayase-san."

"Thanks, Asamura-kun. Man proposes, God disposes, as they say." Ayase-san gripped her chopsticks tightly and carried some more pork to her mouth. "Delicious."

Until we finished eating dinner, she kept repeating herself, thanking me and telling me the food was good.

The fated exam is tomorrow. Will she be able to achieve freedom for summer break, or will she be restrained by supplementary classes? The conclusion draws near. Oddly enough, despite the fact that this wasn't my problem at all, it felt like my own fate depended on this event. But I put a lid on these arrogant feelings and wished all the best for my step-sister.

—Do your best, Ayase-san.

───

1 Preserved food boiled in soy.